Tag: Funky

Under Your Spell

spacemanspiff85
February 14, 2017 at 10:45 pm
He has his ID right there. Why is he asking how to spell his name?

Dang, Spiff, wish I’d thought of that! Unlike the probate lawyer we met last week, “BMV guy” is not having any of “funny guy” Funky’s witty repartee. In fact, things start to get chippy. It’s pretty poor customer service to resort to personal insults, but at least have it make sense. Would an unconventional spelling make Funky’s name any less “unfortunate”?

In another case of Batiuk Perhaps Inadvertently Gets Something Right: I don’t know about Ohio’s BMV, but in the New Jersey DMV offices that I’ve visited, the walls are painted that exact shade of sickly, early 90’s “Dusty Rose” mauve.

Take T…H…A…

Today we observe that rarest of instances in the Funkiverse: our hero, subjected to the withering disdain of a functionary of the state, gains the upper hand by delivering a well-timed, snarky zinger of his own. Funky knows it, too; dig his expression in panel 3: the arched eyebrow and the entirely appropriate sardonic smirk.

I’m going to let this one pass. Feel free, the rest of you, to have at it.

Know Your Rites

Of course “you don’t qualify for the grace period”…Ohio has no grace period when it comes to driver’s license renewals. And if “last year” means your license expired over six months ago, Ohio law requires you to get a permit and then re-take the driving test. Now there’s a rich vein of humorous material to be tapped. But the word “grace” suggests “holy,” I guess which suggests, to Batiuk, “last rites” are in order for Funky’s expired as in “dead” license.

What’s in Your Wallet?

The year’s still young, but apart from Crazy Harry’s Casablanca outing, Cliff Anger’s marriage proposal to Vera, and Dinkle and Becky’s convention trip, Funky Winkerbean‘s been all about…Funky Winkerbean. The Funkman  and/or wife Holly (whose hair color recently changed from blonde to the same gray/beige “greige” as Bull Bushka’s temples)  have figured in 60% of the strips since January 1st. By comparison, Les has only been seen four times and been given exactly one line of dialogue! Be thankful for small favors. In any event, the titular character, love him or hate him, is getting lots of screentime.

We regularly take Batty to task for depicting milieux (mainly the comics and motion picture industries) that reflect his interests but in which he has only vague understanding. Query which is better or worse: TB’s hamfisted Hollywood fantasies, or relateable, mundane, QIRFRL* arcs like “Funky Renews His Driver’s License“?

*Quarter-inch removed from real life

I Pray the Lord My Soul to Take

Sleepin’ with your back to your loved one
This is all that we’ve learned about happiness

“Check It Out“, John Mellencamp

I’ve already gone on record admitting I usually like the way Batiuk draws couples kissing. So I think today’s panel 2 is sorta cute, even if Funky looks like Mister Magoo. And, probably by coincidence, Batty has depicted the current lunar phase! The text content, though…meh. The Winkerbeans have  settled in for the night when Holly offhandedly mentions a couple things she’d forgotten to tell him.

The “check engine” light, that bane of motorists’ peace of mind since the late 20th century. Usually not as serious as other dashboard indicators such as, say, the brake light. Probably 75% of the time it’s just letting you know it’s time for an oil change. On one of my cars, I ignored the “check engine” light until it burned out–problem solved!

And the expiration date of Holly’s driver’s license is somehow tied to Funky’s? Do they do their motor vehicle business together like they do their annual physical? In either case, both issues can be addressed in the morning and are nothing over which to lose sleep, or shouldn’t be to a man who’s struggled to keep a business afloat, dealt with an aging parent, or had a kid serving overseas in the military.