TFHackett

Father's Daze

That’s a vodka and orange? Orange juice or orange soda? Looks like piss…I can see the straw. That must be a hell of a strong drink. You’re supposed to pour the booze first, then the mixer. And where’s the ice? And why is the bar napkin next to the glass instead of under it? Did I mention I used to tend bar? These details are killing me.

Batiuk supplies another piece of the puzzle that is Pa Winkerbean: we learn that he liked the Cleveland Indians and corny jokes. The joke is similar to the one I heard after Cory Lidle died in a plane crash: they couldn’t sell beer in Yankee Stadium because they ran out of pitchers!

Meanwhile, the bartender muses to himself, Bogart-like: “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all of northeastern Ohio, this mope walks into mine…”

Guy Walks into a Bar

Raise your hand if you saw this coming.

As someone who tended bar on and off for over a dozen years, I always smile to see the classic comic strip depiction of The Bartender: wearing a bow tie and apron, and a rag wiping out a glass with a rag. That was me, kids, apron and all. Except I could usually manage a smile. This barkeep barely has a mouth; his panel 3 profile resembles Carl Anderson’s Henry (maybe this is just another tip of the Funky Fedora).

Note: In case you missed it on yesterday’s post, la gata loca broke a pretty major Funky development, so I’ve reprinted it here:

Completely unrelated to this weeks utterly depressing storyline, there’s an interesting sneak preview at some upcoming Summer 2010 strips

(SPOILER ALERT!)

In a return to the PTSD arc of a few months ago, things may be looking up for Wally in a story line, which personally, I think is very cool and remarkably un-Batiuk of late. Of course, we may yet still be cruelly disappointed.

Wanna know? Well, you know those endings have to be earned and all…still you can savor the sneak peek at:

Bio/Interviews page of the Official Funky Winkerbean website at:

http://www.funkywinkerbean.com/bio.html

Option Play

File today’s strip under “someone uttering a stilted, awkward line of dialogue in panel 2 to set up a weak “punchline” in panel 3 (think of Keisha and Cayla’s “pearl in the shell” exchange a few weeks ago)”. Really, what kind of “options” will Pa be treated to at Bedside Manor? The option of spoon feeding or a tube? Bingo or Mah Jongg? The option of being benignly neglected by the staff vs. being utterly disregarded by his family? Yeah, I guess those are better than no options at all. Poor Funky Winkerbean.

Wheel Me Out

It also “helps with the adjustment” if you avoid standing behind the person and talking about him like he’s not in the room. Oh, Jeez Louise…have we hit new depths of depression with today’s strip? Pa Winkerbean is still a blank slate: we know nothing about him except that he “belongs in a home”, but my heart is breaking for him. I suspect, though, that TB expects us to feel sorry for his son. At least Pa’s needs will be met. Funky goes home to his own resentful problem child, and a pizza business on life support.

The Silent Treatment

At last we behold Pa Winkerbean in the flesh. Introducing Funky’s dad into the strip presents a dilemma for the artist: having already aged Funky well past his ostensible late-forties, he needs to distinguish son from father. So Funky gets a cartoon facelift, while Pa gets the white hair, a few wrinkles, and the Crankshaft nose.

Since we know next to nothing about the elder Winkerbean: is his silence due to a loss of faculties? Or is this “still strong and mentally sharp*” old man showing his resentment at being sent off to the home?

* in a lot of ways