In today’s yawner, Bantom awkwardly works in a cultural reference that is astoundingly timely by his standards. I’ve never seen Lost, but its last first-run episode aired on May 23, 2010. At the time Bantom put this strip to bed, that reference was only 3½ years old. That qualifies as “ripped from the headlines” for this creaky old oeuvre.
Still, gotta love the talking house in panel 2.
Son of Stuck Funky 
Yeah, real topical there, BanTom. The strip is set in the future, yet everyone is always five years behind. Only in the Funkyverse. Check out Les, with that “oh yeah, the last episode of Lost was just SO poorly written” sneer on his contemptible face. I mean sure, I thought the Lost finale sucked too but I wasn’t all smug and smirky and bearded about it. What a dick.
So let me get this straight: a big Hollywood movie actor (and thanks for assuming we can’t remember the events of yesterday there, TB) is going to visit Les because Les knows someone who has comic books. Man, does this TB dude live in a wild delusional fantasy land or what? I guess some sort of credit is due, as I couldn’t have come up with a story arc this bizarre in a million tries. And by “some sort of credit” I mean laughing and pointing, of course.
Yeah, the ending of Lost would’ve been perfect if instead kill fee.
I’m loving that apparently not even Cayla pays attention to the crap that Les says. Or, maybe even better, that Les just never told her in the first place. I guarantee he went to the park bench and told Lisa though.
The finale of Lost (and, as noted, it’s pushing 5 years so I think the embargo on spoilers has run out) concluded with all the major characters dead. We can only hope Funky Winkerbean will follow in this example.
Of course, in yesterday’s strip, Mason never actually said he would visit Cancerville, USA to pick Les’ brain about Starbuck Jones. I’d like to think his gratitude was more of the “thanks for the offer, but I have absolutely no intention on taking you up on it” variety.
Yes, Les did. By telling him about Holly. So why isn’t Mason calling up the Winkerbean’s?
Better yet, why isn’t he first talking to the writers to get a sense of how they’re writing Starbuck Jones and second getting reprints or digital copies of the comics if he wants to get a sense of them?
Only Batiuk would think an actor needs to know about a comic strip’s author to understand the dopey character. The alternative is Mason Jarr hanging around Komix Korner listening to John and Harry bloviate about obscure collector issues.
I would suspect any actor who is going to play Batman just needs to be told, “His parents were killed when he was a kid, he hates crime, he broods a lot, doesn’t have much fun, and has some mental issues” and he’s good to go. Someone playing Superman, “He’s the most powerful man in the world, but he’s also kind of a naive boy scout” and again, there you go.
Why is Starbuck Jones so complex that an actor would need to read every issue to “get” him? He’s Buck Rogers–a cowboy with a space gun. “Thanks,” says the actor. “He was created by Tom Batiuk.” “Oh CRAP,” says the actor. The end.
Only in the Batiukverse is this plotline even slightly sensible.
Batiuk really loves to abuse the English language. Almost as much as he enjoys abusing his characters and readers.
I have a strong hunch that we’ll be hearing from a Vera Alldid very shortly.
(And yes, Dick admitted to reading Al Capp’s classic DT parody, “Fearless Fosdick.”)
Vera’s last appearance, BTW, was as HIS in-universe DT parody, “J. Straightedge Trustworthy,” was being adapted into an animated series assisted by Scott Shaw! at a movie studio owned by a bit character in Little Orphan Annie. (That storyline immediately preceded the fully-absorbed finale of Annie in DT.)
I will not be shocked in the least to see Vera unveiled as the “creator” of Starbuck Jones. Better him that St. Les the Righteous Smirker.
The talking house is reminiscent of Act I Funky, when Harriet Dinkle was never shown on panel… Batom® only drew the exterior of the Dinkle’s split-level and garage door with a treble clef affixed to it.
He probably stopped doing that after realising that Doonesbury did it first.
Of course, WEWS, the Cleveland-area ABC affiliate, had multiple malfunctions with their digital transmitter while the Lost finale was airing in a snafu that made national headlines and earned the station an entry in the Urban Dictionary.
I just thought I’d put that into context, because it makes Batom® even more of a dick. Not that it’s a significant feat.
(BTW, oddnoc, my belated props to you for using the “St. Les the Righteous Smirker” label in-post yesterday. It made a cold, dreary day in Cleveland just a little bit brighter. 🙂 )
From Cayla’s perspective, what Les said makes no sense. She has no idea why a bona-fide movie star would slum in Westview and (since she’s a woman) has no idea what or who Starbuck Jones is.
Assuming that Les had any communication with Cayla while he was holed up in the Chateau Marmot, she would know that Mason Jarr was the actor that had been hired to play the role of Les in the aborted “Lisa’s Story”, and it shouldn’t be surprised that they have some level of acquaintance with each other. Though I can understand why she is confused that Mason would be calling Les and that either Les or Holly could offer any assistance in researching the Starbuck Jones character that couldn’t be gleaned from someone in Hollywood (like the writer or director).
“Wait, all that shit in Hollywood actually happened? I just figured you made it up to hide your affair with Susan.”
@Nathan Obrol: He stopped drawing the house when he couldn’t figure out a way to make the garage door smirk.
Or… in the ultimate fake-out, Vera Alldid is revealed to be the creator of Starbuck Jones parody strip Queequeg Smith.
Les, of course, waddles off in a huff upon discovering this. Holly does the same. Mason reads Alldid’s parody as source material and the film turns into a slapstick farce. The reviews are more positive than the ones for Les’ book.
Epicus Doomus wrote: Man, does this TB dude live in a wild delusional fantasy land or what?
And this strip is supposed to be “a quarter of an inch from reality”?
@billytheskink: If Staton and Curtis pull that off, they will have my undying gratitude.
It’s just hilarious to me how a comic book collection that Holly put together for her son is now a valuable resource that people will travel across the country to access. Just like how an obscure comic book title somehow managed to crank out 400 issues, all of which are apparently impossible to find. I mean liking comic books is all well and good but TB just takes it to such an extreme.
Wow – Les and Starbuck Jones together in a single story arc? We are coming awfully close to the event horizon line of the black hole of suck – all that is needed is a mention of St. Lisa or Her father John Darling, who was murdered and we will have singularity.
@Bobanero Assuming that Les had any communication with Cayla while he was holed up in the Chateau Marmot, she would know that Mason Jarr was the actor that had been hired to play the role of Les
My assumption was that Les spent the entire phone call just moaning about how no one was capable of appreciating his genius. Probably the only reference to any other human being than “me” was to “Lisa.”
“Yeah, whatever your name is, Mason Jarr, the handsome young Hollywood movie actor who will be starring as Starbuck Jones in the new Starbuck Jones movie will be coming here for, uh, some research. Is there someplace you could maybe travel to for about a week? Do you have relatives somewhere? Forget the Christmas tree – You better pack. Oh, you going to the store? Can you pick me up a family size jar of KY Jelly? That would be great.”