Cayla – Page 63 – Son of Stuck Funky

…Said Nobody, Anywhere, Ever

Charles
February 26, 2013 at 7:27 pm
…in contrast to Les, [Linda’s] appearances don’t really do anything. At least with Les you have this often hilarious negative reaction. With Linda, it’s much more tiresome, with the primary reaction usually being boredom.

Holy Toledo, am I starting to hate, hate this comic strip. Having failed to get laughs yesterday with a stroke gag, Batiuk ratchets up the level of discomfort considerably by equating the away team’s “good state of mind” and competitive spirit with… hemorrhagic fever?

Stroke-a-Bull

OK, two things: Fred’s stroke took place six weeks ago. In “strip time”, it’s probably been even longer, as he’s recuperated sufficiently to move back home. So Fred’s stroke should be news to no one. Yet Cayla blankly asks “Where’s Ann tonight?” Linda doesn’t even take her eyes off the court to answer. “Ann’s husband…you know, Fred? Fred Fairgood? The former principal of the high school where you work? Your husband’s former colleague? Fred? Had a stroke.” Batiuk tops off this clunky dialogue parfait with a delicious dollop of stroke humor: “I always thought my ineffectual, incoherent, useless husband would be rendered even more ineffectual, incoherent, and useless by a stroke, and sooner rather than later.”

Waiting on the Levy

We finally leave behind the music educators convention to get back to something we all know and loathe: Les, Cayla and perennial third wheel Linda taking in a girls’ women’s basketball game. Aaaaand we get the annual school levy begathon. “If the new school levy doesn’t pass”, I think Westview’s staff would be worse than “decimated”…do they even have ten teachers?

Ringtone in the New

Well, it’s heartening to see Les kissing his flesh-and-blood living bride this New Year’s, however awkwardly. Then we’re treated to yet another twisted-face-o’-rage from Cayla, as TB belatedly delivers the payoff to the gag he’s been setting up since last week.

Post-Grammatic Stress Disorder

In the hands of any other writer, Les’ remark to Cayla would be taken as sarcasm. Your high school English teacher (and high school was how many years ago?) wrote a single comment (and not a very scathing one at that) on your paper, and you’ve been scarred by that? Well, clearly she has been: to this day, Cayla can’t sit down and compose an email to her daughter without being seized by flashbacks. “Careless”? This from the most careless “writer” working in comics today. Can you imagine the withering critiques that Les must give to his students?