Funky Winkerbean spoiler question

[carnivorousplant]

Did Funky buy the farm in the car wreck, and is his ghost wandering about?

[River Hippie]

I'm guessing a coma like Tony Soprano's "Kevin Finnerty" experience.

[The Hamster King]

I'm guessing a coma too. It's not real life because he actually looks happy.

However, when he eventually regains consciousness I predict that he'll have significant brain damage, requiring that he be confined to an electric wheelchair and undergo extensive physical therapy.

[Czarcasm]

Yeah, but I believe he mentioned that the town square had been spiffed up...as if there had been a passage of time?

[The Hamster King]

Yeah, but I believe he mentioned that the town square had been spiffed up...as if there had been a passage of time?Maybe it's a sick version of "It's a Wonderful Life" showing how much better the world would have been if Funky had never existed.

At this point the strip has already passed the pathos event horizon and is plunging into the pathos singularity, so it's to be expected that the normal rules of tragedy will start to break down.

[In Winnipeg]

Are they still publishing that?

[carnivorousplant]

Are they still publishing that?

You are better off not knowing.
Move along, nothing to see here.

:)

[Czarcasm]

I wonder if it is doing another one of those infamous time-jumps, keeping the Funky Phantom around just long enough to introduce the new aspects.

[LurkMeister]

My first thought at the "town square had been spiffed up" line was that he was in the past, when it was newer. This could be because he's dreaming or because he has actually traveled back in time (cue Twilight zone theme).

[BrotherCadfael]

I think it's a Twilight-zone type of episode, such as "A Stop at Willoughby" or "Walking Distance". Funky is about to wander through the streets of the Westview of his youth (aka the setting of the original strip).

[Czarcasm]

I think it's a Twilight-zone type of episode, such as "A Stop at Willoughby" or "Walking Distance". Funky is about to wander through the streets of the Westview of his youth (aka the setting of the original strip). While in real life(such as it is), he is slowing bleeding to death.

[Peter Morris]

Did Funky buy the farm in the car wreck


Apparently not (http://mediumlarge.wordpress.com/)(see strip dated June 25th, currently second from the top)

[carnivorousplant]

Apparently not (http://mediumlarge.wordpress.com/)(see strip dated June 25th, currently second from the top)

Well, damn.
I really liked the "bleeding to death" possibility.

[Peter Morris]

I think it's a Twilight-zone type of episode, such as "A Stop at Willoughby" or "Walking Distance". Funky is about to wander through the streets of the Westview of his youth (aka the setting of the original strip).

I don't read this strip usually. But I've just had a look through the last few days and noticed this strip. (http://www.seattlepi.com/fun/comic.asp?feature_id=Funky_Winkerbean&feature_date=2010-06-12) What's the betting that the old geezer turns out to be himself?

[LurkMeister]

[Rod Serling]Presented for your consideration...could a dying man's consciousness travel back in time to give his younger self the means to save his future failing business?[/RS]

[The Hamster King]

I don't read this strip usually. But I've just had a look through the last few days and noticed this strip. (http://www.seattlepi.com/fun/comic.asp?feature_id=Funky_Winkerbean&feature_date=2010-06-12) What's the betting that the old geezer turns out to be himself?I bet you're right.

[carnivorousplant]

Maybe re really had the drink and this is a drunken rambling.

[BrotherCadfael]

I don't read this strip usually. But I've just had a look through the last few days and noticed this strip. (http://www.seattlepi.com/fun/comic.asp?feature_id=Funky_Winkerbean&feature_date=2010-06-12) What's the betting that the old geezer turns out to be himself?I'd call it a certainty -- Rod Serling once heard that irony is good for the blood, and figured that, if a little is good, a whole lot must be great. Twilight Zone, here we come!

[jayjay]

I thought Westview already existed in the dystopian future where Biff owned everything...

[carnivorousplant]

I thought Westview already existed in the dystopian future where Biff owned everything...

Oh, Dear G-d!

[panamajack]

"I know where I came from — but where did all you cancers come from?"

[Sigmagirl]

Or . . . the old geezer is Crankshaft.

[jayjay]

Or . . . the old geezer is Crankshaft.

Ed Crankshaft doesn't give advice. That would require a "care what other people think of me" gland, which it's quite obvious that he lacks.

