TFHackett

Self In-crib-inating

Maddie is shocked, shocked, to learn of the existence of plagarism checking sites. It gets worse: she’s paid good money for a plagiarized plagiarism! In the interest of full disclosure: in spite of the implausibility of the twice-“cribbed” paper (and anyway, what difference would it make?)…Maddie’s Moe Howard-like reaction made me smile.

It's Called a Flair for Writing

I had no idea that online term paper mills had become so specialized that you could select not just a topic but also the grade that you were shooting for. Meanwhile, does anybody get the joke here? Is there even a joke to be gotten? And who’s this kid in the background?

Hi, Jinx

Maddie makes the mistake of confiding in Jinx, who blurts out her secret loud enough to send Curly Blue Haired Kid looking for a faculty member to snitch to.

Funky News: New Tom Batiuk Interview

I just stumbled upon a fresh interview with TB on an “entertainment industry analysis” website called The Trades, occasioned by the upcoming 40th anniversary of Funky Winkerbean.

A lot of the interview is taken up with the biographical information we’re all pretty familiar with: how the strip got its start as a feature on the “Tuesday Teen Page” of an Elyria, Ohio newspaper…how TB first applied to (and was rejected by) Marvel and DC…and a couple reminiscences of Batiuk’s own high school days and his personal experience as a cancer survivor. He also talks about retconning, I mean, “filling in the gaps” left by two time jumps, and he again states that Crankshaft is now 10 years behind the Funkiverse. Also included are gems like TB’s comment about Les: “I guess I always kind of gravitated to him. I identify with him a lot.” (Real shocker there!)

Best of all is the conclusion of the article where TB gives a preview of upcoming plotlines, including fulfillment of a “bold-ass prediction” that snarker and guest-blogger David O made here nearly one year ago, and a special sneak peek at the March 27, 2012 40th anniversary strip!

Shanks for Nothin'

“Totally shanked that paper“? I searched the web really hard to find the verb “shank” used in this context, but the only definitions I found involved prison stabbings, golf, and football. In any event, Maddie logs on to “plagarizepal.com” to download a readymade paper.