Tag: Funky Winkerbean

In A Mirror, Glumly

Is TB is trying to tell us something in today’s strip? “I guess it’s OK to keep going” has been the unofficial motto of this strip ever since he realized that 50 was only 15 more than 35, hasn’t it?

Whether TB had a bout of self-awareness or not, this strip is a confession of poor effort. The parts are all there? Sure, we’ll go along with that. Pity they were never any good, though.

That’s it for the stint of this humble garden lizard. Comic Book Harriet takes over tomorrow, and we shall all see whether the good ship Funky stays in the doldrums of Dinkle or finds some newfound rocks upon which to run aground.

A Special Denouncement

It’s about time! I was wondering if we’d ever get there, but today’s strip finally gives us the call back to John Darling we’ve been expecting. Yes, Phil is terrible at his (former) job, just like he was back in 1979. Back then, making fun of the local weather forecaster was a comedy trend surpassed only by making fun of Billy Carter…

JD7-30-79
This strip appeared opposite an ad imploring you to come test drive the all-new Chevrolet Citation…

Oh, for Pete’s sake!

I remain baffled by the pie case at Montoni’s. Who eats pie there?
That’s a rhetorical question of course, nobody eats anything at Montoni’s. Not even Crazy, who is only ever seen there sipping a bottomless coffee or soda and avoiding his job. But still, what’s with the pie case?

Sweatin’ To The Creepies

Is today’s strip the first time Funky has gotten a positive reaction from Fitness Girl? Heck, is this the first time Funky has gotten a positive reaction from anyone in years? I think yes to the former but obviously no to the latter (see Thursday’s strip). Still, this strip usually holds Funky in such contempt that today feels like the first time someone has returned a smile to him in ages.

Giving her video of him working out is kinda creepy though. Where’s Rachel when you need her?
FWHarass-2016

Fitness Girl could have used Rachel in 2014 too…
FWHarass-2014

Azore Subject

Well, that didn’t last long. The shared affection seen yesterday has evaporated, like much of Lake Chad, by today’s strip. In its place we get ennui, hairy sofa cushions, and a plot synopsis for the Waterworld prequel.

None of that surprises me, though. What does surprise me is that TB didn’t have Kablichnick deliver this joke to a class full of terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad young people. In any event, it adds to the clip show feel of this whole week.

Showing Confection

Today’s strip is about as inoffensive as Funky Winkerbean gets. In fact, if you weren’t familiar with this strip and its characters, you could conceivably enjoy this.

Such is the trouble with reading this strip regularly, we know these characters and we know the tone the strip usually takes. We are generally given little reason to like either. Instead of finding this sweet, as Holly does, we are contemplating how out of character it seems for both of them. We are left wondering if Funky is really paying her much of a compliment as the only chocolate available in Westview is probably Dinkle’s awful band candy. We are pondering where this affection was when these two were disagreeable or despondent as they pretty much always have been in the recent past.

That said, we also know the depths that this strip can plumb. Thus, I probably shouldn’t protest too much.