Oh, Tony, how we missed you. You were gone for so long we’d forgotten about you completely, only to have you pop up when it’s least expected and with all that’s going on in Westview lately, a rather inopportune time. You’re like a herpes. It’s gone, no, wait, never mind. It’s back.
Still, time jumps have been kind to the man, as today’s strip shows. He doesn’t even need glasses to read whatever week’s worth of gags he’s written down to unload on us like yesterday’s stale breadsticks.
SosfDavidO here for a two week stint!
As testament to just how powerful the pull of Ohio is in Tombat’s world, it would appear all of Hollywood has decided to up and move production there based on, um, I have no idea what. Sure it’s cheaper there but I’m guessing a big-budget tentpole movie like Starbuck Jones would be really heavy on the greenscreens. Unless Cleveland has some effects production house I’m unaware of a lot of the digital heavy lifting would probably be done in New Zealand, where they can pay artists in “exposure” and bundles of wool.
In any case, Tony is back in today’s strip! Half of the readers might have trouble even remembering who he is. I just keep thinking he’s Mario from Nintendo, just twenty years older.
That said, the path to madcap zaniness has been set, though Tony might want to check with the lawyers for the Starbuck Jones movie before engaging in any promotional offers for a movie he has zero rights to.
HeyItsDave
April 15, 2016 at 7:51 am
Characters just seem to vanish without a trace in this arc. First Jessica disappears after the movie, and now Cindy and Mason seem to have ditched the Dorknamic Duo in Westview on their way back to California.
Jessica’s whereabouts are still unknown, but today Darin, Pete, and Funky are replaced by Mason and Cindy (or “MaCin” as they must be know in the tabloids) and Holly at Montoni’s counter. Mason the actor bemoans how fickle Hollywood’s rejection can result in “the actor’s story” ending in obscurity and despair; probably not wise to bring this up with his fiance sitting right next to him.
Anyway it’s been a fun few weeks celebrating this blog’s sixth anniversary! Thanks to each and every one of you for reading and commenting and being such a wonderful online community. SoSFDavidO jumps into the driver’s seat tomorrow!
Rusty
April 15, 2016 at 8:05 am
So….what’s happening with the decoder ring? Why show that yesterday?
Well, I guess it was so he could show it again today, being sold (and bought) on “Fleabay”, which, as it turns out, exists in real life and appears to be a desperately poor man’s eBay–it’s a dot net, not even dot com for cryin’ out loud. A more puzzling question is, with his rent paid for a year and any financial problems likely resolved for the rest of his days, why must Cliff continue selling off his last few Starbuck Jones mementoes?
Their Conradian quest to locate Cliff Anger complete, the Starbuck Jones dream team rush back to… Montoni’s? Th’ hell? A month ago they were tasked with scripting and storyboarding a sequel, to be shot concurrently with the feature they were already working on. Did this development lead to the boys working even harder and longer? Nope: Pete proceeded to have another of his Batom flashbacks, which was followed by a road trip to Ohio, not to Cleveland to scout locations for the story’s origin scenes, but to Centerville for a screening of the obscure SJ serial. They followed this with another trip yet further east to locate the serial’s obscure leading man. Anyway, the upside here is that mopey Pete is looking and acting positively chipper!
Son of Stuck Funky 