Away in the Shadows and Oncoming Dark

Link To Today’s Strip

I guess the idea here is that Cindy was about to say “next of kin” but caught herself at the last moment.  That seems obvious, very obvious, and I only bring it up because the ellipsis in panel two should really be followed by a double-dash in panel three.

I suppose, given how swiftly the Darkness seen yesterday pounced and surrounded her, Tom Batiuk was lucky to get any dialogue in before she was snatched into the void.

And I’m going to say that I do like the direction this arc has taken–not the trivial story elements, of course, but the way Tom Batiuk has shown each character ending up swallowed in darkness.  It’s brilliant and should happen more often.

And in the Darkness, Bind Them

Link To Today’s Strip

Again, another baby step.  The suspense would be killing me…if it wasn’t resting on the sofa, eating chips and watching Three Stooges shorts while I’m over here trying to type.

I do like how the darkness just encroaches, panel by panel, until Funky and Holly are completely surrounded, and about to be blotted out of their sorry existence.  I’d like to offer some genuine, non-ironic praise for Tom Batiuk’s artistic choice in rendering today’s effort.  Well done!

I Thought Nothing Was Supposed to be Something

Link To Today’s Strip

Nothing really surprising here, as Tom Batiuk takes one baby step at a time through this latest arc.  To be fair, that’s how most continuity-based newspaper strips work–Newspaper Spider-Man moves at a pace that’s positively glacial.  However, when your “action” consists of one sitting person joined by another, it is possible to move a little too slowly.  You want people sitting on the edge of their seats, not sitting back and snoring softly in the afternoon sun.

I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t point out two pretty amazing things in today’s episode.  In panel one, we have a small potted plant that is absolutely black–a darkness so complete that it seems no light can reflect from its shriveled, defeated leaves.

Not really that surprising, given that it has spent its lonely life in the Winkerbean household.  But next to that, we have a tea-pot that has apparently phased part-way through the top of the shelf and is now embedded forever within the wood.   There are some comic book characters who can do this, perhaps Tom Batiuk was thinking of them when he drew this.

Monday, March 10th

Link To Today’s Strip

Greetings, folks, BChasm back for another round.  I found myself a bit startled when Epicus mentioned that I was next in line, and as the panic set in, I wondered if I could schedule some emergency surgery, or join the army, or something…but no, duty calls, and the Moon is a harsh mistress.

Today’s episode was not available for preview, so we can all speculate until the wondrous onset of midnight, when all will be revealed.  Will it be more of Cindy’s woeful career, or another quest for an issue of Starbuck Jones, or will both these recent plotlines be abandoned to bring us something else?  One thing you can say about Funky Winkerbean is that it’s really pretty unpredictable.

It’s just unpredictable in a really, really lame way.  What way beckons from the pallid rim of midnight?

Let’s find out together.

UPDATE:  And it looks like those who had Cory in the Dead Pool are about to get their payoff!  Maybe.  Whatever resolution this new arc will have, it will be better in the imagining than in the actual.

What Is It Good For?

Link To Today’s Strip

So if I told you that one of the weekly Sunday funnies contained a Nazi land mine, how long would it take you to realize it had to be a FW strip? In fact, I would venture a guess that FW has contained more land mine-centric plots than every other daily strip combined. Anyhow, the “you must love Cory” campaign continues today as Holly and Fatso toss and turn over the Courageous Corporal’s dangerous army assignment…again… as Cory’s disembodied army head hovers above them, silently judging the parenting skills that landed him in the explosive ordnance disposal detail, his snappy army helmet hiding his beady felonious eyes. I have no idea how long a modern stint in the army usually lasts but Batom is clearly enjoying this, so my guess is that Holly’s silent terror over Cory will be a semi-regular feature for a while. Hilarious.

I sort of enjoyed the comic cover tribute today, as I used to read loads of those war comics as a kid. Sgt. Rock…now THERE was a guy you didn’t f*ck with. That unit would have eaten Cory’s dumb ass alive. In fact, if Cory had been in Rock’s unit I believe “Dumbass” would have been a fitting nickname. Either that or “Petty Thief”.

It’s been quite a wild two weeks, but now it’s time to pass the SoSF baton to your old pal Beckoning Chasm for a spell. Stay Funky and see you next time!!!