I would like to offer my sincere thanks to Tom Batiuk for this week. I really appreciate the attempt at humor, and while the strip never really rose above the level of, say, Blondie or Beetle Bailey (other than Thursday’s ultra-goofosity), it was miles above what the strip usually offers. This week was like a vacation.
Those of you who aren’t guest hosts…count your blessings. A guest host never knows from one day to the next what is being served up. Will it be something with one of the many hateful characters? Will it just be lame? Will it be mind-numbingly boring? Remember–you’re the host, you have to have something to say!
Here’s something I’d like to say. I never approach Funky Winkerbean with the attitude of Well, let’s see what can I hate on today. No, despite how poorly made the strip tends to be, I always hope that it will somehow be good, at least today. Because there are enough poorly-made, dull things in this world, and if something rises above that, then [insert Hallmark-worthy phrase here].
So, yeah, sometimes I will overpraise something that’s just mediocre, because I think that mediocre is at least a step up from terrible.
Take today’s offering. Previously in the week, a guy set out to achieve a goal, and through hard work and persistence, actually did so. That’s rare enough in the Funkyverse–what’s even rarer is what today’s strip shows: Funky Winkerbean saying, in effect, “Hey, let’s enjoy life.” When was the last time that happened? I can’t remember.
That, my friends, is a hell of a lot better than what we usually get. This strip typically takes the notion that “genius” requires no effort or talent (Les Moore’s entire life-story) or that those who are deemed “worthy” (criminal-in-training Cory) should have others (Holly) slavishly work on their behalf–without, of course, expending any energy at all, other than to say “I want.”
Today’s episode, though, says…you’ve worked for it. You’ve sweated over it. And you made it.
Enjoy it.
In this comic strip, that’s praiseworthy.
Besides, we should all be glad there’s not a fourth panel, where Funky says “I think I can get us a good table at a place I know called Montoni’s!” That would be double-secret barf-bag-worthy. I’m kind of shocked today’s strip didn’t end that way. Sometimes, it’s the things held back that make the biggest difference.
Sunday could bring all this crashing down, of course. While my thanks to Tom Batiuk are sincere, that doesn’t mean my eyes are closed.
See you tomorrow night!
Son of Stuck Funky 
Bear in mind that pizza counts as a vegetable in this town.
It’s so weird seeing Funky genuinely happy about something. It’s like if Eeyore took Prozac.
It really is genuinely refreshing to see him do an old-school week of gag-a-day comedy. Even if you didn’t like it, it’s certainly a step up from the usual tiresome drama and idiotic contrived jokes centered around totally pointless and boring premises. Like I was saying earlier in the week, you don’t need an encyclopedic knowledge of Funky’s many woes and ten thousands back stories to get these jokes and it didn’t require half a week’s worth of senseless jabbering to set the stage for them either.
As far as hating FW is concerned, well, that’s a long-time grudge and old habits die hard. However, even I have every so often come across a strip that doesn’t sicken me or one that’s particularly well-drawn or whatever and in those cases I’ll grudgingly give ol’ Felt Tip Man a tip o’ the chullo. Anyhow, it doesn’t matter as I know beyond a doubt he’ll be following it up with some unbearably stupid piece of crap soon enough.
All in all, it’s been nice to see someone on the SoSF staff enjoying a weekly arc. It’s like a solar eclipse, they don’t come around a whole lot so you’d better enjoy it while you can. Nicely done, BC!!
(Comment deleted and commentator kicked out. Not a lot of rules here besides either be funny or add something to the discussion, and always be nice to each other. —TFH)
Ah…Aunt Fritzi…while I must bow to your proper raising of Nancy, I fear that your existence was extended only due to my soft indulgence….
Which I now withdraw. I hope that you enjoy the baying of the Hounds of Tindalos, for they will accompany your screams…
Epicus–I stand in line for your earlier judgement! I will NEVER question you again.
Well, Batiuk did make a vague promise that at some point, he’d tone down the drama and settle into a more quiet phase. This must be what he meant: Arlo and Janis but fatter and balder and grayer.
This is the same gag as yesterday, but in a different location. Batiuk used the same exact gag. I miss the “soap opera” Winkerbean, because while Batiuk is bad at writing either, bad comedy is just dull; bad drama is camp.
Out comes the banhammer. Adios, Aunt Fritzi.
Dissent? Differences of opinion? Well-stated disagreements? Great! Nonsense trolling and insult-hurling for no reason? Good-bye.
I still don’t get your joke yesterday with Funky turning his head, could someone explain?
Funky Winkerbean saying, in effect, “Hey, let’s enjoy life.” When was the last time that happened? I can’t remember.
I think it was right before Fred had his stroke. And that’s the kind of fourth panel I was expecting, “Doc said my PSA levels were worrisome, though”. Expressing joy just means something terrible is about to happen to you.
And before we celebrate Batiuk too much, consider how horrible and cumbersome his punchline is. You have to not work at all in order to create a sentence that awkward.
Also, doesn’t it betray how terrible a restaurant owner Funky is when he feels that vegetables are effectively toxic or evil? A guy who spends his life preparing food, even pizza, to sell to other people should know more than a few things about how to make vegetables palatable.
“Also, doesn’t it betray how terrible a restaurant owner Funky is when he feels that vegetables are effectively toxic or evil?”
And doesn’t it betray how STUPID he is if he has to wait for a doctor to tell him his weight and blood pressure are down?
Jeb: Funky actually cracked a smile as opposed to his usual grim resigned expression of defeat and woe. It’s somewhat (very) uncommon.
Yeah… I’m pretty much a real-world analogue of Funky: 50-mumble, fat, and controlling hypertension by a variety of means. So, I’m a mere ¼ inch away from Funky’s world. And yet I have a scale and a blood-pressure cuff, both of which transmit my readings to my doctor—yes, over the (evil) internet. Five days out of seven, I eat whatever I want, but I tend to want a lot of unprocessed food, including the vegetables Funky dreads.
But now that I think about the dreadful vegetable sides I’ve had at red-sauce Italian places back east, I kinda get it. As others have noted, a guy in the restaurant business ought to know better, but I’ve also watched Kitchen Nightmares, so there ya go, don’t you know?
Let’s just say that I’d like to be there to watch Gordon Ramsay inspect the walk-in fridge at Montoni’s.
Thanks, I guess I got caught up in the frivolity and forgot about the normal tone [smirk]