While we often take Batiuk to task for his “tell, don’t show” storytelling style, let’s give him a pass just this time for not actually depicting Crazy Harry in the throes of his “happy dance”. But he gets no points for rehashing yesterday’s panel 2 reaction shot in order to milk this gag for another day. As a bonus, we get another rendering of John’s lumpy mug and some tortured, redundant sentence structure from Owen. And anono-hoodie is going to be haunted for the rest of his life? Not to worry: as far as this strip’s concerned, your life is over and you’ll never be seen again.
24 thoughts on “The Flamenco Bits”
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Son of Stuck Funky 
So WordPress sends out a “Your 2012 Year in Blogging” report with some random stats. I would just like to share the top 5 commenters for the year just ended…
1. Beanie Wanker (851 comments)
2. Epicus Doomus (629 comments)
3. John (485 comments)
4. Jeffcoat Wayne (389 comments)
5. sourbelly (380 comments)
Congratulations and thanks!!!
…It’s not quantity, it’s quality
Or in the case of Batyuck…it’s quantity, not quality.
Arch’s such as this past week (year).. are getting harder to even raise a snark.
After reading a new strip my best snarks lay in the bottom of a bottle….or to paraphrase: I’d rather have a frontal lobotomy then a Funky Winkerbean arch in front of me.
Snark ahead.
looks like bathack is going way of 9shitweedlame but with pervy old men with boys instead of burburs girls
All I can figure is, when the “real-life” Crazy Harry pissed off Tom Batiuk, he REALLY pissed off Tom Batiuk.
Darn it, I was hoping Crazy would get slapped this week by his wife for spending money on comics, since is now working at Komix Korner part-time.
Just when I think this strip couldn’t get anymore WTF, Batiuk does it again. I don’t think anybody can be so WTF if they tried–not even Lindsay Lohan.
Gags which leave the details up to the audience’s imagination work best on the “less is more” principle–we don’t need the characters to elaborate on what they’re seeing, because the less we know the more insane our mental picture of it will be. Batiuk started out well enough, with the simple shot of the poor innocent boys recoiling in horror at Crazy Harry’s expression of joy. But he couldn’t leave well enough alone–they continue to talk about it and fill in the blanks, completely killing the joke.
Meanwhile, John becomes the latest victim of the peculiar form of Bell’s palsy that periodically affects Westview residents and causes their mouths to behave that way.
Fifth place? Woo-hoo! That’s the highest I’ve ever ranked in anything! Thanks, WordPress.
In other news, this Harry Dance thing isn’t even stupid enough to be worthless. Or worthless enough to be stupid.
I (and my fellow snarkers) have compared Batominc’s efforts with those of Edward Bulwer-Lytton and Ed Wood. But I fear we are sullying their reputations through such comparisons.
As was mentioned by a fellow snarker yesterday, having Harry launch into a spastic air guitar solo would at least make some sense, seeing how it was a running gag for decades and all. He tried to get all Act I with this arc but sadly (& predictably) the funny just isn’t there. Use it or lose it, as they say. “Happy dance” my ass.
Farewell, Anon-o-Hoodie Kid, we hardly knew ye. Back to FW purgatory you go, alongside the SSC, the Gay Prom Rock, Kid With Odd Shaped Head, that girl who supposedly liked Cody that time, Dan, Biff McMuscles (that guy who was flirting with Summer), Real Skinny Kid, the rest of Harry’s missing kids (RIP???), Rachel’s kid, Dr. Patella, Surly Travel Agent and the Village Booksmith, just to name a few. I’m assuming that his parents pack up and flee that town as soon as he goes home and describes the sick, bizarre scene at that hell-forsaken comic book store. Either that or they rally the town-folk to finally torch that pizza shack and roust the twisted freaks that dwell above it. But that seems like more of a Sunday strip to me.
Yo, Hoody kid, no talking! You have to be a member of the Comic Character’s Union to have a speaking role.
Epicus, how could you forget Cell Phone Girl?
DSH looks disturbingly like Jim Backus with teenage hair.
If this is “writing what you know,” then TomBat knows some things I’d rather he not share.
Apparently, the “happy dance” is stroke inducing as I see no other explanation for DSH’s expression.
Tomorrow, we get treated to a Very Special FW, where we see Harry’s long lost children fighting for food scraps from the dumpster behind Montoni’s. Maddie somehow has joined them in their malaise, but don’t worry…Jungle Jim toppers!
Crazy Harry: Comic Book Store Worker, Retired Mailman, Sex Offender.
John: *hushed, whisper voice* “So, what do you think of seeing a mature man, moving around with confidence and power…naked as a peeled egg?!? You like, right? Want to see more, don’t you?”
Cody: “Actually, this has reinforced and galvanized my heterosexuality, but thanks for the offer!”
Owen: “Aaaagh! Every time he gets another papercut, he smears the blood all over the cover! It’s just WEIRD!”
Blue Hoodie: “All in all, I really should have taken that job as an extra in ZITS.”
Perhaps the “happy dance” is merely a way for Harry to guarantee that no one else dares to purchase the “Jungle Jim” book. I know I certainly wouldn’t touch the thing after he had his way with it.
S. P. Charles: I did indeed forget all about Cell Phone Girl, which means TB and I DO have something in common.
Congratulation SOSF for being so active. Those are some great stats.
Well this story arc was more proof that Tom has gone ROAD on us (Retired On Active Duty).
This whole thing could have worked–not as in “funny” but as “an attempt at a joke”–if it had been done in a single strip. Stretching it out for an entire week just makes it both boring and irritating.
When I was a young man back there in seminary school, there was a person there who tried to make me laugh by telling me jokes. It rarely worked. If one joke got so much as a snicker, he would immediately repeat it, trying for the same effect and just couldn’t get that he was diminishing the impact that way.
Several years ago, a Chicago playwright and actress named Noelle Krimm wrote an autobiographical musical called “City Girl!” One running gag involved her reaction to her boyfriend’s “happy dance”:
HER: “Is THAT your happy dance?”
HIM: “Why? What’s wrong with it?”
HER: (unconvincingly) “Nothing…I like it.”
Later in the play, the boyfriend seeks out validation from the stage manager:
HIM: “What do YOU think of my happy dance?”
STAGE MANAGER: “I love it!”
HIM: “Thank you!”
CHORUS: (sings) “Who would have thought this show would be bent/On replacing the star with house management?”
I never actually saw the play, but I do own the CD of the soundtrack…my point being that this audio version of the play leaves the “happy dance” to the imagination, but does so in a way that’s actually funny. Draw your own conclusions.
I’m flattered. As a couple of you have pointed out, I rarely have much to say, but as you can now see, I say it very often.
I’m not going to accuse BatTurds of anything. Don’t want to get his legal staff excited. But I will say it’s very disturbing what he DOESN’T find disturbing. I know we poke fun, and much of what we say is tongue-in-cheek, but the past few days with this “happy dance” looks like some pretty messed up stuff. We’d miss you, Bats, but maybe you need to wrap it up and retire. Soon.