Les continues to vex his spouse with his silly, ignorant “man” way of shopping for clothes. If that 15% discount applies to everything he charges on the card going forward, it might make sense to apply. But if it’s only on his current purchase, well, does he really need another charge account? Cayla is having none of it, and Les’ latest gaffe causes her to plotz right into a conveniently placed chair.
(Programming note: the first of the month means that Friday’s comic won’t be available until midnight eastern time Thursday, so the customary placeholder post will be in place.)
Son of Stuck Funky 
According to Batiuk’s blog, next week should be especially sucky:
“I took part in The March for Our Lives last year and ended up doing some de facto research for a brief series in Funky that begins on March 4th.”
I wonder if Les is going to reminisce about carrying a machine gun around school? Or maybe Crankshaft can give a speech about giving his riders PTSD?
Oh dear, another half-baked, misinformed pile of dreariness .
Well let’s see how he screws this up.
Ok, so I had to go see what this march was all about. Sigh, it’s about gun control.
So on the plus side we could see: Bull shooting Les, Les shooting Cayla, Funky wiping out Atomic Comix or the Comix corner. This could be good…but we know it won’t.
“I took part in The March for Our Lives last year and ended up doing some de facto research” for a story arc. I think this is how Batiuk conducts all his “research.” Rather than tying up 40+ years of loose plot threads, or trying to make his characters believable, he’s always looking for the next “contemporary issue affecting young adults” to depict in a “thought-provoking and sensitive manner,” trying to recapture that Lisa lightning in a bottle. Meanwhile the readers are treated to story arcs that are ripped from last year’s headlines. I can’t wait to hate-read next week’s strips.
What does “de facto research” mean? Not even snarking, what does it mean?
It just means he didn’t plan it out officially–didn’t tell anybody “I’m going to the March to do research.”
Of course, it would be hard for BatHack to officially plan out something he’s never done in the past.
Given TB’s general regard for fact, he probably ought to just call it “de o” research.
Not to be confused with “de fatso research”, which mainly takes place at Montoni’s
March Forth!! An appropriate day for such a story arc to begin.
Coming next week: hilarity ensues as Cayla drives them home from the mall. Because you know how women drivers are.
Alternate Les response in the third panel:
“My wife? But Lisa died. Of cancer. How do you not know that you piece of- oh. You mean her. Whatever, just get me my receipt already.”
BWAWHAWHAWHAW! It’s funny because of Jim Crow era bug-eye negress! Isn’t that just MAGA?
That’s what I thought, too! It probably wasn’t his intention, but it still makes you wonder…
She has more of a “What u talkn bout Willis” look.
They tried to pull this scheme on me at the Barnes & Noble a while back after I picked out one of the early volumes of The Complete Funky Winkerbean. I didn’t go for it, I didn’t think B&N deserved to save 15% off what they said they would pay me.
It’s really very sad that Tom Batiuk is going to play out his legacy this way, just playing out the clock for the next four years or so.
What’s even sadder and more tragic is that he thinks this stuff is funny.
I mean comic strips in general are somewhat anachronistic as it is, but this arc is like something from a time capsule. Maybe next week he can do an arc about “these kids today” with the Beatles haircuts or a riff on airplane food or two weeks on programming a VCR. And would anyone be surprised if he did?
This is by far the most personality (?) and activity we’ve seen from Cayla in a while. Maybe since the “academia nuts” strip. With that in mind, a sudden dizzy spell, even if a cartoony over-the-top reaction to her husband’s ineptitude at shopping (‘cuz women, amIright?!) is just cause for some concern, don’t you think?
Les’s apathy is astounding. You would expect him to rush over like “are you alright?” and then she’d give the “just experiencing some shopping shock” reply on her own.
Maybe I’m nitpicking, but moments like these are exactly what I mean when I say that I don’t imagine this a warm, fully functional relationship.
And to think Batiuk doesn’t understand why people want to rip Les’s stupid head clean off……
By jumping from yesterday’s strip straight to the check out counter today, I’m quite disappointed that we missed all the excitement of seeing them pick out his new clothes.
The only way that this week’s arc is mildly amusing is if I imagine hearing a laugh track as I read it.
The salesman looks like a different person in each panel today.