TFH here, tippin’ the ol’ SoSF chullo to Oddnoc for two weeks of killer guest posts! Tomorrow, Epicus Doomus steps in!
If Batiuk had ever gone to the trouble of fleshing out the character of Funky’s dad, then maybe we could afford ourselves a chuckle at today’s strip. When he cropped up in Act III, Pa’s broken hip was just a link in a week-long chain of mishaps that befell Funky on his birthday. Since then, Dad (whom Batiuk hasn’t given a first name) is rolled out any time the author wishes to make Funky seem sympathetic: Funky has to schelp his father home to “celebrate” Christmas, or to the mall Food Court for a Father’s Day “lunch”. Dad exists merely as just one more cross for Funky to bear.
Son of Stuck Funky 
When was the last time Maddie appeared in the strip? And she works at Montoni’s too, eh? That pizza shop and comic book store complex (aka “Everything Plaza”) is like the main economic driver for the whole town.
Is the joke supposed to be that Pa Bean places pizza orders when he’s lonely? Because yeah, that’s pretty depressing. Or is it that this is just a regular thing he does without realizing it? Which, come to think of it, is pretty depressing too. Or is the joke actually Pa Bean’s crabbiness regarding the time it took for his fat son to arrive with the pie? That would probably be the least depressing possibility, thus also the least likely.
WOW. This is depthlessly depressing. Congrats, TB, on leaving nothing behind for the predators to feast on, You have truly hit “the bottom.” Those of us who circle like prey-scenting sharks must be content
to know that they are fighting over scraps. Oh, wait…it slipped from my grasp…if only a greater force looked out over us….like, um Comix Kingdom?!? You mean they don’/t like to lose?
What do you want to bet Funky makes his dad pay for the pizza?
Maybe this is the only way to get Junior to visit- order another pizza and if Maddie shows up instead then it’s his thrill of the week. The rain never ends does it? BTW Maddie has to be told how to clock out?? ( on the screen, dummy)
If that’s a real picture of Batiuk, that sweater vest is a crime against fashion. It looks like a print favored by the makers of toy dog sweaters.
I had to go to Kent State last week for a seminar. It’s a surprisingly pretty campus marred by one incredibly depressing scene. I speak of course of the Funky Winkerbean mural. Seriously, why ruin a nice place for a bunch of young adults with such awfulness?
The TomBat meme posted today is amazing and hope that it’s available for other snarkers to use.
Well hey, yet another cast member working at Montoni’s. Maybe no one is actually paid to work at Montoni’s. Perhaps Westview was originally one of those nineteenth century Utopian self-sufficient communities like New Harmony or Brook Farm and Montoni’s is the only surviving part of the experiment. The cast members buy and sell pizza only from and to each other and are shunned as creepy religious fanatics by the rest of the town, which explains why we never see any customers inside.
I don’t think your average 19th century American utopian religious colony would admit an Italian.
Actually, from what I recall, some of those Utopian 19th century religious revivals received their strongest converts from Europeans who’d immigrated. But I digress.
What I get from today’s strip is that unless Pa Winkerbean initiates contact himself, he never sees his son.
And that Funy is sardonically amused by this. “Heh. The old nutball, pulling another prank!”
All too obviously, Tom’s sympathies are solely with the younger, healthier family members who must “suffer” the antics of their “crazy”, ill elderly family members.
While anyone who still has a heart and soul sees that he’s basically a cruel, distant and uncomprehending jerk whose fear and vile hatred of the sick and afflicted is equaled only by his fear and hatred of teenagers and women.
I’m just fascinated by the whole “Pizza District” concept. It’s like one of those old Industrial Revolution-era “company towns” where everyone works and lives in a little self-sufficient community that provides all daily needs and services right on site. You have your pizza, your comic books…all they really need is a tunnel or a streetcar that leads directly to WHS and it really would be a utopian society.
Oh my, where to begin…
1. Fall and Funky Winkerbean just go together don’t they!! Dead leaves falling is becoming a motif for Tommy. It’s also the only thing he draws well.
2. It is ultimately depressing that the only place that Pa Winkerbean can think to place a food order for is Montoni’s. Even if the goddamn Pizza is free, I have to hope and prey when I get old that I have enough common sense to know that Domino’s delivers!!
3. Crazy Harry’s daughter. I would think a girl with such frigging amazing red hair would choose not to wear a Latina Guerilla Hat every place she goes. I mean I can have understand Owen’s chullo addiction, but just because she’s Crazy Harry’s daughter doesn’t mean we need to be reminded of it every friggin’ time we see her!!!
4. Is it important for Funky to describe to Maddie how to punch out? She does it every friggin’ day presumably. Learn how to write, Batiuk!!
5. Pa Winkerbean’s “Bout Time” comes off as less heartwarmin’ and more asshole-ish!! If some old bastard said that to me, he’d better pray that his DNR request wasn’t filled out!!!
The other option is that Pa Winkerbean is ordering pizza in some fit of senile dementia, and doesn’t even recognize his own son is the pizza delivery boy. I’m not sure if this is more or less depressing than the “Funky doesn’t visit unless his dad guilt-trips him into it” angle, but I wouldn’t put it past Batiuk.
Not the only thing. There’s also bricks.