A semi-surprisingly novel turn of events here today, as Les isn’t just authoring a crappy graphic novel with a really dumb title for Cayla, he’s taking her to some godforsaken Chinese industrial plant to actually see the book be made. Pretty clever! And pretty strange, too. By the look on her face we can conclude that seeing an actual sweatshop was way up there on her “bucket list”. The startling revelation sends Cayla into throes of passion so great she immediately begins devouring Les, right there in front of the kids. Look at the smug look on Dickface’s puss as he springs the news upon her, what a dick. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to kill him more. And a Chinese printing firm? Way to support Ohio there, “Comrade Moore”.
Speaking of those kids, blech. Talk about useless and easily impressed. And what does Summer know about “personal growth”? She’s worn the exact same outfit for seven years and even her new breast implants don’t make much of a difference. I guess TomBat thought those were necessary least we mistake Summer for the dude who came by to fix the water heater. I mean geez, no wonder she sucks at basketball now. Poor kid’s back must be killing her.
Bad art alert: Cayla’s nearly perfectly-square head in panel one, plus those creepy bug-eyes. And Les’ arched eyebrows…gak. The only remotely positive thing I could say about this one is that it really is wildly imaginative by TB’s usual standards. Not saying much, but still. “Going to a Chinese printing plant to see the book he wrote for Cayla be printed” was no one’s guess for where the anniversary arc would go.
Yes, my post title is a re-hash but I flipped the words around so it’s slightly different, see? Hey, if FW can do it so can I.
Son of Stuck Funky 
That last panel needs to be killed with fire.
Seriously – flying to Hong Kong to watch a book get printed? Dafuq?
I’m guessing the printing company is flying him out there, for some reason. So the gift isn’t costing him a thing. And isn’t Les supposed to be Keisha’s dad now too?
I know a lot of things are outsourced to China now, but is book printing one of them?
Having one of your characters declare another one of your characters to be “really cool” does not make them really cool.
“Personal growth”, ehhh?
Ehhhhh?? *nudge nudge*
Yes, book printing is moving to China, and that does include graphic novels… still it wouldn’t really be necessary for the small print run this would likely require. And yes, it looks like TB finally planned something out without calling his pal at the Medina County Gazette to run a press release about how he spent his ‘vacation’.
My big complaint has been bugging me all week: according to TFH’s screencap from the Kent State Mural, Les was to be fete’d for writing a novel entitled Roses in December. Now, isn’t that a better (and kinder to Cayla) title than The Last Leaf?
So this incredibly romantic (or so Batiuk wants us to believe) vacation to to China won’t actually happen until next summer, I’m guessing, which still manages to make it kind of a shitty gesture for the anniversary being celebrated NOW. Which is just as well because it’ll probably take about that long for the physical therapy to readjust Cayla’s eyes back into her sockets.
So the punch line of today’s strip is Summer making a comment about her Dad’s erection? This one is off the creepiness scale.
I can’t wait to see the dick with ears strutting around in his hardhat on the publishing mill floor as throngs of exploited workers toil over his moronic “graphic novel”.
I bet Les is thinking, Wow, I am sure glad I got Summer to help me with this on Sunday, when we punned about “The Lone Ranger” together, like a family–a family Cayla can never be a part of! Punning is just THE best. But enough about me, I have to admit I never could have done any of this without Summer’s constant help!
By which I mean, Summer forfeited her scholarship so Les could afford his vanity press comic book. Here’s hoping her stage show with Keisha continues to sell tickets!
This, in a nutshell, is why you never let one partner plan the vacations on their own.
Panel 1: Jeez, Cayla.
Are you excited at the prospect of taking a vacation from Westview or *what*? I really can’t say that I blame you, Cayla, but uh, don’t get too hyped. Least is going with you, remember? You’re going to need a vacation from the vacation!
Panel 2: Ummm, where is Summer’s hand supposed to be? O.O
Oh, no, wait, I see. She’s trying to lead their escape. If that isn’t a “tell-them-what-they-want-to-hear-and-let’s-just-continue-to-back-away-slowly” expression/body language, then I don’t know what is. Well then, go! Now! Hurry up, while they’re still too busy eating each others’ faces to notice!
Yeah. Let’s boast about outsourcing my horrible graphic novel with its totally unflattering name before going down to Montoni’s and joining Harry in bitching about how the Kenyan Muslim is selling the American worker short.
‘I can’t wait to see the dick with ears strutting around in his hardhat on the publishing mill floor as throngs of exploited workers toil over his moronic “graphic novel”.’
