Tag: Funky

Priority Bored-ing

The mystery of whether or not Holly can recognize her own son when he is wearing his military fatigues goes unresolved in today’s strip, as we do not get to see who recognized who before this embrace takes place.

Cory has no hug for Funky? No handshake? No “hello pops”?
Nope, just a stab at ironic humor that earns a pity smile from his mother and a slight change of expression from Rocky (or maybe a cardboard standee of her). Whether intentional or not, one can reasonably infer this as a nod to what I thought was the most underdeveloped potential plot line in all of Act III, Cory’s tenuous relationship with Funky.

Though TB has essentially ignored this fact for the entirety of Act III, Cory is not Funky’s “bio-son”, he is Holly’s son from a previous marriage/relationship and his attitude toward Funky is not unlike the attitudes that some stepchildren do display toward their stepparents. That strained relationship is a mine loaded with realistic and relevant drama, but TB really never tried to tap it. He hints at it, perhaps inadvertently, but the hints are there nevertheless. Cory was depicted as a petty troublemaker (even once a thief) whose behavior exasperated his workaholic father, but TB never explored why Cory behaved like he did. I guess that would have taken too much time away from the Lisa tape library.

What did Cory feel he needed from his parents, especially his stepfather, that he wasn’t getting? How did Cory feel about it being decided that he take Funky’s last name? How did being blackmailed by both Funky and Les affect his opinion of the two most prominent male adults in his life? Did Cory look to anyone else as a father-figure? How did Cory’s behavior affect Funky and Holly’s relationship? Why did Funky struggle or refuse to connect with his stepson?

All the readers got to see is that Cory was a hoodlum until he wasn’t, because the military builds character or whatever. Why and how that all happened could have been interesting, realistic, and relevant to a lot of people. Those are three things TB has been running from since about 1994.

The Holly See

Good Monday morning all, billytheskink here, back for another two week tour of deconstruction.

Of all the many places on this terrestrial ball, where would you most like to be on a Monday morning? If you answered “why, waiting for someone in the Cleveland-Hopkins International airport terminal Mr. theskink, where else?” then today’s strip is definitely for you!

While this strip is seemingly innocuous, would it really surprise any of us if Holly mistaking every male-female pair of soldiers at the airport for Cory and (I’m guessing) Rocky was the launching point for a “very special story arc” about Prosopagnosia?

Pant-a-losers

He’s been spending a lot of time in the past, Batiuk has, dating to this past spring when Les got yoked into being reunion chairman. The reunion committee meetings reacquainted us with Junebug and Barry Balederman, and set the stage for a Lisa tribute. The reunion itself of course was the setting for the time pool silliness, in which the Act I cast were trotted out to meet their present-day counterparts (uh, sorry Lisa!). We’ve had a couple Sophmoric Sightings sightings. And speaking of sightings, we saw Les sharing the park bench again with Lisa’s ghost. And speaking of Lisa, we’ve once again dragged out those damned VHS tapes , this time to bake ’em and digitize ’em and preserve ’em for. Ever.

Along the way, Batiuk has of late altered his visual shorthand: the flashback scenes retain their photo album corners but are in full color instead of washed out sepia. Like the central triptych of today’s strip, which offers a perfectly passable gag and which for all we know is a redraw of a published strip from that era. Compare and contrast Coach Jockstrap’s humorous, deadpan style with that of his protege Coach Bushka, who harangues his players with Crankshaftian malaprops.

Wally and the Eager Beaver

Why does Funky not take Wally’s earnest interest in being the new Darin seriously in today’s strip?

Is it because he doesn’t trust Wally to manage Montoni’s or pay his rent?

Is it because he’s mad that Rachel hasn’t shown up for work at Montoni’s since she married Wally?

Is it because he believes that anyone who shows that much enthusiasm in Westview is a Soviet spy or alien pod person?

Is it because he’s mad that he wasn’t able to send Cory to the orphanage that has apparently taken in Wally Jr, Tyler and Little Abbey Klinghorn, Jamie and Kerri Thorp, and now Rachel’s son whose name I don’t remember?

Is it because he’s emphasizing the word “worked” in an awkward phrase while trying to subtly tell Crazy to get back to his job at Komix Korner and quit downing free refills of his $2 bottomless cup of coffee because he’s sick of calling the Royal Cup delivery man every other freaking day?

Is it because he’s a schmuck?