Funny Pages

Robert meets with his art teacher in the classroom and shows a portfolio filled with bizarre sexual figures. Katano comments that some of Robert's work is too odd and asks him to draw a nude figure of him to gauge his range. Before the drawing can be completed, Robert's phone alarm interrupts the session and forces him to leave for work. The encounter highlights the tense boundary between artistic ambition and personal limits.

As Robert leaves, Katano follows on the curb, hoping to talk. Robert refuses to get in his car, and the mentor, standing on the wrong side of the road, is struck by a passing vehicle and killed. The sudden tragedy rattles Robert and sets off a chain of consequences. The incident occurs on the street near the school.

Robert and his friend Miles rummage through Katano's classroom for sentimental items and then break into Katano's apartment. When the police arrive, Miles escapes while Robert is apprehended. The caper deepens Robert's entanglement with Katano's life and his legacy. The events unfold across Katano's classroom and apartment.

Robert hires Cheryl, a public defender, to handle his case and faces a trial. He is not charged and is allowed to keep Katano's possessions, a small victory that preserves his mentor's legacy. The legal proceedings bring a sense of stability amid the chaos. The events occur in legal settings and at the police station.

Shortly after his release, Robert meets his parents at a diner and proclaims his intention to pursue a career in art. He reveals he will not finish the school year, which disappoints his parents. The conversation marks a turning point as Robert asserts independence from his upbringing. The setting is a diner.

Seeking independence, Robert moves to Trenton and shares a dingy apartment with two older men, Barry and Steven. He takes a job as a notetaker for Cheryl while continuing to work at a local comic book store. The move marks a new phase in his life and career path.

Robert attends a meeting with Cheryl and her client Wallace, who is seeking legal counsel after an attempted assault on a pharmacist. It’s revealed that Wallace used to work for Image Comics as an assistant colorist, hinting at his faded but ongoing connection to the comics world. The setting is Cheryl's office or a meeting room.

The next day, Robert attempts to connect with Wallace about a comics career but finds him erratic and volatile. Wallace coercively accepts a ride home, steering Robert toward the pharmacy to provoke the pharmacist. Robert reluctantly agrees in hopes of winning Wallace's approval. The scene shifts between the car ride and the road to the pharmacy.

During the drive, Wallace’s plan to provoke the pharmacist fails to yield incriminating evidence. In a reckless moment, Robert throws a rubber horse toy at the pharmacist and flees the scene. The failed ploy strains Robert's moral bearings and deepens his unease with Wallace.

After dropping Wallace off, Robert offers to pay for a drawing lesson. Wallace agrees, and they plan to meet at Robert's parents' house in Princeton for the session. The arrangement foreshadows further entanglements with Wallace and the family.

That night, Robert returns to his family home after walking in on Barry and Steven masturbating to Katano's adult comics at their apartment. The incident marks a low point and prompts a retreat from his rough living situation. He relocates back to his parents' home for stability.

The next morning, Wallace arrives at Robert's home, and Lewis and Jennifer grow suspicious of him. Wallace becomes increasingly agitated, locking himself in the bathroom and smashing a window in frustration. Robert assists him upstairs and pays him with money stolen from his mother's purse, compounding the day's tension.

Miles shows up unannounced to present his work to Wallace. Wallace discovers Robert's comic parodying him and his misadventures, then erupts in anger, berating them and trying to seize Miles' comic. The confrontation underscores Wallace's volatile temperament and the fragile dynamics among the group.

In a heated exit from the house, Wallace lashes out, and Miles is accidentally stabbed in the head with a pen during the altercation. Wallace tries to flee by stealing Robert's car, crashes it into the garage, and finally, Wallace beats up Robert and orders him to leave him alone. The scene is chaotic and brutal, leaving Robert battered and unsettled.

The narrative closes with Robert arriving at a closed comic book store, where he sits at the counter and contemplates the traumatic sequence of events. The quiet final image contrasts with the earlier chaos and hints at an uncertain artistic future. The store setting emphasizes his identity as a creator grappling with what happened.