Tag: publishing

One for the Books

Lots to be said about today’s strip, gang!

  • The red title text in panel one really stands out against the muddy, muted greens and pinkish browns of today’s panels.
  • TB casually drops into this otherwise run-of-the-mill, throwaway Sunday setpiece the fact that Pete  is moving back to the big city, nearly four years after he inexplicably moved back to Westview.
  • The name of this secondhand bookstore is sorta clever (certainly more clever than The Village Booksmith). Reminds me of a bar in Bayonne where I used to live that was called He’s Not Here.
  • TB sure has a thing for bookstores and their uncertain fate. In addition to the now-shuttered Booksmith, earlier this year Les recalled a now-demolished bookstore in Kent, Ohio (Les also shares Pete’s proclivity for “haunting” secondhand bookstores).
  • With his balloon head and scrawny neck, Bookstore Guy in the last panel really resembles South Park‘s Mr. Mackey, mmkay?

Meet Mike Moore

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20101201&name=Funky_Winkerbean

The Delicate Genius is being squired around the set of Good Morning La Jolla by some guy who likes to give advice. Les’ interviewer (is that Colleen Dewhurst?) is unprepared to the point of not even recognizing her subject. Didn’t she skim through the book while driving in?

Given the way he carries the torch for his late spouse, and that he’s there to talk about the story of her losing battle with cancer, Les’ “this is my wife” wisecrack is disconcerting indeed.

Apple Slash Annie

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20101018&name=Funky_Winkerbean

Looks like the Book Launch is about to commence. Funky has brought out a table skirt to transform the pizza parlor into an upscale literary den. All the significant (living) females in the Life of Les are here: long-suffering Cayla, relentless stalker Susan, dutiful daughter Summer, and his “agent slash publicist” slash former bag lady, Ann Apple. Lisa is present too (when is she not?): this time in the (somber) cover art for the book. Except for the pink color, that book cover looks kind of familiar…

It’s amazing that Apple Annie had the money for a plane ticket: apparently she owns only one outfit (that damn pink jacket).