Oh, good, it’s Chullo and Glasses, back for an arc. Actually, it’s not good, but it could be worse. It could be Les.
And Glasses, no, you’re not a senior until you start senior year. That’s how it works. Here’s an example you’ll understand. If you want to go from your house to Montoni’s, you’re not AT Montoni’s as soon as you leave your house. You’ve still got all those steps to take.
No wonder it took Chullo and Glasses 14 years to get to senior year. They’re dumber than rocks.
Always looking for new ways to show his total disdain for his students, Jim Kablichnick takes a different approach in today’s strip. The resulting pun is not totally terrible, but, given the students’ reactions, appears to have had the desired effect.
So does this mean that students watch Cosmos in every class at Westview High except for Kablichnick’s science class? And how does Cody have the context to compare Kablichnick to an Australian magician and entertainer?
First “Bullying Played for Laffs” strip of the new year! How miserable is life for Cody and Owen, within and without the walls of Westview High School? It’s so bad that the mere approach of three dudes in WHS varsity jackets instantly induces panic in the (Senior!) boys. In panel 2 it’s revealed that the three are not bully jocks but baritones, who, unlike Cody and Owen, are secure enough in their manliness to proudly display their affiliation to the WHS music program.
Whoa! Tread lightly, sporto! Today’s punchline is kinda funny, IMHO, but also problematic, given Batiuk’s well-intentioned, if incredibly hamfisted, treatment of Wally’s PTSD earlier in this strip. But it’s consistent with TB’s inconsistent, have-my-cake-and-eat-it-too ethos: bullying’s funny (until it isn’t), and PTSD is a serious topic (until it can be worked into a punchline). Can cancer jokes be far behind?
Turns out credit for the ‘Goats’ run at the conference championship does not belong to Coach Bushka (and really, could it ever?). Rather, it was Owen’s unlikely heroics (which will be go down in Scapegoat football lore as the “Hail Nanny” play) that sparked the winning streak. In any event, Batiuk actually manages a pretty good punchline today. I’m even prepared to overlook the fact that Tater Tots®, not fries, were the bully jocks’ projectile of choice (probably for their longer range). These three had better hope “our team” goes all the way to the championship, or the bullies will be throwing more than just spuds!