[Lynn Bodoni]

Crankshaft offered to pay or partially pay for college tuition for a bunch of "at risk" kids. While he might not care about what most others think, apparently he does have a heart.

[Bridget Burke]

Time to return to the Comics Curmudgeon (http://joshreads.com/?cat=64), to see what he & his minions make of this latest revolting development.

I've managed to avoid that Wretced Hive of Scum & Snarkiness since the Settlepocalypse (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ForBetterOrForWorse)....

[jayjay]

Crankshaft offered to pay or partially pay for college tuition for a bunch of "at risk" kids. While he might not care about what most others think, apparently he does have a heart.

Yeah, maybe I'm spending too much time at the Comics Curmudgeon.

[multimediac17]

Funky Winkerbean is real?

I thought it was a made up character for a gag on The Simpsons - you know the one where Bart complains that Springfield gets all the crappy balloons for their Thanksgiving parade and Marge says "What are you talking about? Look, there's Funky Winkerbean! Over here, Funky!"

[jayjay]

Funky Winkerbean is real?

I thought it was a made up character for a gag on The Simpsons - you know the one where Bart complains that Springfield gets all the crappy balloons for their Thanksgiving parade and Marge says "What are you talking about? Look, there's Funky Winkerbean! Over here, Funky!"

Yep, Funky's a real comic strip (well, the "comic" part is purely categorical at this point, but...). It started out as a light-hearted strip about a bunch of high-school kids, but at some point in the 90s, I believe, the cartoonist either stepped into the Hellmouth or started to really hate his characters and it's been pure bathos since. It's gotten to the point where the cartoonist is some kind of malevolent demiurge inflicting cancer, death and a lack of all comfort and compassion on his strip.

Shortpacked's take on Funky (http://shortpacked.com/comic/book-5/01-a-talking-car-joins-the-cast/cancer/) isn't far off the mark. Although, along with cancer, there have been amputations, deafness (in the iconic bandleader character, no less), financial failure, and the ghosts of dead people creepily stalking their surviving spouses. Oh, and at least one case of near-incest.

[Tom Tildrum]

When the cell phone didn't have any reception after the accident, I just figured, "This is Funky Winkerbean, land of constant, dull, aching misery. Of course Funky is with Sprint."

[Ferret Herder]

I'd call it a certainty -- Rod Serling once heard that irony is good for the blood, and figured that, if a little is good, a whole lot must be great. Twilight Zone, here we come!
And because it's a Batiuk strip, the comic is going to turn out to be worthless...

[digs]

I flipped open the comics section of the paper for the first time in eons, and wept for humanity.

Funky, Luanne, and a bunch of strips that were comedies are now maudlin soap operas. And not even well-written ones.

Remember when the 'funny papers' were... y'know, funny?

[Ferret Herder]

I flipped open the comics section of the paper for the first time in eons, and wept for humanity.

Funky, Luanne, and a bunch of strips that were comedies are now maudlin soap operas. And not even well-written ones.

Remember when the 'funny papers' were... y'know, funny?
You mean like Dick Tracy, Brenda Starr, Prince Valiant? ;) (Two of those still run daily in the Chicago Tribune.)

Luann is really awful over the last week or so - she walked in on Gunther changing, saw him completely naked, and is blabbing about it to anyone who will listen and whining about why no one will take her "traumatization" seriously. Gee, how kind.

[jayjay]

You mean like Dick Tracy, Brenda Starr, Prince Valiant? ;) (Two of those still run daily in the Chicago Tribune.)

Luann is really awful over the last week or so - she walked in on Gunther changing, saw him completely naked, and is blabbing about it to anyone who will listen and whining about why no one will take her "traumatization" seriously. Gee, how kind.

Yeah. The day after, when she was dishing about it in the cafeteria to her friends, my first thought was "What a biyotch!" I mean, she at LEAST considers Gunther a friend, doesn't she? That's what I've been getting out of the last few years of the strip, anyway. So why would you MAKE SURE that your friend's most embarassing moment ever is spread throughout the school? And worse, spread to adults?

Oh, and the mixed signals are horrible, too. Luann has been switching between wide-eyed shock and come-hither eyes with Gunther ever since it happened.

[carnivorousplant]

Remember when the 'funny papers' were... y'know, funny?

I didn't ever think Funky was funny.

:)

[MLS]

So -- what's the latest theory? The speculation at my house is that he's in a coma. Or dead. Can't decide which.

