At first glance I didn’t recognize the old crone Morty was arguing with and I had no idea who Eluis was either. Then it all came together. Let’s face it people, we may have dodged a bullet here, as “Holly’s mother annoys Funky” has two-week arc written all over it. Better to get it over and done with on a Sunday, as no one cares about the Sunday strips anyway.
Coming tomorrow: the return of SoSF founder TFH!
Son of Stuck Funky 
Foreshadowing Holly Budd dying on a toilet after mixing her pills up.
Now there’s a real killer-shark issue.
We can only hope. And maybe a few more can suffer the same fate!
Yeah, but we’ll never get to see that. There will be a big, long buildup, then he’ll cut abruptly to the funeral. Batty prefers all important or possibly interesting action happens “offstage.”
Either that, or Bullsquat and Poodlehead really DID see Dr. Meatface for only five minutes before hopping back in the car and driving back to Ahia.
What the actual hell? I know the answer, but I have to ask anyway–who thought this was funny, poignant, or interesting when it was clear from the get-go that this was a waste of space?
Tom Batiuk–please retire. Please retire soon, before you’ve completely destroyed any legacy you might have left.
Yeah, it’s not like hre they are talking about medications, and we’re all thinking, “Hmmfff, just like Elvis here!”
And she didn’t leave the building. She just left the goddam room.
This must be the sort of thing BatHack writes when he’s not getting enough sleep.
For a brief second I thought that maybe the Elvis gag was referencing Holly’s mother’s big messy pile of drugs and pill-fueled belligerence, but alas, that’s just wishful thinking. It’s just a dated cultural reference being used as a sort of surrogate punchline in a strip based around an observation someone once made about how elderly people are always taking so many different pills all the time, that’s all. The observer in question here is terrific at making such observations but needs to really work on expounding upon those observations, which is where the issues begin to, uh, crop up, let’s say.
What’s even worse is the fact that Funky isn’t old enough to have experienced the Elvis craze first hand. Assuming that he started high school in 1972 he’d be 62 or 63 and been born in 1956 or 1957. But if memory serves, the first time jump established that Funky et al graduated in the ‘80’s and are in their ‘50’s and so Vegas Elvis and, later on, dead Elvis Burger King sightings in Kalamazoo would be more in their experience.
“Dead Elvis Burger King sightings in Kalamazoo”
Now that is something I haven’t thought about in a long, long time. For whatever reason, it brings to mind the knowledge that Jerry Glanville was reputed to leave complimentary tickets for Elvis at games where he was coaching.
This is what we get for Batiuk thinking of himself as a young adult: everything relevant and hip is for people with plastic ones.
And yet when he’s doing a sequence that would justify it, like last week with a doctor talking to his patient about his condition that will lead to his unpleasant death, the doctor and the patient’s wife are smirks, jokes and smiles all around.
This “comic strip” is so bad, it makes me angry. There are hundreds of young cartoonists who are doing edgy, groundbreaking, and genuinely funny work and who DESERVE to have the exposure that Batiuk has.
Here’s Batiuk with a student artist…note the young lady’s expression:
Here’s the young lady’s depiction of Batiuk, per his blog:
Yeesh, put some powder or something on Batty’s shiny, pointy little bald head! We’re all going blind here!
By the way, in that photo, it looks like Batty just said, “SILENCE, WOMAN!! YOU HAVE NO MORE LINES TODAY!!”
I think I want to age the Westview way. Yes, it sucks looking like you’re 60ish in your mid 40s, but it’s great looking 60ish in your mid 80s.
My first thought upon seeing today’s strip was “What is Mort doing hanging out in Funky’s kitchen?” before I realized that it is indeed Funky who is doing the talking. I will mention again that last Sunday’s strip showed Funky and Holly eating alone in their house, and this week Holly’s mother is back. It’s like he keeps her stashed away in a closet and only brings her out when he needs an old people gag (even though last Sunday’s strip was essentially an old people gag too).
The quality of the writing really is approaching the final weeks of Apartment 3G
“Can you believe an old person wanted to do things for herself? What a diva, am I right?”
Oh, BAW HAW HAW HAW HAW HAW! Flunko has a cute nickname for the hollymom. It’s “Elvis.” Y’know why? It’s cuz she requires medications. SHE TAKES PILLS! Do ya “get” it?? BAW HAW HAW HAW HAW! Pills=Elvis. Elvis=pills. Hoo boy, comedy gold. Right here!
If I were a Beady Eyed Nitpicker, and not one of Tom’s loving, adoring fans, I’d point out that Ma Budd only left the room. She didn’t leave the building. I’m sure many of you will try to say the joke makes no sense at all, and is a complete non-sequitur. Well, write your OWN published, syndicated work!
I’ll bet some of you “snarfers” think better punchlines might have been:
“Little Hitler is off her meds. Stay out of her way.”
“I’ll be slitting my wrists in 3… 2… 1…”
“Neh. Nuthin’. I’m just thinking about other places I can live until your mom dies.”
“Nerrrthin’. Your mom just being a cranky b**ch again. Hey, thanks for deciding she should live here without talking to me about it. I really appreciate that.”