It’s just a restless feeling by my side

Link to today’s strip.

Good news, everyone!  Starting tomorrow, SoSF’s chairman of the board, Mr. TFH himself, will be taking over hosting duties.

I appreciated and enjoyed the Funky-Holly week, something that rarely happens…”enjoyment,” I mean.  While it was way too long, it still involved humor that was grounded in the characters.  I wouldn’t like to see that every week–a thin joke stretched to just below the pain threshold–it was a nice break from the tedium.

The Becky week on the other hand reached a new level of dullness.  I think it’s pretty easy to tell the author avatar characters, as they are treated with a solemnity that casts a pall over any possible entertainment.  Not that there was entertainment to be had….

It’s almost as if Tom Batiuk tells himself, “Becky is such a rich character that people will laugh with her and learn about themselves, no matter what the dialogue is.”   If I may quote Luke Skywalker, “Impressive.  Every word in that sentence was wrong.”

As for today’s strip, as usual The Precious was not available for preview, so follow in your book and repeat after me, as we learn three new words in Turkish: towel.  Bath.  Border….

14 thoughts on “It’s just a restless feeling by my side”

  1. Nice “Firesign Theatre” reference, but considering TB’s predilections “Beat the Reaper” would have been my choice.

  2. So what did Funky buy, exactly?

    I’d say the only reason this strip exists is either just so Batiuk could use the name “Rollin’ in Dough”, or because about a year ago he heard about immigration in the news and tried to figure out how to use “breaking up a family” as a punchline.

  3. This might have worked as a one- or two-panel daily strip, sans the belabored build-up. However, if Batiuk had gone that route, we might not have had the opportunity to see the store and its owner, who looks just realistic enough that I’m guessing he’s another real person who has been “rewarded” with an appearance in the strip.

    1. I agree completely that this has all the hallmarks of a “cameo” for someone, just like the flower shop Pete went to a couple of Sundays ago.

    2. Somewhere in Ohio, some doof is calling all his friends. “TOM PUT ME IN A COMIC! HE PUT ME IN A COMIC!”

  5. Funky could have walked into the donut shop from Weird Al’s “Albuquerque”:
    Do you have any apple fritters?
    NAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! We’s outta apple fritters!!!

    Instead, he walks into a bakery that his dad apparently works at.

    Such is life reading this strip.

  6. After a week of being bored to death by the ultra-charmless Becky, watching Funky pig out is kinda refreshing. He deserves a bit of break from the gloom too.

  7. A man buys six apple fritters from himself.
    Somewhere, an English teacher smirks.
    Grandpa Google.

  8. Locating real places and people that TB shoehorns into the strip usually is a “piece of cake” (pardon the baked goods allusion). But a couple Google searches (e.g., “apple fritters medina oh”) yielded no conclusive results. I mean, it could be Donut Land in Brunswick, eight miles north of Medina. Apple fritters are listed second, after donuts, natch, and the kindly owner could be the Funky clone seen in today’s strip.

    1. Reader Ray emailed to suggest that Rollin’ in Dough’s facade is 1/4″ of reality away from that of Donut Land’s. Mmmmm, could be:

  9. *six* apple fritters?! Funky’s a food addict! The alcholic Funky has substituted food for booze. Funky needs to go to Overeaters Anonymous!

  10. BWAWHAWHAWHAW! It’s funny because Fungy’s taking a cleanse that’s still gonna put weight on him!

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