Hey all! SoSfDavidO here and… wow. We’re still here at Montoni’s with Crazy Harry and he’s still rambling about Apple’s music recommendation algorithms. What can I possibly say about today’s strip that we haven’t already said?
Can’t breathe.. I’m suffocating in a comedy black hole…
Oh, Tombat! Writing comics a year in advance means Crazy Harry, Pete and Crew will be gearing up for the “new” Star Wars movie in 11 months. In the meantime, we get non-sequitur randomness like today’s strip that doesn’t seem to know what point its trying to make.
Isn’t part of the point of recommendations to introduce you to new music? Something like If you liked The Doors Best of Volume One, can we recommend The Doors, Best of Volume 2? wouldn’t really be helpful, would it?
SoSfDavidO here, taking the reins from the very talented BeckoningChasm! *swigs some straight vodka* Ok, let’s take a look here…
There’s a joke buried in somewhere in today’s strip but it would require me knowing who Emmylou Harris is. Great, so now I have to go to Google and look her up, which means the joke has to be explained, which means it isn’t really funny and therefor isn’t a joke.
In any case, I’ve done some legwork for you with this link to EmmyLou Harris’s Wiki page.
Of course, I’m making the assumption that most of us know who Robert Plant is.
So, in summation, My-Tunes recommended an artist based on Crazy’s enjoyment of another artist. This is going to be just a rib-tickler of a set-up for a full week of complaining about technology!
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!
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.
Son of Stuck Funky 