That feeling when you see Monday’s strip and realize you’re in for another entire week of Harry Dinkle writing about Claude Barlow (1543-1627)…the first day of six where we’ll watch ol’ Harry in panel 1 setting up the gag; panel 2, building to the punchline; and panel 3, where Dinkle delivers the payoff and sits there smirking. Dinkle’s now writing the Volume 6 of his Barlow bio…imagine slogging through six volumes where every third sentence is a jokey response to the two sentences that preceded it? I can’t even take six strips.
Tag: Harry Dinkle
That Dismal Season
You know who else is having a dismal season? A comic strip called Funky Winkerbean. Of course, this is the normal state of this strip, so this isn’t news to anyone.
Today’s strip illustrates–or rather, doesn’t illustrate–one of the many problems this strip parades like virtues: people talking about something that sounds funny long after the fact, while never showing any of it. I think showing the basketball team attempting to maneuver around stacks of mattresses could have been an absurd and memorable highlight for this strip. Instead, it’s just tossed out on its own so that we can have three panels of a bloviating author avatar.
Of course, actually showing that scene would emphasize the main problem: if the gym was stuffed with mattresses, both teams would be equally handicapped.
Still, it would be fun to watch it unfold. I also think it could be, um, what’s that word I can never think of when I’m thinking of Funky Winkerbean?
Oh yeah. Funny.
Speaking of art, I like the perspective in panel one, but what in the heck is that behind Becky that looks like a pile of burnt sticks? Is that supposed to be her shadow? If so, how come Dinkle gets an ordinary Ben-Day shadow and she gets a scribble?
Maybe it is a pile of burnt sticks and they’re supposed to be awards? That sounds amusing, so there’s no way that can be it.
And when the door was opened, there was nothing standing there
Let me just say that my mention of “hospital” yesterday was just errant speculation due to the recent shuffling of artists. I, and I’m sure I speak for everyone else in the SoSF community, sincerely hope nothing bad has befallen Tom Batiuk; I have never, ever wished anything but good fortune to him personally. As I’ve mentioned from time to time, from all reports he’s a genuinely nice guy who enjoys meeting his fans; I hope he continues to be so, and do so, for many years to come.
That said…today’s episode is…well, I was going to say “beyond awful,” but I’ll go with “inexplicable” instead. There’s no joke, there’s no good drawing, no wit, just…nothing at all. It’s impossible to imagine a new reader coming across this strip and saying, “Hey, this is a comic strip I’m going to read from now on, with relish!” It’s very possible to imagine a long-time reader saying, “Okay, this is it, I’m out of here. From now on, it’s BC Classic for me.”
The only positive bit at all is the fact that Dinkle is there, and he’s completely silent. I bet he hates that. He’s not even drawn fully, he’s just a menace in a left corner.
It’s also another avenue for speculation. Ordinarily, it would be Dinkle saying all this stuff, while Becky gazed at him in full worship mode. (Heck, I think the last time we even saw Becky, she was a silent potato at Wally’s wedding.)
Why this obvious scenario was flipped, we’ll probably never know.
It’s Monday
Monday’s strip, like Sunday’s before it, was not available for preview.
Why not enjoy some Pringles while we wait?
Shudderday, February 10
Today’s strip was not available for preview and I cannot say I am disappointed.
Once it is available, though, we can see how it adds to the varied life of Claude Barlow.
From childhood…
To death…
To possible resurrection…
To writing operas based on second-tier golden age cartoon characters created after his 17th century death…
To composing medleys of the work of actually talented people who wrote music after his 17th century death…
Son of Stuck Funky 