[carnivorousplant]

If he were dead, you'd think the mime would have opened his car door for him.

[Ferret Herder]

So -- what's the latest theory? The speculation at my house is that he's in a coma. Or dead. Can't decide which.
I'm going for Twilight Zone time travel. It's taking so damned long to play out, though, that I might decide something else in a day or two.

[jayjay]

If he were dead, you'd think the mime would have opened his car door for him.

Well, maybe. But Masky McDeath would kind of spoiler the ending of the storyline in that case, wouldn't he? Besides, Death obviously doesn't need to make special trips for pickup in the Funkyverse. It's everywhere, like God.

[MOIDALIZE]

I hadn't read Funky in years, and I come back to find him old and washed-up. Is Tom Batiuk looking to end the series soon?

[carnivorousplant]

Is Tom Batiuk looking to end the series soon?

No, just torture the characters. :)

[Ferret Herder]

No, just torture the characters. :)
He's got high-school age kids of the main characters to torment as well. None of the younger generation has gotten cancer yet, after all.

[Ferret Herder]

Partial answer to "what's going on":

Click the upper-right hourglass if the print is too small. (http://www.seattlepi.com/fun/comic.asp?feature_id=Funky_Winkerbean&feature_date=2010-07-04)

So it definitely involves the idea of time travel, but could still involve him slowly bleeding to death on the side of the road and hallucinating this or having one of those "It's a Horrible Wonderful Life" moments.

[ErinPuff]

Is he mad, in a coma, or back in time? (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LifeOnMars)

[Chronos]

I hadn't read Funky in years, and I come back to find him old and washed-up. Is Tom Batiuk looking to end the series soon? With Batuik, you can never tell. One of his previous strips, John Darling, ended abruptly on a Thursday, with no warning at all, with the main character getting shot to death.

[John DiFool]

Time to return to the Comics Curmudgeon (http://joshreads.com/?cat=64), to see what he & his minions make of this latest revolting development.

I've managed to avoid that Wretced Hive of Scum & Snarkiness since the Settlepocalypse (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ForBetterOrForWorse)....

It seems like he (CC) is always riffing on the same galdanged ten strips, over and over. I guess some people like being predictable.

[Bosstone]

It seems like he (CC) is always riffing on the same galdanged ten strips, over and over. I guess some people like being predictable.Because those same ten strips offer lots of opportunities for jokes, being either serious or intended to be humorous but failing. He'll bring in others from time to time when he notices something interesting.

[carnivorousplant]

Because those same ten strips offer lots of opportunities for jokes,

Why else would anyone read Mary Worth or Apartment 3 G?

[devilsknew]

I remember when I was in High School, Funky was kind of like the "Archie of the '80's". It had a lot of relatable stuff to the typical Ohio High School age teen- Funky really appealed to the geekier kids, and especially the Band geeks, a lot of inside band jokes. Kind of grown up with it and well, it's dealing with age appropriate topics to Tom Batiuk, now... It's just like small town life in Ohio, growing up and dying there, very realistic, very current, very "Ohio" and weirdly prescient.

[Rilchiam]

I liked it in the '70s and '80s too, before the first time jump when Funky et al were still teenagers. I remember one sequence in which Holly, the majorette, had a dispute with a band member that ended with him losing the plume on the front of his cap. I'm assuming it was Funky himself; I don't think it was Les. Anyway, Harry, the band leader, intervened, saying gently, "All right, Holly, give Funky back his plume and let's all make up." Holly (who always wore her cap so low you couldn't see her eyes) stood stiff with indignation, and on Harry's command, huffed, "I'm SORRY!" and jabbed the plume at Funky's chest so hard she cracked a rib. And cracked me up. Because that is so high school: still holding a grudge over some little nothing thing.

[SweetLucy]

I flipped open the comics section of the paper for the first time in eons, and wept for humanity.

Funky, Luanne, and a bunch of strips that were comedies are now maudlin soap operas. And not even well-written ones.

Remember when the 'funny papers' were... y'know, funny?

Years ago, "9 Chickweed Lane" was actually funny. Its current plot: for the past 6 months or so, a melodramatic soap opera, with no end in sight. Someone needs to put Chickweed out of its misery :mad:

[jayjay]

Years ago, "9 Chickweed Lane" was actually funny. Its current plot: for the past 6 months or so, a melodramatic soap opera, with no end in sight. Someone needs to put Chickweed out of its misery :mad:

A melodramatic PERIOD soap opera! Is Grandma still telling stories of her slutty WWII days or has she finally finished?

