Mr. Machina is my father. Call me Deus.

There’s several tropes to check off here; a known fact being repeated endlessly, (Yes, we’ve known there was a struggle in the van for about three weeks now) a wall of text expanding at an alarming rate and some very, very plodding story telling.
Today’s strip is much more enjoyable if read in Droopy’s voice.

Winkerboarding

Frankie finally musters the gumption to get out of his Stalkermobile and enter Montoni’s, where he is greeted by an entirely too-chipper Rachel. The redhead attempts to throw this mysterious stranger off the trail by spouting gibberish when asked about Darin’s whereabouts. But she doesn’t know that Frankie’s read The Book: he gets the “Funky Winkerboard” reference and regards Montoni’s would-be gatekeeper with a stern gaze.

Hater Tots

So you thought that put a neat bow on the whole bullying issue? Today the bullying has escalated a hundredfold. Wedgeman and his boys unrestrainedly pelt Alex with tater tots, while the rest of the student body either ignores it or joins in the laughter. You’d think that having faced down the bullies seemingly on his own yesterday, Owen would be emboldened to confront them again; instead, he wisely looks around for a teacher, but is dissuaded by Alex. Her forbearance in the face of such abuse borders on masochism. Rather than making her feel inferior, the bullying actually gives Alex a feeling of superiority over her tormentors. Take that, bullies!

I’m pleased to announce that this Tuesday, April 9th is Son of Stuck Funky’s third anniversary! Let’s give away a book! Be sure to check back here Tuesday for a chance to win a copy of The Complete Funky Winkerbean, Volume II!

Town Without Petey

If one’s goal in life is to be a writer of comic books, I just can’t imagine what would be a higher pinnacle of success than living and working in Metropolis itself, writing the adventures of Superman! Yep,
working at DC Comics looks like a dream job, all right. Yet Pete still can’t find a woman and he doesn’t know why.

Koffee with Kerry

Charles
February 6, 2013 at 2:59 am
You know, I realized that this is probably the incredibly botched introduction to the Lisa Coda*, as Darrin realizes that he, too, has a father who he has never met. So he goes and hunts down his bio dad to reconnect, despite never having met him and only knowing that said bio dad raped his bio mom when she was a teenager. (He knows that, right? With all her addiction to drama, Lisa HAD to tell him that, right? Right??)

You know, sometimes adopted children don’t want to meet their biological parents, and a situation like this would most likely be one of those times.

I’ll take the “forced at gunpoint” comment to mean that Darin’s among those who would not care to meet his “real” father. I doubt even more that Frankie would appreciate Darin’s visit (unless, of course, Frankie’s suffered a stroke too).

I took a peek at the “Teen Pregnancy Story Arc” (how’s that for a catchy title) in the Archives section of the official FW site. Upon further review, it appears that Lisa consented to sex with Frankie, rather than having been forced. Just wanted to throw that out there.

Binders Full of Broads
(posting at the Comics Kingdom page)
January 26, 2013 at 12:50
Hey, some of us young people like to eat Jell-o and watch TV, too. It’s the people who drink coffee with both hands that concern me.

* “Lisa Coda”: In his blog post of last Nov. 6, Batiuk teased something he’s been working on: “Events in the present will spark a sort of flashback/prequel which will crossover into real life…as well as a crossover with Crankshaft thrown in for good measure. Oh, and lest I forget, a long lost character as well.”