Today’s strip was not available for preview and I cannot say I am disappointed.
Once it is available, though, we can see how it adds to the varied life of Claude Barlow.
From childhood…
To death…
To possible resurrection…
To writing operas based on second-tier golden age cartoon characters created after his 17th century death…
To composing medleys of the work of actually talented people who wrote music after his 17th century death…
Remember Tuesday and that sense of relief you felt upon learning that this entire arc wasn’t going to be about band candy? If this is FW’s 46th year, that means there probably won’t be more than three or four more of these Claude Barlow arcs ever. Hey, I’m just trying to find an upside here is all.
You are really, really underestimating Batiuk’s laziness.
If it’s true the body evacuates after death, Claude Barlow’s arm would not be his last movement.
I’m confused by today’s strip. If the guy lived in the 17th century, would he have a studio?
You’re putting more thought into this than the author!
The hidden subtext of this is that we are meant to pity an execrable failure plodding away at something he was terrible at and assume that the natural consequence of his lack of talent was actually the end result of a plot against him. It’s sort of a meta-reference to Batiuk’s post-Phase I career. He was great at a gag a day look at a third-tier high school filled with fourth-rate teachers and fifth-rate students but everything else, he sucks at.
What even is the premise of these strips? Did Claude Barlow actually “exist” and Less-Crazy Harry is sincerely, if haphazardly, cataloging the asinine events of his life? Or is Dinkle writing a series of unpublished joke books?
The answer is….yes.
Funky and his felt tip tipping pal, Jerry Williams, should know the correct spelling is “Anchors AWEIGH”. This idiot can’t even be bothered to proofread and/or edit his work.
Wouldn’t make any difference anyway. Batty “loathes” the military.
Batty “loathes” the editors.
I am looking forward to Dinkle’s book as much as I am looking forward to Batty’s next book!
It would make a great white elephant gift unless you’re the only one in on the joke.
Lemme get this straight – we just spent a week looking at close ups of a guy’s fingers on a keyboard?!? Hmmm… at any rate, the Barlow puns weren’t half bad, even if the thing about writing ON the carrier geese seemed almost like a typo, since you’d take the sheet music and attach it to the geese instead. TB has gotten a tad rusty, it seems, since he hasn’t cracked a REAL joke in a year or so. Those puns came fast and furious back in the day, eh Tom? I am rather curious about the tip o the felt tip to “Jerry Williams” in the reposted strip above, since I’m doubting he even knows about Swamp Dogg OR the Swedish pop singer. Tom, can I make you a Spotify playlist?
“…at any rate, the Barlow puns weren’t half bad”
They’re all bad! Ba-Dum Tshh!
HAW HAW HAW HAW
HEY-OOOOOOOOOOH!
YOU ARE CORRECT, SIR!
It’s hard to look at these “Claude Barlow” strips and not see a lazy cartoonist’s “homage” (or maybe just rip-off) of Peter Schickele’s “P.D.Q. Bach” Baroque music parodies. Of course, Schickele’s groaner puns were backed up with actual compositions on which the Professor played preposterous “instruments” that were part of the gag. Something BatHack would never consider, any more than he’d ever consider showing us the “Starbuck Jones” movie.
True fact that I am not making up: I have met and worked with Peter Schickele.
Cool!
Love him! A tip o the Fred Blurt hat to ya!
Yesterday, I questioned whether an 80 year old like Dinkleberry could be regarded as “punchable.” But after seeing his smirky face and creepy diddling fingers in the last panel, I have decided he’s not only punchable, he’s also “roundhouse kick to the face with a steel-tipped bootable.”
By the way — dumb question: How do you get an image to appear in the upper-right of your posting?
I think that’s just an avatar from your WordPress account. If you’re posting from a non-WP account, I don’t know if it’s possible to get an avatar image.
I didn’t know that this week’s arc had the mystery theme “Where did the author get his inspiration?” with the solution revealed in today’s final panel.
Another wretched, dull week. Makes me wish somebody would get Cancer.