"Sure, you're researching this whole documentary about the father you lost…and when I say 'researching', of course I mean glomming a free copy of Les' first book." At least we learn why Jessica thinks Darin should reconnect with the father who "lost" him: because it's easy.
Category Archives: unnatural hand gestures
Priorities!
Epicus Doomus
April 25, 2013 at 10:53 pm
[N]ote how once again the premise ("Jessica is pregnant") IS the entire "story", not merely a launching point for something more…
And the "story" enters its second week. "So are you two planning to look for a house? Or do you intend to live in a succession of seedy apartments in run-down neighborhoods, like Fred and I did?" Such trivial matters will have to wait: Jessica's decided, now that she's pregnant with her first child, it's the perfect time to get started on that John Darling documentary, one of the things that brought her and Darin back to Westview two years ago.
Filed under Ann Fairgood, Darin, Jessica, John Darling, unnatural hand gestures
Good Days and Batiuk Days
Tom Batiuk doesn't care about stroke victims. The discussion of Fred's day-to-day existence is relegated to the Sunday "throwaway" panels up top (which don't appear in all newspapers). The former Westview principal exists these days merely to generate cheap pathos or cheaper marble-mouthed speech gags. TB is much more concerned with his special "Coda to Lisa's Story".
"I'll be happy if we can just be half the parents you and Dad were." Way to set the bar, Darin. Never mind that Fred wasn't even half a parent to Kerry, the daughter he wasn't even allowed to see, and the older half-sister that you (and we) only recently learned about.
Back at the motel, the world's nosiest desk clerk continues feeding straight lines to the mystery man, who is revealed to be none other than Frankie, clean-shaven and slavishly copied from the model sheet.
Filed under Ann Fairgood, Batiukmobile®, Darin, Frankie, Jessica, unnatural hand gestures
Frankie, My Beer, I Don't Give a Can
From the FW Blog, Nov. 6, 2012:
At the moment, I’m hard at work on what is turning out to be a bit of a coda to Lisa’s Story. Events in the present will spark a sort of flashback/prequel which will crossover into real life with a visit to my old apartment in Elyria…as well as a crossover with Crankshaft thrown in for good measure. Oh, and lest I forget, a long lost character as well…Stay tuned.
Clearly Les does not share Cayla's excitement over his basic-cable movie getting a free plug on a basic-cable news network. Meanwhile, somewhere in Elyria, Ohio, "a long lost character" with Paulie Walnuts hair and wearing a wifebeater clutches a can of beer and talks to his TV. It can be none other than the despicable Frankie, Darin's biological father and St. Lisa's…ex-boyfriend? Date-rapist?
Tom Batiuk Talks 'Funky Winkerbean', comicbookresources.com, March 19, 2013:
I ended up writing a story where Frankie — he's been mentioned a couple times and has actually appeared in the strip very briefly, the guy who got Lisa pregnant — returns. In the return of that story we deepen the teen pregnancy story and say that it was a little more than just youthful indiscretion on Lisa's part. There was some coercion involved and it's like a coda to "Lisa's Story."
Guess we'll have to wait for TB to "roll out" the story to see how he retcons this.
I wasn't able to dig up a whole lot on the web about Frankie (he's not even mentioned on the Unofficial FW Fan Page, though Lisa's teen pregnancy is). I found the above strip from Act II, but can't provide any context on what their relationship was by the time she was pregnant with Summer.
Kemo Slobby
TheDiva
April 2, 2013 at 12:13 am
There's a Lone Ranger movie coming out this summer, so for once Batiuk is (a year and) three months ahead of the time. I'm sure this is entirely coincidental, though.
I'm thinking coincidence too. It's more likely that someone who thinks that Flash Gordon is still timely would expect teens to find the Lone Ranger relatable.
There is more to the Lone Ranger's Creed, and it's actually not too bad as far as creeds go. It doesn't really apply that much to Owen's situation, however, but that's the kind of counsel you get when you go to the comic book guy for advice.
Filed under chullo, Dead Skunk Head, John, Komix Korner, unnatural hand gestures
Smirk Engine
Before becoming a cartoonist, Tom Batiuk taught for several years at a junior high school. If held felt anything like the antipathy that Les has always had for his students, well, it's fortunate for them that he left teaching for cartooning. Unfortunate for the rest of us though.
Filed under chullo, Les, Les' yellow shirt, Owen, random students, unnatural hand gestures, Westview High School
Call Any Vegetable
BeckoningChasm
March 4, 2013 at 7:17 pm
You know, I have a sort of bored fascination wondering how Tom Batiuk is going to stretch today's situation–two morons wasting the time of a third–into a three week arc…
Maybe you'd like to see two different morons wasting our time? Having Crazy Harry to mind the store means that Dead Skunk Head John is free to occupy Harry's old spot at Montoni's counter and gorge himself on The Perfect Food.
Filed under Dead Skunk Head, Funky, Montoni's, pizza, unnatural hand gestures
The Hat Locker
"Your friend Crazy Harry", I guess so as not to confuse him with any other Crazy Harrys, or with the relatively sane Harry Dinkle. More stiff dialogue from Batiuk, and more needlessly effusive gesticulating from Les. At least he seems to be warming to being interrogated about his school days. Tune in tomorrow to hear Cayla ask "Did you really piss your pants in the janitor's closet?"
Filed under Cayla, smirk, Summer, tiny hands, unnatural hand gestures
