Tag Archives: Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape

by billytheskink | September 30, 2021 · 10:30 pm

Grosstalgia

As someone who has ridden in an ambulance with a parent after breaking a bone while competing in a sport, I found there to be nothing at all redeeming about today’s strip. At least yesterday we had some America’s Funniest Home Videos visuals, solid work from Chuck Ayers for once, but today… today… just get out of here with this tripe!

No one wants to see Holly apologize to her mother for, um, for breaking her ankle?! What?! No one wants to see this whole cruel and miserable experience turned into a nostalgia trip. No one wants to know what kind of hairspray Holly uses that has kept her terrifying hair claw intact despite spending extended periods in a driving rainstorm.

34 Comments

Filed under Son of Stuck Funky

Tagged as Act I call-backs, alumni band, ambulance, awful dialog, bad ideas, Bad medical news, batons, constant misery, crippling yet trivial injury, enraging hair strands, football, Holly, Holly's mom, Holly's mother whose name escapes me at the moment, injuries, Jerome T. Bushka A&L Automotive Stadium, Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape, marching band, marching bands, medical professionals, Melinda, misplaced nostalgia for things that weren't all that great to begin with, nostalgia, Old dying people, old gags from the 1970's, the inevitable ravages of age, the raptor claw in Holly's hair, the ravages of age, this is all a horrible mistake, unnecessary apologies, Westview H.S., Westview High School, Westview HS Band, WHS, WHS band, woman with receding hairline

by billytheskink | September 29, 2021 · 10:30 pm

Slipping through the craaacks

As someone who has broken a bone after slipping on wet grass, I must admit that I briefly chuckled at today’s strip… briefly.

And that brief chuckle is the sole redeeming payoff of a story arc that began (checks phases of the moon) three weeks ago?! That’s… better than a lot of TB’s story arcs to be honest.

But what of Dinkle and the alumni band? OK, I don’t care one iota what Dinkle is doing, but the alumni band has been waiting three YEARS to perform! Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot until today that TB did this whole alumni band thing, complete with majorette performance, pretty much three years ago on the dot. I forgot about how it all started with Holly and her mom reminiscing (though then it was on a car trip from Florida). I also forgot that Holly and Melinda were told “no” on the flaming baton trick back then too. I forgot that it all ended (after taking up a whole MONTH), not with a performance, but with this. And worst/best of all, I forgot all about all of this despite being the blogger on duty when it all happened.

I was going to say “you’re welcome”, but I had to go and remember all of this today.

50 Comments

Filed under Son of Stuck Funky

Tagged as alumni band, anger, bad ideas, Bad medical news, band, batons, constant misery, crippling yet trivial injury, flashback thought bubbles, football, Holly, Holly's mom, Holly's mother whose name escapes me at the moment, homecoming, incessant rain, injuries, Jerome T. Bushka A&L Automotive Stadium, Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape, marching band, marching bands, Melinda, rain, stupid, the raptor claw in Holly's hair, this is all a horrible mistake, thought provocation, Westview H.S., Westview High School, Westview HS Band, WHS band

by billytheskink | September 27, 2021 · 10:30 pm

Budd-Kicking

Today’s strip is just unpleasant. I mean, that could be said for a lot of Funky Winkerbean strips, including yesterday’s, but rarely is this strip so overtly nasty… and over such a trivial thing too.

Melinda looks to be going hard after Rose Murdoch for Batiukverse mother of the year, though. I know, I know, “Rose is dead,” you’re thinking, “so Melinda should have the title locked up easily.” Yeah, well, Phil Holt and Lisa were allegedly dead too… and there’s still time for them to make a run at mother of the year.

24 Comments

Filed under Son of Stuck Funky

Tagged as alumni band, anger, band practice, crappy ploddinng stories that never get anywhere, enraging facial expressions, enraging hair strands, Falling leaves, fury, giant enraged baby, high school, Holly, Holly's mom, Holly's mother whose name escapes me at the moment, leaves, Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape, marching band, marching bands, Melinda, Montoni's T shirt, one of those arcs that just never seems to end, pissiness, the raptor claw in Holly's hair, things that never end, times I wish I'd never discovered FW at all, Weary cliches, Westview High School

by ComicBookHarriet | May 2, 2021 · 10:30 pm

‘Sometimes dead is better.’

Link To Today’s Strip

Happy May, Funkysnark Fans! Comic Book Harriet here, ready to push us through another couple weeks of this horror show, much like the shambling hulk that pushed the cart through the haunted murder attraction in House of 1000 Corpses.

Prepare yourselves for…. Strip of 1000 Smirks!

Many thanks to Spaceman Spiff for guiding us through two weeks of some of the weirdest storytelling to come out of Funky Winkerbean for a while now. It was like each day brought us another level down deeper into another tangent of meaninglessness. Never has a story that begins with a man buying doughnuts for alcoholics and ends with him nearly dying to save a CD player been told with such astounding lack of passion or sense.

