Bull – Page 25 – Son of Stuck Funky

The Last Detail

I don’t know what Tom Batiuk is reaching for here, but it is clear it exceeds his grasp.

Supposedly, Bull is suffering from memory loss, yet he seems to recall clearly what Coach Stropp’s last instructions to him were. I guess it’s a good thing Bull never got fired, or crushed in a car accident when he stormed off a while ago. The urn would have just sat there atop the lockers until someone just happened to spot it. “Say, what’s that up there?” “Dunno, looks like garbage.” “I guess we should throw it away.” Again, Tom Batiuk wants Bull to have a debilitating condition, but has no idea how to portray that. It comes and goes when it’s convenient, when it can be used for pity. Then it disappears until its next cue.

As for why we are now focusing on someone unseen in the strip for years (aside from a very brief appearance last September–of course, as a Les flashback), I have no idea. It’s not like anyone really cares about the characters abandoned when Act I became Act II. Tom Batiuk doesn’t seem to care about them. Boy howdy, does he not care about them: as BillyTheSkink noted yesterday, this seems to say quite openly that Coach Stropp had no family, or a family that hated him. There isn’t an another interpretation that looks good for ol’ Stropp.

My assumption is that this is supposed to be a poignant moment here. It fails.

You’ve urned it

Link to today’s strip.

So, Bull has “one last thing” to do, in order to honor Coach Stropp. I’m guessing that’s an urn of Stropp’s ashes, and Bull is supposed to spread them on the field, now that…uh…now that…hm.

“Bull, when you retire, I’ll be long dead, but an urn of my ashes will be on top of the lockers. Not in a case or anything, just sitting there, a banquet for spiders and a favorite spit-ball target. I want you to spread those ashes out on the field. Since I died of cancer, my ashes will give all the players on all the teams cancer. Remember, the most important thing in the world is for Les Moore to write more books, and he can’t write those books if people are healthy. Now, go in peace, my son.”

Amazing how we’ve gone from celebrating Bull’s career to Coach Jack Stropp, who hasn’t even been mentioned in the strip for many, many years. This strip lacks many, many things but focus seems to be one of the big ones.

The Bushka Fund

Is it possible that today’s strip is the last we’ll see of Bull and/or Bull’s retirement ceremony? Who knows? T-Bats stretched a three-panel story about Durwood running out of pens into two solid weeks of shitposting, so anything is possible.

Once again, though, we’re shown that Bull really is a solid dude, having established (with Linda’s help) an equipment fund that will provide future Scapegoats with state-of-the-art noggin armor. I swear, Tom never builds up a non-Les character like this unless he’s setting him up for a fall. The suspense is killing me! Or would be killing me, if I really cared about this half-rate storyline.

And someone help me out here…who dat in Panel Three, basking in the sunshine far from the Ohio night? It’s not Jinx – she had straight black hair, as befits her stereotypical ethnicity. Could it be Crazy Harry’s daughter Maddie? Has any other FW girl worn a billed cap? If it’s Maddie, why isn’t her hair red anymore?

Who are you again?

Finally! Today, we finally get back to the actual subject of this arc, with Bull making a self-depreciating joke about the anticipated trajectory of his condition. I have to admit that, having watched family members struggle and fade with memory loss and dementia, I found Bull’s comment bittersweet (especially since I kind of liked him – probably the only time you’ll hear me say that about an FW character who isn’t Buddy.)

ann And then…in Panel Two…is that…Ann Fairgood? Why, we haven’t seen her in awhile. Say, she’s got a pretty talented hair stylist, huh? Four years ago her hair was mousy brown, and then for a while it turned white (probably from having to change Fred’s diapers four times a day) and today it’s Cindy Blonde. Good thing T-Bats knows how to indicate “old age” by adding a few crows feet around the eyes and putting in that line on the neck. Guess those art lessons really paid off. Wonder where Fred is? Probably handcuffed into bed with duct tape over his mouth since Ann’s been retconned into being a spousal abuser.

Jinx is still a no-show. Wonder if T-Bats even remembers that Bull and Linda had an adopted daughter?

They’re naming it WHAT?

paul-winfield First off, ladies and gentlemen, let’s have a big round of applause for the late Paul Winfield, appearing in today’s strip in the roll of ~~game show host~~ Principal Green.

Now let’s talk about this stadium stuff. Talk about a kick in the head (ha ha, no pun intended) to Bull. They’re kind of naming the stadium after him, but not really, since they also have a corporate sponsor who is presumably paying for stadium naming rights. So…thanks, Bull, for those three championships your teams managed to win despite sucking at football, but it wasn’t quite good enough. Sorry.

Oh, and Tom? A & L Automotive? I’m giving you points not only for making an asshole pun, but also for getting it past the censors at King Features. If you’re ever in New Haven, look me up and I’ll treat you to a REAL pizza and not one of those Ohio shit pies.

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