Crazy Harry’s “retired”? That seems a little different from “cancelled“. Although in either circumstance, one would expect that there would be a pension, severance, even unemployment benefits that would make it unnecessary for Crazy to have to sell all his books. And selling them to John, who passed on buying Pete’s collection because he couldn’t afford it? Crazy might do better trading in his SUV in favor of a tiny Batiukmobile® like everyone else in town drives. With Maddie away at Kent, and his two younger children missing and presumed dead, what does he need with that gas guzzler?
32 thoughts on “The Retiring Type”
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Son of Stuck Funky 
As we slouch into Week Three of this utter nonsense… he’s selling his comics to John, not even on eBay? John, whose tiny comic book shop in Westview probably doesn’t get a dozen customers a day? None of whom can pay for any reasonably expensive comic (since the town’s only employers seem to be the school system and Funky’s pizzeria)?
Of course that last part is moot, since Crazy is selling the same New52 comics John probably already has filling his dollar boxes.
It’s a Christmas miracle! Funky Winkerbean actually said something that is profound, accurate and inclusive!
S.P. Charles, you know full well that the Internet is only used by evil teens who are looking for term papers to steal. Besides, the more I read this strip the more I’m convinced Westview is basically an section of the No Exit version of Hell, where nobody can leave and everybody exists to torment each other.
It’s…kind of a funny joke? Except for the part about Crazy Harry’s arc continuing (which I foresaw, by the way). (“Funny” by Funky Winkerbean standards of course.)
I’m sure the opening of “Les Mooreables” has only been delayed.
Nonsense is right, S.P. As in “the punchline to this strip makes no sense.” Why wouldn’t members of Funky and Holly’s class have jobs? The two of them have jobs; so do Bull, Les, Cindy (last time we checked), and everybody who was at the thirty-year reunion. Even if there job was “Stay-at-home wife” (or husband) . Has somebody from the Class of 19whatever spent all of post-graduaction days living in a box underneath an overpass? To quote the title of a GIL THORP book “Sheesh!”
And Batiuk continues to mail it in.
That’s at least as funny as FW, right?
And today the suddenly hilarious Funky zings the whole damn “cast of characters” in one fell swoop. He really seems to be enjoying it, too. It doesn’t really make a lot of sense or anything (and neither does Mrs. Bean’s “retired” comment given that she was standing right there when Harry explained how he was let go from his job) but whatever. He’s insulting a group that Les is a member of, so that’s all right by me.
Sure, Harry could have used Ebay or some other specialized comic book collector website to sell his fabulous collection of imaginary friends. But technology is so cold, man. No, when you’re forced to sell your beloved hobby away to feed the family after you lose the only job you’ve ever had, nothing beats a visit to your local brick & mortar comic book shop. The annoying droning of the proprietor, the smell of old pizza, fading newsprint and geek sweat, the insultingly low and smugly condescending offer from a dork who’s better at being a dork than you are…you just don’t get that with your Interwebs and hi-tech gizmos and such.
You know that what Flunky said was slapnuts funny because he was talking out one side of his mouth AND he had a Smirk Dimple. Oh tee HEE!
Hard to believe, but the interminable Crazy-And-His-Comics storyline is making me miss Les.
Is Batiuk expecting new readers to come on board during this arc? “John at the Comix Corner”, indeed. Why not go the extra mile and remind us that his shop is in “the room above Montoni’s”, or wherever it is in proximity. See? He spells out the information we already know and omits the part we’re not sure about. The new readers should probably also be forewarned about the pedophilia, but hey — that’s what Tuesday’s for!
Good for Harry! Now he can kick back, relax, and enjoy his Golden Years by catching the cancer.
It is hard to believe, considering how you and your friends never left your dumpy suburban home town after graduation instead moving to where the jobs are in Cleveland or Klumbus or Chicago like most other middle class white kids do in Ahia. It’s almost as if some malignant, goateed higher power was keeping you trapped in Westview for his own sinister ends.
@Helskor: bit of a stretch to call Westview “suburban”.
And perhaps Crazy should sell off his SUV and get a smaller, more fuel efficient vehicle?
“It is hard to believe, considering we were in high school in 1972 but graduated in 1988. Or 1978. What year is this again? It’s worse than Doctor Who in here.”
Haha, it’s funny because there have never been more than 10 jobs in Westview and everyone from Funky’s class managed to get one.
