Son of Stuck Funky – Page 588 – Son of Stuck Funky

The Ghost Who Balks

Don’t know what I can say about this. Frank Brunner is a really great artist, and that’s a heck of a cover–it makes me want to read the comic inside. Too bad Tom Batiuk had to junk it up with his own stuff, the sad, miserable “creators” that live in his sad, miserable comic strip. I think he should abandon the idea of a Sunday strip that references his characters, and just do comic book tributes every week. Just the covers, no stupidity in the margins. I’d like that; at least the artwork would be good, and we’d get less of these smelly, trollish creatures that proudly wallow in their own mire.

Once again, there’s not a joke to be had here, but I am amused that The Idiotwins think that “spongetonite” stinks as a concept, to the extent that it cannot be associated with…The Amazing Mr. Sponge. Really, the dumbest non-parody superhero of all time, and apparently he’s just too good for “spongetonite.” That is rich.

At present I have no idea what Monday will bring. Possibly more of The Idiotwins tolling in comic-book Hell, with an unhinged Brady fuming that his ideas were squelched, although I would note this: that would be something interesting, that would develop a story beyond just stating a concept and smirking…so that probably means we’ll get Les watching the “For Les” tape. Or Funky at the gym, haven’t had one of those in a while.

We can be certain of only this: it won’t be funny, it will be dull, and it will be excruciatingly padded.

Dung

Link to today’s strip.

Sigh. So, tomorrow (Sunday) we get to look forward to another comic book tribute. Hey, why not, it sure saves writing and drawing effort on Tom Batiuk’s part, and the artwork is usually not too bad.

Now, I’m no expert in comic books–thank goodness–but it sure looks like Cigar McBalding is holding a finished proof in his hands. If he’s asking for a cover change at this stage, he’s either a moron or has so much money he can afford to throw lots of it away. (Or, to be fair, both.) This things is ready to roll off the presses–it’s a bit late to be making major changes.

This episode contrasts with the others this week. In those, Cigar McBalding suggested “improvements” to be implemented in the future (at least he discusses it with the creative team, unlike the people at Cable Movie Entertainment who just present a list of demands). In those episodes, at least he steered the folks toward what he wanted. Today, he’s looking at something that (presumably) he approved, and wants changes made way late in the process.

Sigh again. If Tom Batiuk’s fantasy world consists of crass publishers and beleaguered writers…man, that’s just too depressing to think about. Imagine Sam Lowry from Brazil daydreaming about being buried under tons of garbage…and liking it.

Another example of a “who cares” episode, by which I mean more evidence that Tom Batiuk just doesn’t care any more. It seems to be obvious that he would rather be eating cookies, drinking hot chocolate, and reading old issues of The Flash in the attic rather than put any time or effort into his work. (This seems worrisome. Is is possible for nostalgia to become a mental disorder? I’m serious.)

There’s no joke here. There’s no here here. There’s also a deliberate blindness here. If he’s so passionate about genuine creativity being pushed aside by crass mediocrity, why is his comic strip taking up space that could be used for something good?

Sponging Off Relatives

Link to today’s strip.

Ha ha ha, the first line Darin’s had all week and Pete immediately steps on it!

I continue to be amazed that anyone, anyone at all, could find a sponge-based superhero to be interesting. When I was back in the ninth grade and was drawing superhero comics on notepaper, I would never have considered such an idea, much less dealt with it for more than a few seconds. (“What a stupid idea. Must be too much eraser dust in the air, confounding my brain.”) Perhaps I’d use it as a comedy character who was immediately defeated in some humorous way, but anything ongoing? NO.

And remember–I’m talking about the ninth grade.

I don’t know what to make of Tom Batiuk’s fantasy publishing world. In a way, it’s quite impressive in its scope and detail, but it makes me wonder why he doesn’t apply some of that creativity over here, in the strip that puts bread on the table. Wouldn’t that be something? Imagine reading posts on this site telling how much we liked the episode of the day. As it is, Funky Winkerbean comes across as an afterthought–as Gerald and others have pointed out, no one who only reads the strip would have any of the Batom Books details provided in the blog posts, which robs these flashback strips of rather most of their impact. Not that it would really make much to people not obsessed with silver age DC comics, but still, some context is always nice.

Without any of that, reading about some guy’s fantasy comic-book publishing world is like listening to a really boring person at a party. You suddenly realize you’ve heard nothing he’s said for at least five minutes, and you start to worry he’ll ask you a question and you won’t have any idea how to respond. And your drink is almost full–can’t use “Going to get a refill!” as an excuse. Maybe plead for a bathroom break? Give it a shot. You can hide in the den…and read old comic books.

Heh heh heh.

Damsel Under Duress

Link to today’s strip.

Actually, Cigar McBalding’s idea sounds like a good one. While he’s obviously proposing it for prurient reasons, the Comics Code Authority would curtail anything outrageous, and really, I think it would make the Starbuck Jones comic a bit less one-dimensional.

Which makes it strange that McBalding is proposing it. I thought he was supposed to be the greedy, money-eyed villain of the Batom Comics company (despite him being, uh, the publisher). Here he is, actually trying to improve the book.

Of course, I’m thinking of a typical comic book; in the context of this strip, adding a new female character opens up the whole can-o-worms that is “female characters in the Funky Winkerbean world,” which is a place that is really depressing. Starbuck Jones already has a robot that can bring him hot chocolate and cookies while he’s reading comic books…what else can a woman do? I guess she can travel the universe, collecting comic books for him, or she can die of cancer. At all times, though, she must show herself as way inferior to her man.

Ah well, when you’ve got a 50th Anniversary as a goal, it’s a bit late to start learning new tricks. You just need to get there, pal, any way you can.

The Turning of the Tables

Link to today’s strip.

Now, this is curious. Presumably, Cigar McBalding is the guy who founded Batom Comics.

Let me just repeat that: Cigar McBalding is the guy who founded Batom Comics.

Here, his staff is all but openly insulting him, already positive that whatever idea he’s about to present is absolute garbage.

In real life, Tom Batiuk is the guy who founded Batom Comics.

And I’m going to guess that he has a staff.

I don’t want to draw too many conclusions…

Is this a cry for help?

How can a person, who only listens to himself, cry for help? That seems like an interesting philosophical conundrum, which I leave to the philosophers among you to ponder.

(Who says I have to post things that are 8000 words long? Enjoy my brevity, fellow snarkers!)