Category: Son of Stuck Funky

Slip Me a Mickey

It’s Batiuk’s party and he can pull long-absent characters out of his ass if he wants to. Mickey is Linda’s daughter from a previous whatever. I can’t get my hands on those Act I strips but as a teen, Mickey was seen hanging out at Montoni’s. Bull’s “how’s your kicking leg” query is only half in jest: if he can get away with putting the team mascot in the game, what’s to stop him from recruiting an adult female?

Fright-ball

Even allowing the premise that Owen’s wacky touchdown catch started the Scapegoats’ winning streak, the team’s still had to play–and win–every game since. Can we give them at least a little credit? They’ve already faced their arch-rivals Big Walnut Tech during the season; they may not look forward to facing them again, but would the prospect cause them to “SHRIEEEEK!!” like girls? (And please don’t think me sexist for likening them to girls…they SHRIEEEEEK the same way, give or take an “E“.)

Hero and Goat

Whoa! Tread lightly, sporto! Today’s punchline is kinda funny, IMHO, but also problematic, given Batiuk’s well-intentioned, if incredibly hamfisted, treatment of Wally’s PTSD earlier in this strip. But it’s consistent with TB’s inconsistent, have-my-cake-and-eat-it-too ethos: bullying’s funny (until it isn’t), and PTSD is a serious topic (until it can be worked into a punchline). Can cancer jokes be far behind?

Lord of the Fries

Turns out credit for the ‘Goats’ run at the conference championship does not belong to Coach Bushka (and really, could it ever?). Rather, it was Owen’s unlikely heroics (which will be go down in Scapegoat football lore as the “Hail Nanny” play) that sparked the winning streak. In any event, Batiuk actually manages a pretty good punchline today. I’m even prepared to overlook the fact that Tater Tots®, not fries, were the bully jocks’ projectile of choice (probably for their longer range). These three had better hope “our team” goes all the way to the championship, or the bullies will be throwing more than just spuds!