Tag: Darin

Hide Yo' Happiness

Today Batiuk revisits one of FW‘s dominant themes. No, not clumsy sentence structure (“…go ahead again anyway”?). Nope, not bricks. Naturally, I’m talking about the need to conceal one’s happiness, lest one attract the wrath of the universe. I truly wonder if this notion exists anywhere outside the Funkiverse? Imagine being unable to express even the slightest joy, out of an abject fear of recrimination. This might work as a quirky trait for a particular character (think Joe Btfsplk from Li’l Abner), yet this phobia is clearly understood and shared by everyone in Westview. Anyway, in this case, said wrath takes the form of an ill-timed phone call from…Darin’s mom? Is Lisa checking in from the afterlife again?

Our Show of Shows

Nary an ex-postman nor a comic book guy to be seen. Let’s all do our “happy dance!” Today we drop in on Mr. and Mrs. Darin Fairgood, at home in front of the world’s only black and white flatscreen TV. By some freak happenstance, Darin has been proven right about something for once, but magnanimously refuses to gloat. How nice to see that after ten years of marriage, Darin’s figured out that he shouldn’t treat his wife like a roomate.

Are We There Yet?

Smirks ‘R Us
October 25, 2012 at 8:43 am
And the Smirk-Mobile rolls on…..yawwwnnnn.

…and on, and on. The Tour de Fairgood as now widened in scope to take in not just Ann and Fred’s first apartment, the place where Ann once worked, and now, their second apartment, which “didn’t have the charm of the first place,” which was in a slum. In the unseen fourth panel, Jessica takes umbrage at Ann’s “cardboard boxes for dressers” remark, as it aptly describes how she and Darin have been living for the past ten years.

Snarkers, hatin’ on Funky Winkerbean 24/7 sure can wear a body out. Your ol’ pal TFH is going to take a break this week and turn over the proceedings to my caporegime, David O. I’ll see y’all down in the comments section. Thanks for snarking.

Lighthouse Mystery

The Fairgoods’ motor tour takes them past the former home for troubled youth where Ann once worked. What’s troubling me is trying to figure out the point of this aimless arc. Darin was raised by Fred and Ann; wouldn’t he know that this was somewhere that Ann once worked? Is TB calling out a Real Place in Ohio? Wonder how the good folks at Lighthouse Youth Services in Cincinnati are going to feel about this?

In order to “lighten” things up a bit, I’ve reworked the last panel so the Fishstick Annie delivers her line using the same jokey delivery she used in yesterday’s strip.

"Hystery" Lesson

This trip just gets weirder. Today we seem to be in yet another part of town, which looks kinda less seedy than the neighborhood we were in yesterday. So is this their old place, or did they live in that house with the garbage piling up outside? Anyway, what’s the point of all this? Aside from giving Ann the chance to deliver the lame “pun”-chline.