beckoningchasm

A View with A Room

As Old Dexter once said, “Ah, thank you Billy!” and I thank BillyTheSkink for as always leaving the chair of Funky Winkerbean snark…just a little bit out of my reach! Yes, it’s BChasm, your least favorite uncle, back in the chair of the unhallowed study group!

Like pretty much all of Funky Winkerbean, I don’t get this one. The Doublemint Twins are looking for a particular room. Given that numbered rooms follow a pattern in every universe, it would seem as if Room 107 would be somewhere in the 100’s, and thus, not that difficult to find. Westview High can’t be that massive, can it? It’s not a colony ship destined for Alpha Centauri, is it? Is Cordwainer Bird around?

I should think that it’s odd, too, that the Twins just spent a week with Principal Nate, and he apparently told them nothing of value, such as where their classrooms would be located. “Here’s Becky, and here’s Les. Good luck!”

Knowing this (–one supposes), Redshirt McMeltface decided he’d have a spot of fun with the Twins, and thus directed them to a featureless door which he assured them used to be yclept “107.” Why? I can see no reason for McMeltface to be this mean, except…well, it’s an excuse to detail some kind of maintenance room.

And to be fair, the detail in this room is really impressive. And I mean that sincerely; one can almost identify the make and model of the equipment presented herein. Kudos to Mr. Batiuk for some nice artwork here. This is the sort of stuff that makes me pause my snark, in that it shows Tom Batiuk can really draw when he wants to. Really, I’m not hot-dogging you, this is good artwork–it’s nicely detailed and has all the bits and touches that make the scene work. I’ve always wanted to praise this strip when the opportunity arose, and here’s an opportunity.

Tom Batiuk’s obsession over certain details–the lovingly rendered bricks, for example–have long a source of amusement, but to me, it does show a certain dedication to craft. The details have to be there.

I just wish his craft had been put to better purpose. Does “Room 107” have any kind of significance? Because I can think of better numbers just off the top of my head–

Room 100, Hotel Chelsea. Nancy’s dead, Sid’s out of his head. Punk rock fell over dead. Now it’s Miley Cyrus instead! Wake me–going back to bed.

Room 101, from George Orwell’s 1984. The room of the ultimate fear, where Winston Smith is forced to read The Complete Funky Winkerbean.

Room 217, from Stephen King’s The Shining. Danny knew he shouldn’t go into this room, but he did anyway. And there, standing in the middle of the room, was Les Moore.

Room 237, from Stanley Kubrick’s film of Stephen King’s book. As Jack Torrance embraced the beautiful woman, he glanced in the mirror and saw that, instead, he was holding a naked Les Moore. (This scene was changed by studio executives to allow an R rating. In the film as released, Jack was holding a withered old hag.)

Speaking of changed by studio executives, Doublemint Naughty certainly has…developed…in that last panel. In fact you might say, “Oh, she’s got a balcony you could do Shakespeare from!”

The Blue Bird of Hideousness

Link to today’s strip.

Tom Batiuk’s slipping–there are barely any signs that Becky only has one arm. Someone who has never read the strip before would not get that information from today’s offering.

Harry Dinkle is one of those characters that I loathe–in my ranking he’s just below Les. Yet I don’t hate him in today’s episode. I think that’s because he’s substituted his typical sneering condescension with genuine bafflement; instead of finding someway to insult Twitter and its users, he simply admits he has no use for them and lets it go at that. (Of course, it wouldn’t be Funky Winkerbean without smirking condescension, so Batiuk gives the line to Becky.)

So, a Funky Winkerbean first–the only appearance thus far of Dinkle where my revulsion didn’t kick in instinctively.

That blue Dinkle-Twitter abomination on the other hand…wow, somebody had a really bad acid trip. I think I saw that thing chasing the Beatles around Pepperland.

Thus ends my time in the chair. I thank you for your wit and indulgence, and ask that you give it up for the fabulous DavidO!

