*p. 679-729 on disk from King Features Syndicate.
All comic strips are posted online by special permission of King Features Syndicate, Inc.
- January 2 - 27: Dr. Jim, "cancer specialist" (see 1977)
- January 27 - May 13: Chet Lacey, thug
- It looks like Billy is going to get involved with some bad characters from his job at the auto shop, namely Chet Lacey (who happens to have some serious sideburns)
 |
| Rex Morgan, MD - February 25, 1978 © King Features Syndicate |
- In the end, Billy is smart enough to stay away from Chet and his operation and escapes involvement and arrest of the band of thieves. Way to go, Billy!
- May 15 - September 23: Vince Luddigan, police detective and subdural hematoma!
- We start out in the ER - Melissa has had episode of fibrillation
- Meanwhile, the new nurse assistant Rex wants to hire to help June in the office is annoyingly energetic, admitting she simply wants to be around Rex - her name is Connie Bell, a perfect fit for her personality
 |
| Rex Morgan, MD - May 31, 1978 © King Features Syndicate |
- Keith Cavell has also made another surprise visit - and, no shocker here, he's already asked Connie out to dinner
- A police detective, Vince Luddigan, calls Connie away from her plans - he's a married man but explains he's going to divorce his wife to be with her (she pleads for him not to do so) - he has a suggestive headache when he gets upset...
- The truth comes out - he had a head injury two months prior
- Connie teaches us a few pieces about narcotics:
 |
| Rex Morgan, MD - August 18, 1978 © King Features Syndicate |
- September 4 - 10: MISSING; I suspect this is where Vince is finally convinced his head injury has caused some sort of problem, given that his behavior has been erratic
- We continue on 9/11 with: "After Vince Luddigan's wife signs a permit for surgery, Keith Cavell tells [Vince's co-worker] Charley what happened!"
 |
| Rex Morgan, MD - September 12, 1978 © King Features Syndicate |
- Keith shares that he's been feeling depressed, as he announces he's leaving after Brice Adam returns - we all know the truth: he's just sad he doesn't have a lady friend to marry
- September 25 - February 14, 1979: Dr. Rita Carson and Sylvia Landon, Epilepsy
- A [female] Dr. Carson comes in with appendicitis - she's apparently new in town, and we learn she's a psychiatrist
- Naturally, she's a new object of affection for Keith Cavell
- Rex and Keith are surprised to find out Dr. Carson didn't decide she wanted to go to med school until she was 22 years old (practically a dinosaur); the next day's strip we see her popping some pills in her hospital bed and lying about what they are
- A young high school girl with epilepsy comes in from a head injury while Dr. Carson is still a patient - she goes to talk with her.
 |
| Rex Morgan, MD - November 2, 1978 © King Features Syndicate |
- November 14 - 16, the young girl, Sylvia Landry, talks about her experience with epilepsy and how it has affected her life
- As Dr. Carson shows a strong personal interest in Sylvia, we learn that she herself has epilepsy
 |
| Rex Morgan, MD - December 19, 1978 © King Features Syndicate |
- Another break in the story for a large Christmas panel - we've learned from Scott McCloud that the longer panels help to create a sense of prolonged time, as if the issue spans a greater distance
 |
| Rex Morgan, MD - December 25, 1978 © King Features Syndicate |
- Even though Keith proposes to Dr. Carson, she still refuses to tell him she has epilepsy for fear that he'll leave her; she finally comes clean when Keith finds her unconscious in her apartment (1/5/1979), and she proceeds to tell him about her experience
 |
| Rex Morgan, MD - January 13, 1979 © King Features Syndicate |
- Sylvia escapes from the hospital when her doctor changes his mind and requests more neurology studies instead of releasing her - she finds her way to Dr. Carson's house
- Dr. Carson helps Sylvia explain to her parents that they are too overprotective and need to lighten up
