Is This Strip For Anyone?

Hey, a sign, and people standing around watching it. That’s sure a good use of comic’s sequential storytelling capabilities-people standing around looking at an inanimate object. I wonder how long before this entire strip is just white text on a black background.
Also, is there anything remotely funny in the sign itself, apart from “haha, people make a lot of money off band candy sales” (which seems to contradict the fact that bands and music departments are always hard up for money)? Yes, haha, hedge funds are an investment option, but pointing that out isn’t close to funny.
Here’s a much better investment option. Get a job where literally nobody pays attention to the quality of your work and milk it as long as you possibly can. Batiuk could definitely give lectures on that.

Bury Dinkle, Please

Cultivating: to loosen or break up the soil about (growing plants). Nothing to do with burying. Or planting. Yes, this is basically all the reaction I had to today’s lame strip. Other than noticing the weirdly non-specific sign in the background. After specifically and obviously being the Ohio MEA for years it makes me wonder if either Batiuk thinks he somehow has a global audience and needs to be non-specific or maybe he’s mad at the OMEA or what. Maybe if the strip was even slightly more interesting I wouldn’t be wondering about this.
I just love Becky’s “my soul died twenty years ago” expression in the second panel. Like, this gag is supposed to be funny, right? So shouldn’t be smiling? If not, if it’s supposed to be lame, shouldn’t she be rolling or eyes or looking exasperated? I mean the guiding philosophy behind this strip has been “I don’t care anymore” but it really doesn’t need to be seeping into the actual facial expressions of the characters.

Where Are They, Again?

Oh, Becky, I’m sure you can relate to this. It’s not like you took over your mentor’s job or anything.
These arcs seem like nothing but fan service in the weirdest way, so it seems a little weird to imply that it’s a useless degree or whatever’s going on here. Also, if you graduate and can’t find a job, you’re not an out-of-work music educator. You’re a college graduate.
Sorry, this is the best I can do with the material. Even the art is especially boring. Hey, a doorknob! Hey, Dinkle’s face seems to be melting away from his eyes! Whee.

This Is A Bad Sign

Oh thank goodness, no more Les.
Uh, Dinkle? Literally ZERO of these sessions have practical applications for you. You’re retired. You are no longer a music educator. The only reason I can imagine they still allow you to attend these conferences is because you pay for it. The only session that would be practical for you would be “How to step away and fade into the sunset and let the current band director do her job, it’s almost as if a certain writer can’t let go and is terrified of having his Dinkle crutch”.

Cayla’s Awakening

Today’s strip wasn’t available for preview. I’m just going to take a guess and predict it’s a recreation of the ending of The Awakening by Kate Chopin, with Cayla walking into the ocean to her death to be rid of Les.
Next week, Les begins the book tour for Lisa’s Story: Appendix C (Wife #2 Dies).

Okay, I was off a little.  As terrible as this art is, the way Cindy is drawn she looks like she’s still an underclassman in college, at the oldest.  Which makes her supposedly being past her prime way, way creepier than intended, since she looks 19 complaining about how her best days are behind her.  And once again, her entire worth is from how men react to her body.  I’m normally not a fan of protests and boycotts, but there have to be some activist groups out there who’d be up in arms (sorry, Becky) about crap like this if they were aware of it.