Harry motherf*cking Dinkle…the one FW character who sends a shudder of total disgust through every SoSF guest host, each and every time he rears his ugly, cackling head. “Band director”…the two most demoralizing words in the Funkyverse. And he’s with that other band director, you know the one I mean, that guy who’s based on someone, I think. It’s gonna be a long week, people.
And what’s with Funky’s alcoholism coming up all the time lately? Isn’t he anything else? I mean, the guy quit drinking a long time ago, he’s Westview’s number one businessman and the head of the local chamber of commerce. Plus his step-son just got married. So why can’t he talk about anything else?
Son of Stuck Funky 
I know it’s hopeless trying to parse the FW timeline, but what is the situation here? A year ago Montoni’s was shut down by the pandemic? April 2021 saw Funky telling the story of reopening in flashbacks. Anyway, Funky’s enthusiasm is excessive if this is the first time Dinkle has come since they reopened.
ComicBookHarriet’s FW pandemic timeline
https://sonofstuckfunky.com/2022/03/21/when-everything-goes-pear-shaped/
Just as a point of further obfuscation, the last known instance of Harry L. Dinkle, TWGBD, and Unnamed Musical Colleague Who Kinda Resembles an Elderly Stan Freberg sampling the al fresco atmosphere at Montoni’s was in late June/Early July of 2020, a time during which nearly all restaurants in the U.S. really were “shut down by the pandemic.” And here they are today referencing events of “a year ago,” a period when many of those same eateries were actually re-opening. Why does Batiuk even bother to reference the real world in his writing when he could just have everyone eating pizza and recalling Silver Age Flash stories?
Dinkle’s fellow band director here is Andy Clark, who is one of TB’s friends and collaborators in real life, composing the music for the Funky Winkerbean’s Homecoming stage play. Much like Rocky Rhodes, TB also reuses Andy Clark’s name for one of Ed’s fellow bus drivers in Crankshaft. This Andy Clark later drove a bus full of Westview High School kids onto the set of the first Starbuck Jones movie.
I knew I remembered him from somewhere, but I just couldn’t place it. I see “band director” and my eyes glaze over. Dinkle arcs are total mental anesthesia.
Hi! Every so often, we here at King Features Syndicate seek your input about our product. Please take a moment to read today’s Funky Winkerbean strip, and tell us what you thought!
“I found this strip to be (please check all that apply):”
[ ] Interesting
[ ] Funny
[ ] Informative
[ ] Entertaining
[ ] Thought-provoking
[✔] Triggering
[✔] Uplifted by the absence of Les
I guess this one has been sitting in TB’s drawer for more than the typical year. You have to appreciate how all three of these men appear to be having a stroke at one point or another in the strip… though I feel kind of bad for poor Andy Clark.
Hmmm… Maybe Batdick is going to shake thing up a bit by finally letting Funkface have that Vodka and Orange. That could lead to all sorts of drama and prestige. And awards!
No, probably not. I think Our Author gave up on doing anything involving creativity or realism years ago. Even before the pandemic that never quite happened in Westview.
Our Author will never give up on thinking he’s creative and realistic, though.
Stop the presses. It’s a miracle! From the blind squirrel finally finds a nut department. Yesterday evening, I finally got one right. The curly-white-haired man IS Dinkle’s friend from a year or so ago.
be ware of eve hill
July 3, 2022 at 8:51 pm
The man with the curly white hair in the SOSF banner reminds me of the man who discussed retirement from band directing with Harry Dinkle a while ago. Perhaps there’s a Dinkle story arc on deck. That’s fine with me, as long as it’s not yet another Atomik Komix story Arc featuring Flash and Phil (with obligatory Sunday sideways comic book cover).
From SOSF, Act III archive descriptions.
June 29-July 5, 2020
Dinkle and some other old fart talk about retirement.
I stand by my statement. Dinkle story arcs are usually painful. That being said, I repeat, I will take it over an Atomic Komix story arcs, anyday.
No Flash and Phil. Yay!
No Les! YaY!
No Funky AA meeting. Yay!
Terrible profile on Funky in panel 3. He reminds me of this guy.
Funny, I was going to say add a few blackheads onto Funky’s nose and he’d look like Ed Crankshaft.
I think Harry should be saying “both of the restaurants”, because I’m pretty sure it’s just Montoni’s and Toxic Taco left in Westview.
If Batiuk ever did an arc where Les and Dinkle took a road trip across the country visiting music educators conferences and book fairs, I’d probably have to give up on the strip for good.
Finally, would you be able to tell by looking at the art that Dinkle was a (presumably middle-aged) adult when Funky was a teenager, and that they’re not supposed to be the same age? I sure wouldn’t.
Heck, the artwork is so bad I thought that was Harriet sitting with him.
This strip sure has taken a turn for the worse.
I can’t remember if there was ever a strip with both Les and Dinkle. They must have met at some point, but I don’t recall anything. What would they talk about? The mind boggles.
What about the Blue Nile Coffee House? Oh, I hope they haven’t gone under.
Since I only come here occasionally these days, I have to admit being surprised that Fungy keeps the White Horse in the stable.
P2 Harriet looks like she’s wasted. What kind of sorry excuse is that for a smirk?
Looks like Funky picked the wrong week to give up amphetamines.
“Good to see you guys again! Occasional, returning customers! We never get those! Everyone else either lives here, works here, or avoids it like a diarrhea plague.”
Restaurants were open in Ohio in the summer of 2020. People from Michigan were going down there to dine out. Summer of 2021 they were open with no masking. So I don’t what’s going on with “a year ago” that the restaurants were shut down.