Now we’re back to the Dinkle pandemic that has been sweeping this strip for the last year. We’ve had nearly 50 days of Dinkle since November (the traditional start of Dinkle season.) This is my third shift in a row where I’ve gotten Dinkle arcs. First he was teaching piano lessons, then he was substitute teaching, and now I get my chance to get in on the ‘Dinkle scores a choir harem’ action.

But maybe the Dinkpocalypse is coming to a close soon. Today we get an exciting celebrity cameo: the undead hell cat from Pet Semetary, Winston Churchhill. I, for one, am eagerly anticipating Dinkle getting his scrawny arms ripped to shreds like chicken drumsticks.

18 Comments

Filed under Son of Stuck Funky

Tagged as Bingo, cat, choir, choir/organ, Dinkle, Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape, smirks, St. Spires

by billytheskink | October 21, 2020 · 10:30 pm

Getting the runaround

Did you know President Bill Clinton likes to jog? I sure didn’t, at least not until today’s strip… and when I say “today’s strip”, I mean “when he was first elected President”. Does TB think calling him “President Clinton” is not enough of an identifier for readers or did he just recently start watching a DVD box set of 1990s Saturday Night Live episodes?

What’s with all the Eeyores in the first panel? Funky just dialed up BILL CLINTON on a whim, got the former POTUS to answer directly, and was told by the man himself that he would help. Why is Rachel even questioning this?

Better yet, why am I questioning this? Any of this? It’s been a fool’s errand for decades.

48 Comments

Filed under Son of Stuck Funky

Tagged as 1/4 inch from reality, Adeela, Amicus Breef, An idiocy of Winkerbeans, cell phones, cellphone, delusional fantasies, deportation, enraging hair strands, exercise, Falling leaves, Funky, Funky Winkerbean, half-assed political commentary, Holly, hoodie, how things are NEVER done, immigration, leaves, Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape, melting faces, mistaken identity, Montoni's, Montoni's logo, Montoni's T shirt, not how the world works, Now Funky, President Clinton, Rachel, sad-sackery, sheer idiocy, stupid, tags you never thought you'd use, technology, terrible artwork, the raptor claw in Holly's hair, this is all a horrible mistake, Wally, you have got to be f-ing kidding me

by billytheskink | October 14, 2020 · 10:30 pm

De-10-tion Center

Amicus continues to Amicus in today’s strip, quoting last year’s newspaper headlines almost verbatim… Big kudos to commenter Banana Jr. 6000 for uncovering Breef’s past appearance in Crankshaft back on Monday. The “Lionel Hutz of Westview” is not only less entertaining than the beloved Simpsons character (obviously), he also appears to somehow be even less competent at practicing law than the intentionally idiotic Hutz.

Writing facial recognition software in the Batiukverse has got to be the ultimate fool’s errand. While I was not able to find any source for Amicus’ 20% of the time figure here in real life internetland, in Westview I would think the figure would be well above that. WAY well above that.

40 Comments

Filed under Son of Stuck Funky

Tagged as Adeela, Amicus Breef, arcs where nothing happens, boredom personified, crosshatching, deportation, encroaching dread, enraging hair strands, Falling leaves, immigration, impending doom, jail, leaves, Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape, neatly lettered signs, one of those arcs that just never seems to end, please make it stop, sad-sackery, sarcasm, technology, terrible artwork, this is all a horrible mistake, Wally

by billytheskink | April 10, 2020 · 10:30 pm

Get the Buck outta here!

We can only hope today’s strip is the awful coda to this awful story arc about these awful people.

This is why you turned down Buck’s advances, Linda? Not because he was being incredibly creepy and distasteful? Not because you are still mourning your husband who committed suicide not even 6 months ago and don’t feel like jumping into any relationship? Not because you know absolutely nothing about him beyond his high school football career? Not because the only thing you two demonstratively have in common is your late husband?

I agree with Linda on one thing, though. I can’t go through this again, either.

35 Comments

Filed under Son of Stuck Funky

Tagged as Batiukmobile®, boredom personified, bricks, Buck, Buck Bedlow, Bull, character death, creepiness, creepy, CTE, death, disgust, disillusionment, endless tedium, impending doom, Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape, Linda, Linda Bushka, Old dying people, RIP Bull, sad-sackery, silhouette, Squick, things that never end, welcoming death

by billytheskink | January 14, 2020 · 10:30 pm

Die or Die Not, There Is No Try

Today’s strip takes a pre-dick-tably maudlin turn. Like we didn’t all know “Les tries to sullenly undermine this dumb movie thing” was going to be the gist of this story arc.

Even if I wasn’t short on time to write this, I’m wouldn’t archive dive to prove that Lisa did or did not say what Les is claiming at some point in time… because I can quickly and easily point to a time when she pretty much said the exact opposite.