[SweetLucy]

A melodramatic PERIOD soap opera! Is Grandma still telling stories of her slutty WWII days or has she finally finished?

Last time I glanced (about a week ago) she's still going on and on.

[jayjay]

Last time I glanced (about a week ago) she's still going on and on.

Understand, folks, that we're talking about a tertiary character (Edda's grandmother, who's only ever been around to put in a Sophia-Petrillo-crossed-with-the-grandma-from-Malcolm-in-the-Middle quip or two and act as the (thank Og!) never-actually-explicit girlfriend of the resident crazy person/intergalactic ambassador-philosopher character). And she's been going on about her days as a USO chanteuse/American spy/international ho during WWII every freaking day for MONTHS.

[Frank]

Years ago, "9 Chickweed Lane" was actually funny. Its current plot: for the past 6 months or so, a melodramatic soap opera, with no end in sight. Someone needs to put Chickweed out of its misery :mad:
Someone must like it. The Post-Dispatch dropped it about a month ago. Three days later it returned. (Might have been different had it been replaced with a good strip instead of whatever piece of crap they tried.)

And yeah, it used to have a subtle, sardonic sense of humor in its slow-moving stories; now it just has slow-moving stories. It's moved into the <ahem> Funky Winkerbean category now: comics I don't read.

[Ferret Herder]

Understand, folks, that we're talking about a tertiary character (Edda's grandmother, who's only ever been around to put in a Sophia-Petrillo-crossed-with-the-grandma-from-Malcolm-in-the-Middle quip or two and act as the (thank Og!) never-actually-explicit girlfriend of the resident crazy person/intergalactic ambassador-philosopher character). And she's been going on about her days as a USO chanteuse/American spy/international ho during WWII every freaking day for MONTHS.
Not to mention her being torn between her love for a Nazi officer who has a great singing voice (McEldowney's "good" characters value Art above all those common, everyday jobs and duties) versus the American officer - who punched out a British officer who'd called her a whore and was sent to the D-Day invasion front lines for that attack, and was lost in combat. She was actually devastated to find out that this nice American officer had turned up alive, because she'd had Herr Nazi all to herself and a happy little future planned out, and someone decided to shower a little guilt on her parade.

(Oh, but he's not a bad Nazi of course, just following orders and all that - they made just anyone a higher-ranking officer, right? He has a lovely singing voice and such beautiful blond hair. And McEldowney actually published a strip of her schtupping the enemy on Memorial Day. Thanks, WWII vets!)

[Finagle]

So explain Funky Winkerbean's aging process to me. I get it -- he's not in high school any more. But just how much time has gone by? I was under the impression that the previous cast was supposed to now be maybe middle-aged, with their kids in high school. But Funky himself is drawn as what looks like a 65 year old paunchy bald guy. If the characters in the strips had aged more or less in step with "real time", Funky would be maybe 40-50 -- he'd look like someone's dad, not their granddad.

[jayjay]

So explain Funky Winkerbean's aging process to me. I get it -- he's not in high school any more. But just how much time has gone by? I was under the impression that the previous cast was supposed to now be maybe middle-aged, with their kids in high school. But Funky himself is drawn as what looks like a 65 year old paunchy bald guy. If the characters in the strips had aged more or less in step with "real time", Funky would be maybe 40-50 -- he'd look like someone's dad, not their granddad.

Batiuk supposedly did a 10-year jump, about three years ago, I think.

[cstamets]

Batiuk supposedly did a 10-year jump, about three years ago, I think.


There have been two jumps. The first one took the original gang to middle age and brought in Wally and his bunch. I was ok with that. The second one... lost me. The high school part seems to be centered on Les and Lisa's kid, who was maybe 2 when they did the second jump.

[SirRay]

OK, so I have been following the strip solely to see how the current 'time regression' plot works itself out - today's (July 5 2010) strip Funky sort of realizes he's in the past cause of the trees being smaller etc - but in yesterday's strip he point blank asked some 70s looking dude w/ glasses when am I - wouldn't the dude have looked at him a bit funny, but then answered its the fourth of July...then prompted for the year by Funky, he would have probably told him (say 1975 or whatever) while thinking this poor guy is a bit senile. Anyway, Funky would have had his answer.