They’re Wafer-Thin

Link to today’s strip.

You know, I don’t think it quite works that way. When you report to your homeroom that you’ve sold a box or two, but your profits aren’t money but cookies, the folks in charge are going to frown at you.

Imagine the scene when the class goes to the bus station to begin their journey.

“Hi! So you’re the crew that’s going to Washington, DC! Great! Can I have the check, please.”

“Well, we’re not paying with money, of course not! We have lots of boxes of Girl Scout Cookies, though! Surely their value will allow us to purchase tickets for an interlude of fun!”

“—”

In terms of actual humor, this reminds me of a “Beavis and Butthead” episode in which they were supposed to sell candy bars, but ended up using the same dollar to buy each others’ bars in turn, ending up with all the bars gone but with only a dollar to show for it.

I’m sure Tom Batiuk would be horrified to know that his work reminds people of “Beavis and Butthead”…but that’s kind of a bonus, isn’t it.

The artwork in this one has a number of nice touches. I’m sick of seeing that chullo, but it’s quite intricately detailed–obviously, Tom Batiuk put some time and effort into it. And the girl scout’s badges and sash were clearly drawn with care. The neighborhood is well-depicted, too; you can actually catch the character of the area. You know the time this is happening; that’s nicely done.

I especially like the detail of the footsteps in the snow–it’s actually used to tell the story, showing where these two were just moments before. It also has a sense of, for lack of a better word, ongoingness. You get the sense that these two have been going from door to door for some time during the day, rather than just starting out. The only false note in the art is the way Chullo’s hand is bent, but I can chalk that up to Tom Batiuk’s desire to show the front of the box

Things like this are what puzzle me the most about this strip. Tom Batiuk clearly has the tools to tell stories, and he’s capable of the odd subtle yet important touch. So why doesn’t he put more effort into the actual substance of the strip? Why add these things only on rare occasions? Today’s strip tells me that he could make this strip at least readable (if unremarkable), but he’d just rather not.

But the odd touches make me think he still…kind of cares about this thing. And if he still cares, perhaps he could set another goal, other than getting his strip to that 50 year anniversary. Perhaps a goal that might, you know, engage him a bit.

I mean, six years is a long way to go on autopilot.

The Candyman Can

Link to today’s strip.

Wow, well you look at that! Glasses is so psyched to get a sale, he’s actually going beyond expectations–as if he’s actually trying to achieve something, and improve his lot in life through his own efforts.

Compare and contrast that with Les’ endless whining about Hollywood, Dopey Pete’s endless whining about writing–horrible crybabies who want the world handed to them, and assume a smug self-righteousness when no one acknowledges their needs. In both cases, it just makes you want to throttle them over and over.

Nice going, Glasses. It’s possible he may become…gasp…a likable character after all.

(I’m not really betting on it, but there’s always hope.)

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

Link to today’s strip.

Well, once again I can kind of see the joke here. If Owen was slightly likable, it could have worked, though in the main it seems like a joke well past its prime. I recently unearthed a whole slew of BC paperbacks I’d put in storage, and this seems like a joke BC might have used back in the 70’s. Peter would be leaning up against a rock painted “Peter’s Popcorn Emporium” and BC himself would ask about flavors and be given the same spiel, with the same response.

Although, I think BC would have…phrased…the final question somewhat better. “Do you just have any plain popcorn” is really awkward, almost desperate; it would be far better said “Do you have any just plain popcorn” but I guess if you’ve been out of the joke-telling business for a decade or two, the ol’ muscles get a bit rusty.

And yes, I can also see the attempts at humor in the flavorings–sushi, gruyere-porcini, et al. If Tom Batiuk really wanted to kick it into “funny” territory, the last entry would be “spam.” But I guess that was a bridge too far.

By the way, those old BC paperbacks were pretty funny. Amazing what could be done with some rocks, some odd tunics, ants, a Fat Broad, and a Cute Chick.