36 Comments

Filed under Son of Stuck Funky

Tagged as cancer, Cayla, character death, chemotherapy, comma eyes, death, encroaching dread, Hollywood, Les, Les being a giant smug douche, Les. Cayla, Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape, Lisa, Lisa's Story, Los Angeles, lost cause, Mason, Mason Jarr, Mason Jarre, Mason's Nose, movies, retcon, retcons of retcons, sad-sackery, sheer idiocy, sickening dread, smug inept bearded jerks, welcoming death

by billytheskink | October 11, 2019 · 10:30 pm

Deafinitely Dumb

Hey, remember when this story arc was about Bull?
Today’s strip sure doesn’t.

Look, I’m just going to gloss over the fact that Dinkle was actually introduced well over a year into this strip’s existence and just give TB credit for remembering that Funky Winkerbean itself is 47 (and a half) years old… And with that out of the way I’ll go right into wondering what the heck this has to do with Bull, his condition, his life, or anything. I guess if you twist your neck 117 degrees and squint until you experience sharp pain in your temples it appears the notoriously egotistical Dinkle (or is that Buck?) is paying Bull a compliment by saying they were equals despite his long and incessant history of considering all things inferior to himself and his marching band. But really this is just TB repackaging his biggest hit.

Dinkle is the only thing about this strip that has ever moved merchandise. His “football fields are for band practice!” bit covers books and t-shirts, and even serves as his character’s introductory line in the stage play Funky Winkerbean’s Homecoming. Dinkle’s shtick has sold band posters (“Dinkle wants your horn to twinkle”) and shoes, and no less than 9 Dinkle-specific collections of FW strips have been published! No, seriously, there have been 4 Lisa books and 9 Dinkle books.

Football Fields are for Band Practice!
Sunday Concert
Harry L. Dinkle Live at Carnegie Hall
I Never Promised You a Rose Parade
Gone with The Woodwinds
Would the Ushers Please Lock the Doors!
Attack of the Band Moms
The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Football Field
Music is Worth it… Music is Worth it… Music is…

This is nothing more than TB pushing his most-recognized character/cash cow into a story the New York Times inexplicably gave him ink for. Ugh!

43 Comments

Filed under Son of Stuck Funky

Tagged as Act I call-backs, Becky, Bull, character death, CTE, death, Dinkle, endless tedium, football, funeral, Harry Dinkle, Jack Stropp, leaves, Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape, marching band, marching bands, old Harry Dinkle, one of those arcs that just never seems to end, pinned-up sleeve, rain, retcon, ridiculous clothes, RIP Bull, Scapegoats, sheer idiocy, silhouette, silhouettes, smirk, things that never end, things to do in Westview when you're dead, time travel, times I wish I'd never discovered FW at all, uninteresting stupid anecdotes, Westview H.S., Westview High School, Westview HS Band

by billytheskink | October 8, 2019 · 10:30 pm

Lespicable

I don’t have words right now for today’s strip, so here is a list of synonyms for “Les Moore” that I found in the thesaurus:

cheap, contemptible, cruddy, deplorable, dirty, grubby, lame, lousy, mean, nasty, paltry, pitiable, pitiful, ratty, scabby, scummy, scurvy, sneaking, sorry, wretched, abhorrent, abominable, condemnable, detestable, execrable, hateful, loathsome, odious, disgusting, reptilian, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, revulsive, discreditable, disgraceful, dishonorable, disreputable, ignominious, shameful, base, ignoble, low, shabby, sordid, squalid, vile, blamable, censurable, reprehensible, reproachable, cowardly, craven, dastardly, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous, base, currish, detestable, execrable, low-down, low-minded, snide, sordid, , evil, foul, immoral, iniquitous, wicked, cruel, vicious, debased, degenerate, depraved, atrocious, villainous, monstrous, horrible, appalling, pathetic, egomaniacal, jerky, are-you-still-in-high-school-?-good-grief-get-over-it-man-!-don’t-you-have-a-life-now-?

Please feel free to add any that I and Merriam-Webster may have missed. Thanks.

Also, just to remind anyone who wasn’t reading back in 2011, or those who have had the good fortune to forget, Bull’s bullying of Les in high school was an act to protect Les from real bullies. It’s like Les doesn’t even read this strip…

64 Comments

Filed under Son of Stuck Funky

Tagged as Act I call-backs, Bull, bullying, Cayla, character death, crappy ploddinng stories that never get anywhere, CTE, death, disgust, endless tedium, Falling leaves, funeral, impending doom, Les, Les being a giant smug douche, Les' death, Les' Slob-ass Tie, Les. Cayla, Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape, Now Les, one of those arcs that just never seems to end, rain, Remembrence of Strips Past, retcon, RIP Bull, things that never end, things to do in Westview when you're dead

Tag Archives: Life is a dismal horror from which you can never escape

Grosstalgia

Slipping through the craaacks

Budd-Kicking

‘Sometimes dead is better.’

Getting the runaround

De-10-tion Center

Get the Buck outta here!

Die or Die Not, There Is No Try

Deafinitely Dumb

Lespicable

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