Look at the bright side: hopefully this week will serve as Pete’s swan song. Once again he’s faced with a deadline, and once again he is utterly and totally seized with writer’s block. Meet the guy entrusted with the world’s most iconic and beloved superhero…
Hopefully too, perhaps after this week TB will retire the creepy “Lord of the Late”. Not only is TB plagiarizing this earlier arc, he’s recycling the art as well: compare today’s panel with this Sunday strip from 2008 (or just see below).
You’d think that Cody and Owen would be happy to hang out in the alley with their fellow like-minded comics geeks. Instead, it’s bitch, bitch, bitch. Although would it kill Pete to pop into Montoni’s and fetch a pie to feed these guys who are giving up valuable skateboarding time to help liquidate his comics collection?
“Gee…this Alley Con really is like a real Comic Con!” Sure is! Look at the douchebags walking around dressed as characters from Funky Winkerbean!
Rather than shell out for what is probably a pretty good cache of collectible comics (and he couldn’t sell them on consignment?), Dead Skunk Head John shrewdly arranges for Pete’s collection to be sold on the streets mere steps from his store.
More “upside-down” skateboard decks” (hat tip billytheskink) can be seen today.
Pete struggles to keep a brave face as the apartment tour continues. Not sure why Pete’s personal effects are included in this tour, since they’ll all have to be moved out of there, and not soon enough to suit Darin. Just like in yesterday’s two-paneler, Jessica (who appears to be understandably on the verge of tears) tries to be polite (“Are they filed alphabetically?” Why would she even give a fuck?), Darin smirks and cracks wise, and Pete looks even mopier than usual.
Pete gives Darin and Jess the tour of their soon-to-be home. Despite being forced by her husband to move here sight unseen, Jessica bravely imagines ways to brighten their surroundings. Darin, meanwhile, continues his dickish ways by obliquely suggesting that Pete’s possessions are so much trash.
There’s quite a lot of FW history associated with Pete’s pad. According to Wikipedia,
…Les and Lisa lived there before buying their home. Becky and Wally took it over, and then apparently during the time jump John and Becky lived there together before John turned it into a storage space for his comics, probably since the basement shop has flooded in the past.
While Pete’s alleged best friend Darin has been a jerk this week, hopefully Pete will recall Mooch’s thoughtfulness from four years back:
Son of Stuck Funky 