Again, Holly is presented as a person with the keen observational powers of cement. “Starbuck Jones #115” she said, thumbing through comics, suddenly realizing that the words she had just spoken had a kind of meaning to her! Amazing.
Back when this whole “collecting comics” arc started, I made the assumption that Tom Batiuk was going to present something that would be meaningful and enjoyable to the folks in his audience who liked collecting comics. But time after time, I have to wonder if he’s insulting them instead. We were told this issue was the rarest of the rare, but twice now it’s been easily found among loose boxes of “ordinary” comics. This one doesn’t even look like it’s in a plastic bag or anything. So, much as I went on at some length about how Les’ Hollywood experiences were nothing at all like how the real world works, comic book fans must have the urge to do the same right about now.
It’s hard to think of anything in this strip where someone would say, “Wow, that’s so true!”
Other than, “The Funky Winkerbean cast is composed of unpleasant morons,” that is.
By the way, I think I’ve solved the Starbuck Jones #1 paradox. When it was originally published it was nothing special, and teen Funky bought it. Then fifty years later, it became really valuable in time for…for whatever happened to save Comic Head John or Montoni’s or whatever. I don’t know the story.
But then, a couple of years after that happened, an entire medical supply warehouse full of unopened boxes of Starbuck Jones #1 was found in Louisville, Kentucky, and the issue became pretty much worthless. (They found the boxes right next to the 245-Trioxin canisters.)
I think I put more thought into that than some people I could name.
Son of Stuck Funky 