I can’t wait to see the dick with ears strutting around with his AK-47 on the execution grounds as throngs of exploited workers who didn’t print hard enough wait to be shot.
“So the punch line of today’s strip is Summer making a comment about her Dad’s erection? This one is off the creepiness scale.”
I’ve heard that uncharacteristic inappropriate sexual comments is often a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.
Do they still have those “re-education” camps that Chairman Mao used to have back in the day? Just saying they may want to re-open for one particular student. I think Les Moore visiting would count as crime against the people.
I’m guessing “The Last Leaf” was chosen as the title because “Hong Kong Phooey” was already taken…
@bad wolf, “My big complaint has been bugging me all week: according to TFH’s screencap from the Kent State Mural, Les was to be fete’d for writing a novel entitled Roses in December. Now, isn’t that a better (and kinder to Cayla) title than The Last Leaf?”
I’m waiting for not-Lisa’s companion piece, “The Last Straw”.
As one commenter pointed out at Comics Kingdom, “the whole concept [of this book] sucks and won’t have a market.” Which is precisely correct. Five minutes on Google shows that graphic novel readership skews heavily young and heavily male. Not exactly the market for a sappy love story. For someone who’s supposedly an expert on the whole comics field you would think Batiuk would know that.
Actually, this story sounds like something that would be more suited as a feature length article in Reader’s Digest.
Good grief. So it turns out the ACTUAL MOTIVATION for this “gift vacation” to China is just so they can watch Les’s future graphic novel roll off the presses. Les never ceases to amaze me with how he centers EVERYTHING around his non-career. It just never ends. Does anything this endlessly self indulgent loser DO ever not involve either Lisa or his “writing”? Also after winging it at the drawing board for days, it looks like Batiuk might have finally remembered how to start drawing Summer again in that awful last panel standing next a very oddly hunched over Keisha who still looks more like the secret daughter of Nate Green.
“Actually, this story sounds like something that would be more suited as a feature length article in Reader’s Digest.”
Or an article titled “50 Secrets Your Graphic Novel Author Won’t Tell You.”
Thanks to Epicus, i realize what’s weird about today’s strip: it looks more like Summer and Keisha making out.
sorry, that link should be
TB’s updated the official FW blog with a twofer: a lengthy treatise on his favorite comic superhero, the Flash (TL/DR), and a recap of the “Cancer in Popular Culture” panel he took part in earlier this week.
A printing plant really doesn’t conjure up images of romance to me. And of course this gee aren’t you just trilled by how impresive I am vibe coming form Les is utterly hateful.
bad wolf: Tremendous, best parody parody strip ever. Anyone else notice the position of Summer’s hand in panel two? I’m just saying is all.
“Welcome to Industrial Area Number Seven Prefecture. Photography is forbidden. Please stay behind the yellow line at all times. Smiling Repression Publishing Company welcomes special guest Comrade Les Moore from capitalist swine USA.”
And what’s with the ‘flattering’ title “Roses in DECEMBER” anyway? Imperialist Running Dog Les has at least forty more years to eat bad pizza, moan about the scary outside world and be snotty to young people who don’t like Silver Age DC Comics so it should be “Roses in SEPtember.”
@TFHackett: I skimmed through the cancer/misery/death discussion panel post, and saw the quotes at the end. What pompous, pretentious douchebag. Twisting those quotes to justify turning his gag-a-day strip into morose morass of black depression. Dear Lord, that guy really is full of himself, ain’t he?
Dear Lord, that guy really is full of himself, ain’t he?
And the sad thing is how he’s just using those quotes to puff himself up when it appears that he really hasn’t learned anything from them.
Of course, with that Stan Lee quote, I’ll just quote Moss Hart back at him: “If you want to send a message, use Western Union.” Batiuk’s own writing is terrible because his themes are subjugated by his inane messages, and because he thinks those messages are worthy enough to override telling a compelling story.
I mean, “Gay people can exist, I guess” and “Cancer is bad and makes people sad” aren’t really things that need to be commemorated.
Anyway, I can’t believe how gross it is that Keisha and Summer have been in the room witnessing this whole thing. Do you think Les requested they be in the room for this, or did they come in on their own? The amusing thing is that I don’t know which would be more disgusting. Each option just makes the whole circumstance even more gross.
IMO the infuriating thing about Batiuk is how he pretends he delves deep into these “issues” when actually he couldn’t possibly be more milquetoast and bland. If he ever stops patting himself on the back for killing off Lisa I’ll be astonished, maybe he could discuss the 2500 subsequent strips he wrote where absolutely nothing at all happened. Yeah, I know…fat chance.