[devilsknew]

Another alternative, It could just be a gratuitous artistic reminiscence. maybe that's what he wanted to draw, or draw and revisit... They are quite polished strips in craft.

[SkeptiJess]

Batiuk supposedly did a 10-year jump, about three years ago, I think.

There were 2 time jumps. The strip started out in the '70s as a gag-a-day strip set in a high school. It didn't move in real time -- all the characters stayed high-school age.

This changed with the first time jump in the early '90s, which brought them all to around age 26 or 27, skipping their college years and restarting the action with them all at the beginnings of what would be their careers. The strip switched to real-time after the time jump and became a lot darker, dealing with a variety of traumatic stuff. The strip carried on for 10 years in real time, with the characters getting married and divorced, having and adopting children, attempting suicide, becoming addicted to alcohol, losing limbs in drunk-driving incidents, etc. etc. etc. The final capper is when Lisa dies of beast cancer, when the character was in her mid-30s.

After Lisa dies (around '03, I think), the strip took another time jump -- this one 10 years -- bringing the core characters up to 45 or 46 years old. The strip has continued on in more-or-less real time so Funky should be around 50ish now, I suppose.

[SkeptiJess]

Not to mention her being torn between her love for a Nazi officer who has a great singing voice (McEldowney's "good" characters value Art above all those common, everyday jobs and duties) versus the American officer - who punched out a British officer who'd called her a whore and was sent to the D-Day invasion front lines for that attack, and was lost in combat. She was actually devastated to find out that this nice American officer had turned up alive, because she'd had Herr Nazi all to herself and a happy little future planned out, and someone decided to shower a little guilt on her parade.

(Oh, but he's not a bad Nazi of course, just following orders and all that - they made just anyone a higher-ranking officer, right? He has a lovely singing voice and such beautiful blond hair. And McEldowney actually published a strip of her schtupping the enemy on Memorial Day. Thanks, WWII vets!) The worst part for me is that we already know that she ends up with the American guy. But the whole thing has still been dragging on and on and on for what feels like eons.

[Ferret Herder]

The worst part for me is that we already know that she ends up with the American guy. But the whole thing has still been dragging on and on and on for what feels like eons.
Yup. And apparently she turns into a bitter old harridan because she was so mad that she had the luxury of choosing between two guys who loved her. Admittedly, the American military officer involved in keeping the secret about her American soldier's survival was kind of a jerk in that he helped set up the whole draaaaaahma as a result of the secrecy. At least he was theoretically doing something honorable in the process, at the start if arguably not as honorable later on.

[Rilchiam]

After Lisa dies (around '03, I think), the strip took another time jump

'07. I remember it because it coincided with Lynn Johnston's first attempt to "end" Better or Worse.

[Maus Magill]

'07. I remember it because it coincided with Lynn Johnston's first attempt to "end" Better or Worse.

The first Time Jump was '92. The jumped over their college years, The only reason I remember is that the jump involved them graduating in 1988, which made them the same age as me.

[DChord568]

I remember when I was in High School, Funky was kind of like the "Archie of the '80's". It had a lot of relatable stuff to the typical Ohio High School age teen- Funky really appealed to the geekier kids, and especially the Band geeks, a lot of inside band jokes. Kind of grown up with it and well, it's dealing with age appropriate topics to Tom Batiuk, now... It's just like small town life in Ohio, growing up and dying there, very realistic, very current, very "Ohio" and weirdly prescient.

As a fellow Buckeye, I agree with this assessment, and it's nice to see at least one kind word amidst all the dismissive comments.

I guess I'm the wrong guy to offer any critical assessment, as I still read every single comic in my paper...including the dreadful Mary Worth and Mark Trail. Just force of long-time habit.

It should be pointed out that Funky Winkerbean was not always light-hearted, even in its original high school incarnation. In fact, I did a radio interview with Batuik at the time of the first Lisa story arc.

You'll recall she was originally a rather dumpy, unattractive girl who is impregnated by the high school football star.

Les, as a friend, stands by her through the subsequent ordeal, and is ultimately rewarded down the road when she becomes a lot better-looking and marries him.

At this time (early to mid-80s, I believe), no newspaper comic strip -- humorous or dramatic -- had ever dealt with the subject of an unwed teenage mother, so this was seen as a rather courageous thing to do.

