“Humor is how I deal with tragedy“. I bet Batiuk has used that line a lot at book signings and when newspapers inexplicably interview him. And I’m sure the response he gets more often than not is “Humor? What humor?”.
I really don’t get what “tragedy” Funky is referring to here. The tragedy of successfully having a routine surgery that lots of people get? The tragedy of having to age when you’d rather stay ten in your parents’ attic reading comic books forever?
Oh, and Funky’s joke isn’t funny and really doesn’t work. It doesn’t really sound at all like what it’s supposed to, I don’t think. It’s a pity it’s one of the last things that poor guy pushing the wheelchair is ever going to hear, since he’s clearly about to drop dead.
by spacemanspiff85 | February 5, 2021 · 10:30 pm
Scataract
Filed under Son of Stuck Funky
Tagged as bare trees, Batiukmobile®, bricks, Funky, hospital, humor, robin's egg blue cars, tragedy, wheelchair, wheelchair ramp
Son of Stuck Funky 
And Funky is wheeled into the drainage ditch due east of Parking Lot A-4.
Or something like this https://youtu.be/iNCuCo-AWwE
We can dream !
If only someone at his comics syndicate looked over the tragedy of this two-week arc and suggested to Battyuk that he deal with it by adding some humor.
They taped the bandage over the wrong eye. Let’s see f Funky notices. And, where’s Hully?
It would be nice to think that yesterday’s pirate “gag” was the straw that broke Holly’s camel’s back, and she’s now on a flight to Reno (which is how Battyuk would symbolize someone getting a divorce), but I’m assuming she’s sitting in an idling Funkymobile at the hospital entrance. wondering when her personal tragedy will end.
“It’s nothing to sneeze at when your cattarh acts up!”
There’s no tragedy here and there’s no humor either. Just bad puns and annoying wordplay, which is to be expected I suppose. But day after day of it is just too damn much.
Coming next week: Funky develops X-ray vision, but it only works on pizza dough. Attempts to use it to determine the optimal pizza-cooking time prove fruitless, as Funky suffers second-degree burns to his forehead. He is terrified upon learning he may need a skin graft, but it all turns out fine.
Funky is the opposite of Les in this regard, as tragedy is how Les deals with humor.
You know those people who say “they should make a sitcom about my life”? Funky Winkerbean is that sitcom.
That hospital orderly is thinking “Go fuck yourself old man.”
I’m still trying to figure out what the tragedy is. A quick search tells me that about 2 million cataract surgeries are performed each year. The result of these surgeries is an improved quality of life because the patient’s vision is improved. Oh, wait – that means Funky will be able to see Les and the other inmates of the asylum known as Westview. That IS tragic.
And I suppose that next week we move to a new setting for the gag-a-day strips. If the illustration in the banner is any clue, we’re apparently due for an onslaught of Les Moore. Heaven help us.
Yes this – cataract surgery is not a huge deal, lots of folks have it every year. Once again the Author is making a big deal out of something that really isn’t –
“humor is how i deal with tragedy’ – first of all, it’s not that uncommon – I come from a large Irish/American family background and i can assure you that we’ve told our share of jokes (better than these) when things have gone completely to hell, it’s part of the culture i guess.
And the Author’s talking about this as a tragedy well, it shows a very say lack of perspective and reminds me of Mel Brook’s 2000 year old man who said “Tragedy is when I cut my finger, comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die”
The obvious joke involving a Lincoln Continental is so offensive to a certain demographic that I’ll let the Fearless Reader just figure it out. Although, I wouldn’t put it past Funky to say it out loud.
The head in the last panel (the former masthead feature) really bugs me. The tape practically covers his other eye. I guess Batiuk takes a huge amount of pride in his ability to depict “haphazard taping” but reality has to step in now and then.
I still think this is intentional. Injuries in Funky Winkerbean are drawn as conspicuously as possible, without any storytelling reason to justify it. Which is even more jarring than usual, because everything else in the strip is so understated.
This makes me wonder what kind of feedback Batiuk gives to Ayers about the artwork. “Good job, but when Becky and Dinkle are smirking at the funny convention sign, we need to see more of Becky’s stump. Can you turn Becky to the right so we can see more of her stump?”
I see the dick with ears is in the masthead again. Given the quality of BatHack’s work lately, the mind races imagining just how bad the upcoming week will be.
“Here, dude. Here’s that Red Ryder BB Gun you always wanted for Christmas.”
This is really an offensive strip.
Dear Mr. Batiuk, have you heard of Operation Eyesight Universal? It’s a charity that does cataract operations (and other eye-care procedures) in impoverished countries. Read some of the accounts on their websites, stories of people who are able to see their grandchildren for the first time, are able to support their families again, able to have a full life. Now explain to me how having cataract surgery is a “tragedy”.
(I’ve been a donor for years, but I may have to do an extra Gift of Sight just from outrage at this dumbass strip)
Somebody please shoot this motherfucker and put him out of our misery…
And how is this a “tragedy”?!
“TRAGEDY” would be if he went blind or had complications from surgery or if he couldn’t afford his medical care…
Funky Winkerbean really is a lower middle class Judge Parker, isn’t it?
“Oh no, I’ve had a tragedy – I had to have a routine surgery that went smoothly and caused me no financial problems!”
“Oh no, one of our employees was wrongly arrested! But we rescued them because we pulled strings! Aren’t we such good people?”
“Oh no, Hollywood isn’t making the movie version of my oh-so-amazing book about my unremarkable dead wife exactly way I want them to!”
Ever notice how the majority of “side” / “extra” characters in this strip look like they are ready to slit their wrists?