The “new year” is about 10% over, but today’s strip doesn’t care.
So Dinkle has a basement full of unsold band candy… but just last year he was flown to Belgium and received an award for being the Van Houten chocolate company’s all-time biggest purchaser. That might seem odd, but I’ve actually seen something similar before. I believe the prosecutor called it “money laundering”.
Son of Stuck Funky 
Chocolate raisin bars, yuck!
Should be “banned” candy, amirite?
We don’t put raisins in our chocolate bars
But we do have a lot bunnies running around the factory.
Who’s the youngster looking similar to Dinkle’s old wife with the white hair? And is Dinkle now supposed to be the same age as his old students?
I didn’t know who it was at first either. But in panel three it appears to be Highschooler Bernie with a yellow featherduster on his head.
Oh. marvy. A week of that old fool taking up space. Maybe he’ll write about that lunkheaded failure he’s fixated on or try to perfect that kitsch magnum opus of his.
So…we’ve got a husband and wife who have been together for quite a long time presumably.
He’s just announced aloud what she’s seen him do EVERY new year.
She’s informed him of a fact that he has just witnessed firsthand literally SECONDS ago.
I just don’t know what to think anymore.
It’s called writing, duh!
Looks like Dinkle is losing it too, the new year started last month.
That’s why he looks so sad and ashamed in the last panel.
At this point, I’m surprised Batiuk isn’t going all-in with the exposition. “Harry, as the former band director, it is no wonder you have all that band candy in the basement.”
So how many years ago did this guy retire? That chocolate is probably not so tasty by now.
Nah. That band ‘chocolate’ is so fake they can’t even call it ‘chocolate’ in panel. It’s ‘candy.’ So it’s probably made of dextrose, paraffin wax, and artificial flavorings. It’ll last until doomsday.
It’s the Twinkies of chocolate.
So Dinkle has been robbing the school blind with embezzlement? Presumably that premium imported Belgian “BAND CANDY” was bought with band/school funds so it still belongs to them instead of him keeping it for himself?
Where’s that stupid student Action News Team when you need them?
What I find haunting is the opened box remaining in the basement. Does he even eat the candy? Does he just leave the opened box on the table for a few weeks before sullenly returning it to the pile of opened boxes that sits next the pile of unopened boxes?
And, not for nothing but that’s a heck of an awkward place to put your half glass of brown juice.