Tell your friends! Tell your family! Tell strangers at the store! Roll down your car windows and scream it at neighborhood cats!
Voting for the 2022 Funky Awards is now open!
This year voting will continue through January 21!
However, although I hate to be that guy — I’ve spotted a typo.
In the last category, you’ve used the headline “The Best Funky Winkerbean Strip of 2022″. Obviously, you meant to type “The Funky Winkerbean Strip of 2022 That Caused The Least Amount Of Bile To Rise In Your Throat”.
Y. Knott
Y. Knott! You are right! There does seem to be some kind of error. I see a category for Best Funky Winkerbean Strip of 2022. But these aren’t the strips I remember being the best this year!
Well, I don’t want to take any awards away from any poor strips that were nominated. But I still have to fix this gross overrsight.
So. One more category for our Awards this year!
The Best ‘Funky Winkerbean’ Strip of 2022
1.) Batiuk Batiuk
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2.) What Good Are You?
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3.) Garbage Day
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4.) Windswept Graves
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5.) Microscopic Effort
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6.) Give Me a Reason
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7.) Clear Headed
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8.) First Issue
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9.) CSI Marianne
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10.) Kingly Jest
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11.) Rapping Around
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12.) High Expectations
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13.) Chicken Winner
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14.) Gentle Lies
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15.) Soundproof Glass
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16.) No, It’s Westview
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17.) The Terminator
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18.) The Watcher
===
This was only a small sampling of the hilarious parody strips posted this year. In order to narrow things down, I only considered strips made of mostly 2022 artwork. Please, feel free to post honorable mentions below!
Remember voting is open! Voting will continue through January 21!
Son of Stuck Funky 
Aw, man, it was even harder to pick a choice from these than it was the rest of the ballot. (I was able to pick one, but, really, they’re all winners. And the award statue is going to be given to Les anyway, so, really, what does it matter?)
If Batty had half the wit (half-wit?) displayed in those wonderfully adulterated strips, he would be hailed as a genius… by people other than himself, I mean.
“So how did you come to be an advocate for ranked choice voting, Mr. Theskink?”
“Do you remember the comic strip Funky Winkerbean? Well…”
But what happens when they’re all equally rank?
There were just so, so many terrible, terrible FW arcs and strips in 2022, maybe even more than usual. Oscars being given away, helmets off-gassing, handguns being bandied about and etc. But that last, horrific arc…that’s going to live in infamy forever. I don’t see any way it could have possibly been any worse. He hit every mark just perfectly. It truly was the FW arc he was born to create.
One would have thought Batty would have grown as an artist over the past 50 years, but Batty did not think he had to listen to anybody and so he learned nothing.
The last strip showcased all the bad habits he picked up over the years.
To be fair, I did think some of the artwork improved over the years, the use of shading and various colors made some of the backgrounds very beautiful. The way the characters were drawn was all over the place and very inconsistent and that ruined a lot of the effects of those nice backgrounds.
It began as a sci fi retcon kind of thing, but that was just a dream sequence. Then Summer wandered around and hitchhiked her way to church, where an elderly jazz band was performing. Then we traveled into the future, where Lisa’s Story is apparently still a thing. And it was so much dumber than it sounds, even though it sounds pretty freaking dumb.
I would not have bothered with the final weeks of FW if not for SoSF.
You think that’ll be a blurb on the back of the final complete FW volume?
The last arc could be summed up in three words: “Buy my books.”
Peri: Doctor, why are you showing me this? It’s not just stupid, it’s unpleasant. I like comic strips like “Peanuts” or “Calvin and Hobbes.” Or “Arlo and Janis.” Heck, even “Luann” is better than this.
6th Doctor: Patience, dear Peri. Have I ever shown you something that had no point to it?
Peri: Well, there was most of your first season–
6th Doctor: –let’s not get too personal, shall we?
Peri: I’m sorry, Doctor. Didn’t mean to touch a nerve. But what is the point of this? It’s a comic strip that started out kind of funny, then did bad drama, and then just stopped caring. What can I, what can anyone learn from this?
6th Doctor: Nothing at all, my dear.
