Again, we are lacking any of our regular Funky Winkerbean cast…which is fine by me. Young Blonde is watching what the youth of today are always watching–caterwauling blondes. I mean, look at the mouth on that TV woman. Did someone just hand her a comic book?
Meanwhile, Jff is up in the atiuk, transported by joy. Much as I criticize, it is nice to see someone in any Batiuk work enjoying life. And if “enjoying life” means reading comics, eating cookies and drinking milk, well, I’m not going to make trouble. (By the way, if you’re wondering what’s going on anatomically, I think Jff is holding the cookie with his right hand, not holding both cookie and comic in some twisted left hand.) It’s also refreshing to see someone enjoy a comic book as a story being told, rather than just a handful of old pulp pages stapled together and intended to be stored for future worship.
Enjoy your comic, Jff! Don’t let the fact that you’ll probably die tomorrow spoil the mood. Whoops! I didn’t mean that. Whew! Almost won a Pulitzer there!
Starting tomorrow, Fearless Leader returns. Thanks for your indulgence!

Today I stumbled across an article on the world’s biggest borehole. Being a longtime FW reader, I immediately started reading it. But alas, it wasn’t about Tom Batiuk, it was referring to an actual borehole. Boy was MY face red!!
So OK, it isn’t just how you get the comics you once treasured as a youth, you have to read them properly as well. I’m greatly looking forward to next year’s follow-up arc where Pm finds Jff’s badly-dessicated body in the attic, still with that horrible grin plastered across his corpse’s face. Perhaps Les will write a book about it.
Jff is reliving those carefree, halcyon days when his mother used to lock him in the attic for hours at a time.
Most adults knock off 10 minutes of reading on the toilet.
You know, I didn’t notice the maniacally grinning blonde woman the Darling/Crankshaft woman is watching on the ol’ idiot box. I was glued to Les’ death (thanks BC!) instead. Anyhow, yeah, just another biting AND relevant commentary on today’s subpar popular culture and how vapid it is, as opposed to the seventy year old man sitting in the attic reading a sixty year old comic book where Superman turns into various jungle animals, I guess.
So Batiuk wants comics to be taken seriously, then he has Jff behave like a little kid. MAKE UP YOU STINKING MIND, BATIUK!
If his intention was to have Jeff recapture a bit of the youth denied him under the vigilance of his evil, selfish mother, he fell far short of the mark. Instead of looking happy, it looks as if he’s going to have to bunk with his wheel-chair bound father in law at the assisted living hellworld.
Oh… ya know KSU has started classes again. Aren’t some former main characters attending school there?
.” Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness “
“Where’s your dad?”
“Doing his drag routine on America’s Got Talent.”
“I thought I was
The Funky Photoshop King
But I just handed my Funky Photoshop crown
to BECKONING CHASM!”
Nice work, Chiefy!
I am in awe of the Les suicide art – well done!!!
An old man sitting on a wooden floor reading.,, Jfff better hope that Pm’s willing to come up to the attic and help him get up or he’ll be there a very long time.
Hangman! Hangman! Slack your rope a while!
I think I see Pm & Jff, riding many a mile.
Pm Jff, have you brought me hope, have you paid my fee?
Or have you come to see Les Moore, hanging from a tree?
No, we’ve brought no hope; no, we’ve paid no fee.
We’ve just brought Action Comics number two four three.
Oh, yes, you’ve got a fine comic, better than good plus,
Pm & Jff brought a book on the Centreville bus.
Your comic is for reading; I found out how it ends,
But now I laugh, and pull so hard, as Les Moore’s old neck bends!
But now I laugh, and pull so hard, as Les Moore’s old neck bends!
Apologies to the unknown folk authors; to Peter, Paul & Mary; and to Led Zeppelin.
Nice work on the banner, TFH–the Stones would be proud!