And really Holly, just from looking at the members of your class it is easy to believe one of them is retired. Actually, it’s surprising that most of them aren’t.
Bad wolf is absolutely right – Batom Inc. decided to graduate these characters from HS in 1988, which would make these characters around 43 years old. However this is terribly inconvenient for Batom Inc., who can’t be bothered to maintain even a semblance of continuity; as a result, we’re treated to Crazy Harry, the guy with the union job who’s a also a member of the Tea Party, retiring in his early 40s.
I hate this strip SO MUCH.
“…and Saint What’s-Her-Name. Lester’s first wife, died of cancer. Was that in 2007 or 15 years ago? Confusing.”
And what’s so unusual about Crazy’s car being parked out front? Isn’t he always there?
Flummoxicated: In November of 2008 FW & class held their 30 year reunioin. So they are the Westview Class of 1978…. or about 53’ish.
Yes CH could have squicked by in a gov’t job for 30 years and retire now.
What is “amazing” is how TB has a job!
No wonder she’s surprised! Judging by the art, Les is 42 (how TB sees himself), Funky is 52 (how TB sees his friends), and Crazy is 62 (how TB sees Ayres).
Reunions aside, let’s look at some more. Lisa was a lawyer, so at least 25 by the time she had Summer, who’s 18 now. So Les is at least 43, while Cayla has a same-age daughter but looks a few years younger, so late-30’s? If Les is 15+ years older than her, it’s even more disturbing.
Merry Pookster: What is “amazing” is how TB has a job!
Glad you brought that up, Pook. It occurred to me recently that the fact that Batiuk has had such a secure gig for the past 40 years might excuse his tone deafness/lack of understanding re: what it’s really like to suddenly find oneself out of a job. Selling one’s worldly goods is usually a last resort…not the first.
Given how many people are currently out of work, and given the dearth of new newspaper strips that are GOOD, you’d think maybe the market would increase. Crap like Dustin and that scribbly thing made by Donna-something I can’t be bothered to name (oh wait, it was Reply All) could be improved by new cartoonists. When Funky Winkerbean gets cancelled in 2013 (depends on how far he stretches his love for Dead Lisa), I hope something decent or two will replace it.
Bad Wolf: Cayla was in college playing softball so say she met that Big Walnut Tech guy in a van down by the river and had Kiesha at age 22/23 that’d make her 40 while Les is about 53.
Still distrubing on so many levels.
Oh, and we can look at the model sheets TB allegedly uses (they’re on his desk in all the video interviews): Les at 46, Funky at 46, Crazy at 46; with Summer at 15 we can safely add 3 years to each. Susan a svelte 33, Cayla and Keisha no ages given, various disappearing children (all of Summer’s graduating class including? Jinx) and the many characters who we could spend time on (“Chien? Sadie? Why would anyone want to draw an attractive female” asks TB) in between.
Is that pre- or post- time jump? ..like it matters.
Next time someone comes on the blog and ask why we snark on this strip, file this under reason No. 4,238.
The reason Fat Westview Woman Unit is astonished that Harry’s SUV is parked out front, is that normally he’d park his USPS truck out there instead of delivering mail.
The 30 year reunion was after the last time-jump…in which Summer progressed through HS in normal time.
Lately, it seems like this strip has been nothing but adults obsessing about comic books and high school marching bands. It’s almost like the author’s emotional development halted at around 11th grade.
Funky: “In fact, I can’t believe anyone we know ever accomplished anything in life at all!”
Holly: “Well, earning a living isn’t exactly an accomplishment. It’s just something you have to d-”
Funky: “In fact, I can’t believe any of us continue to eat, sleep, and breathe! We’re all just going to die anyway!”
Holly: “Okay, getting morbid now…”
Funky: “In fact, I think I’m going to wrap this Holiday festoonery around my neck and hang myself, RIGHT NOW!” ***URK***
Holly: “….*….what happened? I…I…oh, hell. When will I learn to stop bringing up topics of conversation?!?”
Yes, the “time jump” is total bullshit. There’s no possible timeline that could remotely explain the history of events in this comic strip. It’s like trying to follow a stairway in an Escher painting.
sourbelly: Except these days 11th graders just don’t -care- about comics.
Except in Westview, where it’s always 1992!
Or sometimes 1962. 😛