Peri: Then why–
6th Doctor: Because the things that matter, the things that remain, the things that rise from the mediocre–
Peri: MEDIOCRE?? This doesn’t even rise to–
6th Doctor: Yes, the mediocre–what they might bring forth is not of themselves, but a community, a perceptive group of people, who can look upon these, well, I suppose “works” is the best description, and they can rise above them. Become something new, something better, something that can not only see how low these works are, but how they could have been bettered. And that is what humanity is all about, Peri. A look at what is, and how it could be made better. It’s how your civilization started, Peri–by seeing what was there, and how it could have been so much better, and how they can make it so.
Peri: I see. So, I have to sign up for WordPress?
6th Doctor: Perhaps, my dear. Perhaps.
Wow. This was better than the last fifteen years of FW and the last three seasons of DW combined.
I’m so glad you popped back in for the end Beckoning. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.
Oh, curse you, CBH, and anyone else responsible for assembling these ballots! You have spoilt us with choice. I need to be nudged into voting correctly. How can I vote in my interest when all of these panels, strips, and, especially, the parodies fulfill my interest in being entertained intelligently?
Just to clarify: Voting for the most punchable Les face does not mean the others are any less punchable, correct?
Anyway, what I’m trying to say is: Thank you! These are all wonderful.
We can always discuss our reasons for our picks. Like, with Backpfeifgesicht, P1’s Oscar gift could be explained with “I hate him because he smirks like PJ Keane after he filled his diapers.” P2’s post-speechum depression is “Man, look at him pretend to care about others! It’s like he goes through withdrawal when he has to notice someone beside himself.” P6’s neon-sign memories is “Oh, God, no, he’s remembering that time he had sex! Stop him before he tries it again!”
The way to vote for the most punchable is, if you were in a sinking ship and you only had time to punch ONE of these Les Moores, which one would you pick? All of them are, of course, punchable.
Whichever one is nearest, which isn’t helpful in this case. I’ll just have to distribute my voting over a few days.
There were so many good “Funky Winkerbean “ strips that it was hard to choose.
This is the only category where I am honestly interested in seeing who wins. Some brilliant work in there. And ‘Soundproof Glass’ made me actually lol.
Crankshaft is talking about holiday sweaters. Hmm, kids are just starting to go back to school after the holiday break. Nice timing as always.
And glittery costumes? Was this a Halloween strip from the Twilight era?
To say today’s Crankshaft strip has colorist issues is putting it mildly.
Ed must have received a light blue windbreaker with matching truckers cap for Christmas.
Mary’s hair is white, not blonde.
Rocky is usually shown with a tan cap and orange plaid shirt.
Who is the new guy? Oh wait, is that you, Andy? There’s something different about you. It seems you can check a different box when asked for your race. Nice new red hat, BTW.
At least they got Lena right.
As Batiuk tells his interviewers, the one-year lead gives him time to iron out inconsistencies. Also, you and I are unable to think in the non-linear way that is required to appreciate Batiuk’s art, Rusty.
Last week Crankshaft was a long commentary about how broadcasters sure have a lot of cameras to cover football games.
Football on TV and holiday sweaters (in the second week of January) are thin gruel but no Dinkle. Yet.
CBH, you appeared to show interest in the Crankshaft comic archive import to GoComics. It’s very spotty thus far.
November 9 – 11, 2009.
May 7, 2012 – June 9, 2012.
January 2, 2023 to present.
Sherman’s Lagoon made the switch to GoComics last May. The archive is still only May 1, 2022 – present. The comic strip was launched May 13, 1991.
OTOH, Baby Blues made the switch to GoComics last February. The archive appears to go all the way back to January 7th, 1990, the very first day of the comic strip. The archive appears to be fairly complete. 1994 appears to be missing. Kings Features syndicate didn’t start distribution of Baby Blues until 1995.
I appreciate the updates! It seems there were some snafus getting the Sunday strip up. I’m still debating making the switch for real or just letting my CK lapse and skimming GoComics for free like a bum.
I’m a simple soul. When I see that panel with Funky’s ass, I vote for it.
Okay, back from vacation it’s a new year, I’m rested and ready..
So what goes on?
Batty is talking about Lisa.
These remixed strips really ARE the best of Funky Winkerbean.
Unlike a certain Pulitzer nominee, where a loser really IS a loser, there are only winners in this slate of nominated work. I salute all of you … and I’m wondering how I’ll narrow this group down to just one!
I literally laughed out loud at these, great job! I’m glad I wasn’t trying to drink as I read this, especially the “soundproof glass” and the terminator.
I’m torn between Racist Strawman and Timemop nudging Batiuk.
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