Supreme Indifference

Questions continue to come in about the comic book covers that I use from time to time in the Funky Sunday strips. It seems that there are a lot of folks in Funkydom who enjoy seeing the comics of their youth and the artists who created them paid homage in this way…

TB’s blog, Jan. 31, 2013

Batiuk actually takes a great deal of pride in his “Comic Book Sunday” tributes, but we folks here in SonofStuckFunkydom just see them as lazy, facile filler. Today’s “homage” to Justice League of America Vol. 1, No. 5 is particularly galling. This time Batiuk has not even gone to the trouble of trying to relate the comic book cover to any of the strip’s current plotlines.

Typically he finds a cover he likes and comes up with some contrived way of shoehorning it into the current plot. He’s reversed the process today, whipping up a weak standalone gag for the inset panel that relates only tangentially with the comic cover. Batiuk can’t even be bothered to Photoshop one of his character’s heads onto a superhero body. The “gag” consists of Crazy Harry (he’s a Tea Partier, you know!), kvetching to Les about that goddam out-of-control Supreme Court. I’m not even going to Google the news from a year ago to find out what the Court was up to at the time TB came up with this gem. Clearly he figured that, no matter what was happening in the news, the “folks in Funkydom” would all nod in amused agreement at Crazy’s rant.

Chamber Made

“Chamber of Commerle?” Oh, Chamber of Commerce! Well, Funky is the president of the local chamber, so it makes sense that he would try and solicit John as a member. Just think of the networking opportunities with the many other businesses in town: Jitters Coffee Shop, Citizen Khan’s Deli, the Village Booksmith…oh wait, they’re closed.

Epicus Doomus
March 7, 2013 at 12:26 am
…in addition to being the slovenly middle-aged owner of a dingy little comic book shop, John is also an undisciplined, scheming, disrespectful lying little shit as well.

Undisciplined for sure, and you can add “clueless business owner” to that description. Business at the Komix Korner may have seen a slight bump with the addition of a comic book sommelier to the staff, but John clearly operates the place as a clubhouse for his teenage boy buddies, and thinks himself daring for refusing to interact with fellow business owners.

The Sub-conscience Mind

Spode
March 6, 2013 at 6:58 pm
The thing I hate most about strips involving DSH John and Funky:
DSH (the most repulsive character in all of comic strips – I can almost smell him) is raising Wally Jr, who is the son of Wally, Funky’s nephew. Does TB even think about the inter-relationships among the characters in this claustrophobically incestuous little world he has created?
Why are these two shown talking about anything and everything except their most obvious, normal, natural human connection? Wally Jr: DSH’s adopted son and Funky’s great-nephew, who grew up in the same town Funky has lived all his life.

Spot on, Spode.  John explains to Funky that he intends to circumvent his wife’s efforts “to get us to eat a little lighter.” “Us“? Becky, with her huge head and scrawny frame looks like a walking lollipop, Rana is a svelte cheerleader, and Wally Jr., well, maybe he’s a little husky, but he’s only, what, 8? 12? 16? Surely Becky just wants to keep her second husband from turning into an even fatter fat slob.

John’s creepy countenance in panel 3 makes me wonder what the other occasions are when he chooses to ignore his conscience…