“What should I do with this Santa hat? It’s red and kind of cheerful. Should I throw it in the trash?”
I hope K-2SO is suitable mortified to appear in Funky Winkerbean. I’m not sure why he’s making an appearance at all, other than Batiuk recounting his re-reading of Isaac Asimov’s “robot” stories. Which begs the question, why isn’t this Isaac from the Starbuck Jones comics? It’s one of Batiuk’s own creations, and he certainly hasn’t let up on the Starbuck Jones horn much since that was introduced. Maybe, as Red Letter Media would say, Batiuk is subverting our expectations.
Of course, K-2SO is not an Asimov robot, he’s a Star Wars droid. Who appeared in a movie, not in a comic book*, but I guess John’s shop is just an emporium for all kinds of pop culture ephemera. I wanted to say “garbage” but in the spirit of the season I’m being nice.
*Yes, there probably was a comic book adaptation of Rogue One, but considering how far Star War‘s fortunes have fallen since 2016, I doubt a lot of people are hunting it down…especially if the so-called “time jump” means that Rogue One opened fourteen years ago. And double yes, there are far older properties that are still celebrated, but I don’t think Rogue One is going to join that list. It’s a decent film in a franchise that has better entries. Funky Winkerbean should aspire so high.
Son of Stuck Funky 
Talk about pointless. This is awful, even by Saturday garbage dump strip standards. Remember, someone was actually paid for this, like real money. It just boggles the mind.
Take a look at today’s Crankshaft. Unless Jeff is dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, that strip is even more pointless and way more saccharine.
Or Tuesday’s Crankshaft, where Pam is openly sneezing and not even covering her mouth!
Really, Tom Batiuk, you couldn’t find time in the last 9 months to write a replacement strip for that one? Was the “Dirty-ex” joke too much comedy gold to not use?
Why did it take two people to carry a Santa hat upstairs? One to deliver the hat and the second to deliver the punchline to the wrong address.
Why are Funky and Ardeela apparently the only people still “decorating ’til dawn”? Why would a Komix Korner Santa hat be in a Montoni’s box? Why does the stairway apparently end at KK’s door instead of going up to the reindeer-filled rooftop, as it did earlier in the week? Why is Skunkhead John still at his shop if it’s late at night as opposed to being at home lending Becky a hand (oops!)? Why would Funky think SJ needs said Santa hat to decorate a droid? Why is any of this happening now, when according to last week’s mall gift-wrapping arc we were already at Christmas Eve? And why, oh, why do we even bother to talk about any of this non-funny nonsense?
“Where does it go?”
“Up your arse!”
If yesterday’s strip is any indication, it’s past midnight, right? I used to like visiting late-night options that didn’t involve booze, but is anyone going to John’s comic shop at this hour? It’s not like his place is Sam the Record Man.
Just the latest in a long line of breaks Montoni’s has given Komix Korner over the years. Tony once gave DSH a break on rent (and moved them upstairs from the basement in the so KK could retain Pete as an employee. Funky sold his slabbed, mint copy of Starbuck Jones #1 (or a rare 70s reprint of it, if Funky’s coma dream is to make any sense) to keep everyone solvent when Komix Korner again couldn’t pay its rent. And now Montoni’s is storing Komix Korner’s droid Santa hats?!
I sentence all of these people to listen to “What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb?)” from the 1980 novelty record Christmas in the Stars…
“I found this… where does it go?” It’s a hat, Adeela. It goes on somebody’s head. You were shown this just yesterday. I know it’s only your third Christmas in America, but try to keep up.
I’m terrified to ask this, but… was she confused by the color? Is that really the joke? Black Santa hats go on to the band box figures, red Santa hats go on the unlicensed Star Wars character in the comic book store upstairs? I can just see that being a Montoni’s holiday tradition.
Jesus I hate that stupid Batman-t-shirt-wearing asshole!
Outside of Crazy Harry, who doesn’t? When was the last time you saw him with his wife, much less his kids?
OK, but who stores the droid’s lights all year long, Skunkhead or the Funkster?
I thought Rogue One was a lot of fun?
And I don’t get it– is Komixxx Korner upstairs from Montoni’s now? It always was in its own building, right?
Komix Korner used to be in Montoni’s basement, but it had to move after Funky rented the space to a baby-eating Satanic cult. The deal fell through when the cultists decided they would be better off in a basement-free pizzeria. (Say what you will about Funky, but he did try to replace Skunkhead with a better class of renter.)
Somehow the KK shares the building’s second story with an apartment. Both places seem large enough to fill more than half of the available floor space. I’ll take a wild guess here and say that geometry was never Batiuk’s strong point.
Or architecture. The “Komix Korner” looks like an apartment with a sign on the door. What customer would want that experience? To go up a narrow staircase and knock on the closed door to a scary-looking apartment to buy comic books? And have it answered by that guy? That looks like where you drop off your kid if you want him to become a Lost Boy.
I wonder what dead -skunk head -pedo -John’s Batman T-shirt must smell like?
How long have you had this death wish?