The “service dog thingy” is working wonders already: Wally, who for the last year and a half was afraid to leave his apartment, travels all the way to Colorado to meet his new “Buddy”.
Here is a little bit of background about Puppies Behind Bars.
Tag: Funky
Please Wait to Be Seated
Les has taken a break from mourning his long-dead spouse long enough to report to “work” at Montoni’s deserted pizzeria. The Sunday panels are notoriously dimly lit, so it’s hard to tell if today’s scene is unfolding in daytime, nighttime, or even the wee wee hours (remember, this joint stays open until 4 am on the weekends). Neither Les, the maître d’, nor the proprietor, Funky, can be bothered to get off their asses and greet these two strangers. What hospitality. No wonder the place is empty.
Special guest appearance in panel 1: the disembodied head of Henry Fonda.
Gone Blotto
With all the time he spends with his ass parked on one of Montoni’s stools, you’d think Klinghorn would know every detail of the place, “right down to the nails in the floor“. But the absence of a giant rotating beer sign only registers a vague “crazy sense” that “something’s different”. Together the old friends undertake to remedy the situation by expending the absolute minimum thought, effort and expense. It serves as sort of a metaphor: today’s strip is the equivalent of an empty bottle of cheap beer, hastily put up in lieu of something truly pleasing to the senses.
I’m pretty sure the “Blotto Beer display” is based on the Budweiser Champion Clydesdale Rotating Carousel lamp, a handsome lighted globe that contained a miniature horse-drawn beer wagon that circled ’round and ’round. It made me think of my bartending days, where I had to eject a patron who stood on his stool and counter-rotated the lamp in an effort to get the horses to stand still…
Lastly: Google-image-searching “blotto beer” yields some borderline-NSFW results.
Funky Winkerwagen
A brief detour from the Saving Sergeant Winkerbean arc. Tired of driving around the generic white minivan, our titular hero visits the car lot to check out a generic gold minivan, and has to deal with a less than gung-ho salesman. I’ve never sold cars, but I’d imagine it’s the salesman in this instance who should be doing the talking, rather than providing half-assed replies to the customer’s questions. Of course, the customer, before making a major purchase such as an automobile, could maybe do a little research before walking onto the lot. Whatever.
I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide
Les is in mad demand. The Widow Darling has heard of Les’ success and wants him for the “Today” Show. Les’ friends are beside themselves with glee. Susan appears to slip her hand into the back of Les’ skull and work him like a ventriloquist’s dummy.
If it’s any consolation, the Puppies Behind Bars arc should kick in after next week. ‘Til then I’m sure we can look forward to more gritty, true-to-life New York street scenes, and maybe cameos by Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera, drawn so you can’t tell them apart.
Son of Stuck Funky 
