Tag: Funky Winkerbean

My Snark Will Go On

Not to sound too dire, because I don’t know how this will turn out…

This week King Features Syndicate finally wised up, and went to some kind of dynamic coding scheme that generates a crazy, non-human-decipherable link to the FW strips; replacing the old format in which a human could easily edit the date string to view past, present, and next weeks’ strips.

The old format allowed me to preview each week’s story arc, and write and schedule each days’ posts in advance, scheduling them to go live each day (ok, the night before each day; maybe that was asking for trouble).

I don’t think this affects the availability of  FW strips already on the web. However, it’s likely that the daily strips will now “go live” only at midnight or even later every day. I’m going to have to post “on the fly”, and that’s not going to be easy, what with having to be at my real job every morning.

In order that the snark may still have a home, I will continue to schedule a “placeholder” post each day. You all collectively create the bulk of the content here anyway (as well as the funniest). I’ll add my own daily observations as time permits. On the bright side, my newspaper carrier delivers my Sunday funnies with my Saturday Bergen Record, so even though I won’t be able to link to the strip, I can lay eyes on it first.

So this kinda sucks, but SoSF is still my favorite place on the web, and hopefully one of your favorites as well.

Thanks as always, and stay Funky!

TFH

Batiuk Interviewed by "CBS This Morning"

Better late than never, CBS This Morning. As the gay prom arc draws to an end, here’s a profile of you-know-who. Basically the standard TB interview that we’ve seen over and over again (“the weight of substantial ideas”) but notable for some footage of Luigi’s of Akron, the real-world inspiration for Montoni’s. Also worth watching just to hear the reporters try to say “Funky Winkerbean”.

SoSF's Second Anniversary Giveaway!

The contest has closed and the winner, chosen at random, is Rusty! Thank you all for entering. We’ll have another giveaway sometime soon. Stay Funky!

–TFH

You know you want it, and one lucky reader of Son of Stuck Funky’s gonna get it! To celebrate the second anniversary of SoSF, we’re giving away a copy of The Complete Funky Winkerbean, Volume 1 (1972–1974)!

Becoming our lucky winner is stupid easy: simply add your comment to this post, between now and midnight (Eastern Daylight Time) Saturday, May 12, 2012. A winner will be selected totally at random (using a WordPress plugin called “And the Winner Is“) and we’ll ship the book right to your door. Only rule is do not post more than one comment on this post (comment as much as you like on any other posts).

Best of luck to you all, and thanks for reading and supporting the web’s premiere source of Funky Winkerbean snark!

Funky News: New Tom Batiuk Interview

I just stumbled upon a fresh interview with TB on an “entertainment industry analysis” website called The Trades, occasioned by the upcoming 40th anniversary of Funky Winkerbean.

A lot of the interview is taken up with the biographical information we’re all pretty familiar with: how the strip got its start as a feature on the “Tuesday Teen Page” of an Elyria, Ohio newspaper…how TB first applied to (and was rejected by) Marvel and DC…and a couple reminiscences of Batiuk’s own high school days and his personal experience as a cancer survivor. He also talks about retconning, I mean, “filling in the gaps” left by two time jumps, and he again states that Crankshaft is now 10 years behind the Funkiverse. Also included are gems like TB’s comment about Les: “I guess I always kind of gravitated to him. I identify with him a lot.” (Real shocker there!)

Best of all is the conclusion of the article where TB gives a preview of upcoming plotlines, including fulfillment of a “bold-ass prediction” that snarker and guest-blogger David O made here nearly one year ago, and a special sneak peek at the March 27, 2012 40th anniversary strip!