In addressing today’s strip, I’m slippin’ on the old “tread lightly” shoes. There are thousands of families right now, waiting and worrying over loved ones who are away serving this country. It must be a “helpless” feeling indeed. That said: how is Holly’s self assigned task supposed to benefit her or her soldier? This all began six weeks ago with Cory complaining to his mom via Skype about the lack of supplies “over there in Afghanistan”. And Holly’s idea of “doing something” about it is chasing down the missing volumes in his comic book collection? Only in the Funkiverse, man…only in the Funkiverse.
16 thoughts on “Over There”
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Son of Stuck Funky 
This arc is just all over the place. A few weeks ago, SJ #7 was the focus, although it made no sense that Holly had to go pick up the comic from a woman who could have just as easily mailed it herself. Then yesterday Holly claimed that she was almost on the verge of “pitching” these comic books, the very same ones that now suddenly mean the world to her. And issue #7 is right there, under Cory’s bed. None of it makes any sense at all.
And note why she wants to finish Cory’s SJ collection for him. Not “to make him happier around the holidays” or something like that, but merely to make herself feel better. So typically Westviewian. Les thinks nothing of ruining every occasion by complaining about how bad HE feels about his dead wife. Summer offers her new nephew one of HER toys that SHE loved when she was little. His wife bears him a son and Darin wants to talk about where HIS mother went into labor. Dinkle finally takes his wife on a honeymoon fifty years too late so HE can get laid. Bull puts Jarod on the team so HE can feel good about himself. These are the most selfish and self-absorbed people on the planet. Except for Lisa, of course, who NEVER thought about herself, only Les, which is many degrees worse.
@Epicus Doomus: When you can honestly compete with the cast of 9 Chickweed Lane for the most selfish, self-absorbed a-holes in comics, you got a problem.
“You know, honey, there are several volunteer organizations who do things for troops serving over–”
“No! Comic books! The comic books are the life! WORSHIP THE COMIC BOOKS!!!”
Funky: “Frankly, this little ploy of yours sounds like it’s more about being anal-retentive and a twit than it has to do with your love for Cory.”
Holly: “Cory?!? No, ME, I said it bothered ME that there are gaps in Cory’s collection! Until this hole in the universe is fixed, I can not…WILL NOT REST.”
Funky: “Or you could see a therapi-”
Holly: “Doctors are EVIL and STUPID. Because they JUST ARE.”
Funky: “Hoo-kay…I know we’re in it deep if suddenly -I- seem like the reasonable one.”
Batiuk does these strips a year in advance, sends them to the syndicate, and some intern drops them on the floor. Hence the continuity problems, we got a week or two of Holly finds issue #7 well before TB wanted to run it. I guess. What happens with this fine collection when Cory gets his ass shot off and never makes it back to Westview?
You know Holly, most old comic books are now available in epub and .cbz format so you actually could very easily download them and ….oh, right! That would involve you using the great satanic force that is technology. Oh, well. Good luck then Holly. Because you’ll have to endure excruciating conversations with DSH John and Crazy Harry in your idiotic quest.
Rusty: I agree fully with that theory, 100%. The sad yet amusing part is that other than us, no one even noticed. And here’s yet another continuity issue: if Holly wants to complete the SJ collection, she will obviously need issue one. And we know that issue one is a very valuable comic book, I don’t remember if TB ever put an actual price on it but one would assume it’d had to be in the realm of at least several thousand dollars if it was enough to save Funky’s broke ass. I wonder how he’ll try to skate around or ignore that plot point?
Let’s at least give credit to Batiuk giving serious attention to a real thing that military families go through, the son/father/brother (no jokes please) being in danger that the family can’t do anything to protect him from. They have absolutely no control over what happens to him. You see lots of odd things and superstitions develop as a result.
But that doesn’t change the fact that he used this to push comic books back in. We’ve seen comic books. We have seen many comic books. We have seen years of comic books. Perhaps you could look at some other form of entertainment, Mr. Batiuk?
“Makes me feel like (sic) I’m doing something.”
Not that it’s actually doing something, it just makes her feel as if she’s doing something.
“I’m his mom. That means I should care about him or something, right? What’s the easiest way to do that? My schedule’s booked with face-touching in concern and following my dumb husband around as it is!”
Ya want to do something fighting men would appreciate?
http://cigars.about.com/od/cigarsfortroops/a/cigars4troops.htm
Panel 1 is fairly funny and remarkably self-aware for a FW strip, as “missing issues” is something TB does quite often.
Why do I have a feeling a future strip includes the lines “Finally, the set is complete!” followed by “The Army regrets to inform you…”?
Th’ fuck is goin’ on in Crankshaft today???
Holly go pray to St Lisa for the boy’s safe return. There’s a shrine in Les’s house next to the pile of VHS tapes. It won’t really help but it’s a bit more about Cory than this gibberish.
“Th’ fuck is goin’ on in Crankshaft today???”
Compare the noses, glasses, and the chins……………….
“Th’ fuck is goin’ on in Crankshaft today???”
Also recall an earlier arc here set farther in the future, Jff mentioned a visit to the nursing home………………