For the rest of this year, Slate will be publishing “Off Season,” a series of occasional comics from James Sturm, the director of the Center for Cartoon Studies and the author of Market Day and The Golem’s Mighty Swing. “Off Season” is about a hard-luck guy, his family, and his job in New England. “Off Season” is set right now, the fall and winter of 2016. This is Part 7. These strips will be part of the book Off Season, to be published in 2018 by Drawn and Quarterly. —Dan Kois

Read Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6