In more recent years, Batuik caught a lot of flack from the strip's fans for allowing Lisa to succumb to cancer. He'll continue to pursue his own vision for his characters, I'm sure, despite the criticism.

[SkeptiJess]

Right you are, Rilchiam -- I knew I should have Googled the dates. For some reason, I thought the second jump was right after we bought our house... ANyway, you are right and it was 2007.

And, DChord568, I had forgotten that Lisa's unwed mother-hood was actually from before the time-jump. For some reason, I was thinking that, although it obviously happened while the characters were in high school, it wasn't revealed until Lisa and Les met up again after the first time jump. I just read the original strips online and I don't remember them at all, except as flashbacks after the time jump. Maybe my hometown paper didn't carry them.

[Rilchiam]

And, DChord568, I had forgotten that Lisa's unwed mother-hood was actually from before the time-jump. For some reason, I was thinking that, although it obviously happened while the characters were in high school, it wasn't revealed until Lisa and Les met up again after the first time jump. I just read the original strips online and I don't remember them at all, except as flashbacks after the time jump. Maybe my hometown paper didn't carry them.

Didn't Batiuk kind of retcon the circumstances, though? Like, originally Lisa and her baby's father were on the same page with having sex, and the only problem was lack of/insufficient birthcontrol? And then when we heard about it the second time, after the jump, suddenly Lisa had been pressured into sex much against her will? It's entirely possible that I'm wrong about this, but I think I remember it in terms of "Batiuk decided a pregnant teenager wasn't dark enough; now it's gotta be a date rape -- hasn't he beat up on Lisa enough already?!"

Because that was the problem with Lisa's death. It's not that she had cancer and it's not that she died of it. It's that she beat cancer in the '90s. Then Batiuk got cancer, and decided he hadn't portrayed cancer correctly the first time; I think that's what he said. So Lisa's cancer came back. Then it was supposedly in remission. Then it came out that the doctor had read the wrong files (can that happen?). And the cancer was back in full force, and it was fatal, and it was a matter of months.

That's why people are irritated with Batiuk. Because Funky now seems to consist only of bad things happening to the characters. It's not one tough storyline; it's an endless parade. Everyone seems to have been hit at least once, and some of them several times. Rex Morgan, Mary Worth et al are positively lighthearted in comparison.

[Miller]

I remember when I was in High School, Funky was kind of like the "Archie of the '80's". It had a lot of relatable stuff to the typical Ohio High School age teen- Funky really appealed to the geekier kids, and especially the Band geeks, a lot of inside band jokes. Kind of grown up with it and well, it's dealing with age appropriate topics to Tom Batiuk, now... It's just like small town life in Ohio, growing up and dying there, very realistic, very current, very "Ohio" and weirdly prescient.

Wow. Remind me to stay the hell away from Ohio!

[Ferret Herder]

Didn't Batiuk kind of retcon the circumstances, though? Like, originally Lisa and her baby's father were on the same page with having sex, and the only problem was lack of/insufficient birthcontrol? And then when we heard about it the second time, after the jump, suddenly Lisa had been pressured into sex much against her will? It's entirely possible that I'm wrong about this, but I think I remember it in terms of "Batiuk decided a pregnant teenager wasn't dark enough; now it's gotta be a date rape -- hasn't he beat up on Lisa enough already?!"

Because that was the problem with Lisa's death. It's not that she had cancer and it's not that she died of it. It's that she beat cancer in the '90s. Then Batiuk got cancer, and decided he hadn't portrayed cancer correctly the first time; I think that's what he said. So Lisa's cancer came back. Then it was supposedly in remission. Then it came out that the doctor had read the wrong files (can that happen?). And the cancer was back in full force, and it was fatal, and it was a matter of months.
Your recollections are correct, to the best of my memory as well. Add on top of the "doctor read the wrong scans" thing that they never did anything about the doctor's error, IIRC.

Funky: almost went back to being an alcoholic after taking his dad (suffering from Alzheimer's) to the nursing home, had to close all but the original Montoni's due to the economy (and probable mismanagement), is betting on selling an old comic book to save the last Montoni's, got in the current car accident. His son Cory is a horrible student and a juvenile delinquent.

