Cody’s Christmas-themed comeback is particularly ill-chosen: judging from his surname, his tormentor Wedgeman is possibly Jewish! But before he can deliver a chmalyeh to Cody’s punim, who should come to the rescue but Summer. Rescued by a girl? It might be less humiliating just to take the beating.
Clobberin’ Time
I gave myself a migraine trying to decipher the tin-eared dialogue in today’s strip. “There’s a couple of tick-tocks before class starts”? This is bully-speak? Sounds like baby talk. “Kick your butt off“? “Off” doesn’t follow “butt” in this construct, unless I’m “kicking your butt off the team”, or “off the bus”, etc. Never heard of anyone getting his “butt kicked off”. Oh, I see: this is setup for Cody’s retort: “No problem, I’ll just share yours.” Share his butt? ‘th hell?!?
And what skinny teenage nerd confidently cracks wise in response to a verbal threat, however clumsily it’s worded? This is the same tactic that teenage Les used with teenage Bull. Of course now we know that that wasn’t real bullying at all. Mr. Black Shirt Hatchet Face appears to be serious. Given his renown for “tackling serious real-life issues”, you’d expect that TB would at least attempt to treat bullying a little more thoughtfully. Instead he goes for “funny” but it just comes out “wrong”.
Brokedown Palace
In the history of “writing”, has there ever been a less charming “leading man” than Les Moore? Those perpetually arched eyebrows…the “Mom jeans” he’s wearing today…yecch. To his credit, at least he’s finally coming around to the idea of Cayla and Keisha becoming his family, with his talk of “two girls headed off to college”.
Anyway: what’s the deal with Cayla’s scrawny legs?
Photo Finish
A newfangled cellphone may be fine for snapping the senior class picture, but a serious shutterbug like Jinx requires a “real” camera. So she can wave it around in front of her to let everyone know she’s into photography. Zzzzzzz…
Meanwhile back in 2007…only a worldly, sophisticated hipster like Chien can appreciate the good things in life, like espresso and gelato.
Say Cheese
Taking the senior class photo has changed? Because it’s being taken with a cellphone? Wow, progress, huh? Something else that’s changed is TB’s draftsmanship, if indeed it is he who drew this. I have no idea who the old gent taking the picture is, but I guess he’s another throwaway teacher, or maybe a passerby who the class asked if he would oblige. But this whole strip looks like it took ten minutes to draw. We recognize Maddie by her hat and red hair, and Cory by his shifty demeanor. But is that supposed to be the Capitol dome in the background? Might as well be Podunk City Hall.
Flashback to the 2007 Washington trip…Chien is still a drip…
