Inside the big pink building, Will Underwood puts Les at ease by describing the “direct inverse correlation” between poor grades and good writing talent. I’d like to see this theory proven outside the realm of this comic strip, because it makes no sense. But if Will says it’s so, that’s good enough for me.
Today, TB borrows a device from Gasoline Alley: dropping a real-life character into the cartoon milieu. Today’s special guest is none other than Fred Gwynne…what? Oh, Fred passed away in 1993. Then I guess that must be Will Underwood, director of Kent State University Press! Hey Will: why the long face? HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!
Les wanders the campus of his (and TB‘s) alma mater, Kent State University, talking to himself, and the definition of the word irony suffers another hit. No doubt Les’ “old English lit profs” have either long since been put out to pasture or were killed off when time suddenly leapt forward ten years.
Memo to Nate: I guess it’s acceptable for Westview faculty to date one another; however, it’s not cool to snap Cayla’s bra strap, like you appear to be doing in today’s panel 1.
“How the hell should I know where Les is, Nate? Aren’t you his damn boss?”, would be the appropriate reply from Cayla. Instead, she spreads Les’ business about the office (so much for the concept of “personal” day). Susan snaps to at the mention of the Grounded One’s name.
Panel 3, I believe, is a first for this comic: Susan “breaks the fourth wall” and fixes the reader with an ear-to-ear smirk. But instead of giving a “thumbs up”, she extends an index finger. Les is Number One? Or has Susan harvested a particularly ripe booger, and preparing to do the ol’ picky flicky?
Update: Merry Pookster has helpfully pointed out that “Susan just appears to be ‘crossing’ her fingers for luck.” OK, that clears that up! Thanks, Pookster. I stand by my “breaking the fourth wall” statement.
The years have been even less kind to Funky than we knew: not only is he now paunchy and gray-haired, but he’s become too deaf to overhear Les’ stage-whispered threat to Cory. And not for nothing: Water-bottle-gate happened almost a year ago. Is Cory gonna let Les hold that over his head for the rest of his life? If Les only knew what happened to that cigar box full of cancer funds…
Anyway: wherever did they find a pizza costume with a built-in codpiece?
Son of Stuck Funky 