Classic Fail

The Dreamer
December 13, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Crazy need not worry about a job. Of course Funky will hire him to work at Montoni’s.

Not so fast! If nobody here saw this coming, it’s probably because it’s just so…so stupid. “Dead Skunk Hea—”…sorry, I mean, John, is going to enlist Crazy Harry to determine the value of the comic books that he’s selling to the Komix Korner? Harry’s oblivious to John’s overture at first, correctly opining that this job could be handled by an eleventh grader. Which just adds to the smirking, dimpled glee with which John offers the job to Crazy, I mean, “Classic Rock”.

Running Dog

The shower of self-pity turns into a monsoon. Today we learn that working at the Post Office was all that Crazy Harry ever aspired to (well, besides being an air guitar champion). But before he could hang around long enough to become the PO’s resident guru, why, those bully jocks at the post office had the nerve to expect Harry to (gasp) actually work and be productive.

Since he has only rarely been shown actually delivering mail, I’ve always imagined that in the course of his appointed rounds, Harry kind of resembled this guy:

Seriously, though, we know that the Postal Service has been struggling financially; certainly longer than since one year ago, when Batiuk got the “inspiration” for this arc. And yes, the USPS has been trimming services and branches as a result. But it’s pretty safe to say that these unionized employees are not being set adrift and left to sell their belongings in order to survive.

Priority Mailman

Check out the sign: “NO shirt, NO shoes.” Period.

Remarkably, Harry’s comics, despite not having been bagged and boarded, are judged to be “in pristine condition“. Sure, he neglects his doting wife, spent his working hours hanging out at Montoni’s and the Komix Korner, and apparently misplaced his two younger children, but by God, Crazy Harry has made taking care of his books “a priority”. Now he expects his books to take care of him.

The Retiring Type

Crazy Harry’s “retired”? That seems a little different from “cancelled“. Although in either circumstance, one would expect that there would be a pension, severance, even unemployment benefits that would make it unnecessary for Crazy to have to sell all his books. And selling them to John, who passed on buying Pete’s collection because he couldn’t afford it? Crazy might do better trading in his SUV in favor of a tiny Batiukmobile® like everyone else in town drives. With Maddie away at Kent, and his two younger children missing and presumed dead, what does he need with that gas guzzler?