Wally: captured in the Gulf War, held captive, meanwhile his wife was informed of his death by the military (which didn't bother to check what remains of some poor unidentified soldier's body were sent to her as supposedly Wally's) and eventually remarried. He's rescued, and is returned to town without any debriefing - not to mention a formal apology - and learns of her remarriage. He sleeps on the floor of his little apartment, next to his bed, because that's how he slept when he was a captive. This time he keeps a gun under his pillow, though. He's washing dishes in Montoni's because Funky pitied him, and suffering from PTSD flashbacks even from things like a post high school basketball game celebration.

Les: still haunted (literally and figuratively) by Lisa's ghost, and once he finally tentatively tries to date (the mother of his daughter's biggest basketball rival), he is oblivious to the attempts to sabotage and horn in on the budding relationship by Susan Smith, who tried to kill herself back in the day due to obsessing over him when she was a student.

I have a hard time thinking of anything going on in the strip that's actually happy.

[Rilchiam]

Great Og Almighty. I stopped reading Funky (and a lot of other comic strips) in early 2008. What you've outlined is so horrifying that...I just now looked for an archive. And found one, so I can see all the strips laid out in their macabre glory.

[SkeptiJess]

Like I said, I never saw the original strips, so I'm only familiar with the post-jump version, which I just reread this afternoon. The post-jump version uses Batiuk's flashback method with the 'old' panels drawn to look like snapshots on a scrapbook. The flashback panels are either the originals or, if they really are retconned, are drawn in the style of the old originals. Here ( http://www.funkywinkerbean.com/pregnancy.html) is the link. Anyway, in this series of strips, Lisa doesn't seem to indicate date rape, at least as regards force. She does admit that there was drinking at the party and says that the experience was 'lousy.' But she doesn't seem traumatized by the encounter, really; just upset/ worried about the outcome.

I do kind of remember that the baby's father would show up from time to time later in the strip and was presented as stalkerish, at least. Maybe the situation was retconned later (after those flashback strips) to make Lisa's date with Frankie more violent?

[SkeptiJess]

The thing with Wally, btw, is really just fucking depressing. He's even drawn in a depressing way. Seeing his hang-dog face in the mornings is enough to put you off your cheerios, that's for sure.

[Rilchiam]

Gads. Well, regarding Lisa, maybe I'm remembering wrong. I do remember those strips, and you're right: they don't seem to indicate force. Even so, this is more beating up! Lisa already had self-esteem issues and a lackluster social life. Why did he choose her for the pregnancy arc instead of Cindy or Holly? I mean, in terms of "gotta grow up, life is responsibility" introspection.

[LurkMeister]

I had read the strip back when everyone was still in high school, then lost track of it when I changed papers. I didn't pick it up again until I moved to NC in late '06, and had no idea what had happened to everyone until I finally thought to try to check online. And then everything jumped ahead ten years, confusing me even further.

[carnivorousplant]

Is Les "daughter" his daughter or step daughter, then?

[Scarlett67]

Is Les "daughter" his daughter or step daughter, then?

Summer is Les and Lisa's bio daughter. Lisa gave up her previous baby for adoption, and as I recall he turned out to be the blond teenager Darin. (I'm willing to be corrected if my memory is faulty.)

[SkeptiJess]

Yeah, you've almost got to assume that Batiuk really had it in for Lisa.

Crappy first sexual experience (even if it wasn't rape)? Check! Teenage pregnancy? Check! Courageously give your baby up for adoption and don't reconnect with him until the very end of your life? Check! Cancer, with all the nasty and invasive treatments possible? Check! A recurrance of cancr that actually kills you this time, in the prime of life, leaving your toddler half-orphaned? Big fat check!

The only character Batiuk seems to like less is poor old Wally. Wally maims his high school girlfriend in an at-fault drunk driving incident, joins the Army just in time for a freaking war, gets held captive in said war zone for 6 freaking years, comes back to discover his family has been sublet in his absence, and suffers from a gruesome case of PTSD...

Nobody in the Funkiverse is exactly free from pain, but Lisa and Wally definately seem to get more than their share.

[DChord568]

Didn't Batiuk kind of retcon the circumstances, though? Like, originally Lisa and her baby's father were on the same page with having sex, and the only problem was lack of/insufficient birthcontrol? And then when we heard about it the second time, after the jump, suddenly Lisa had been pressured into sex much against her will? It's entirely possible that I'm wrong about this, but I think I remember it in terms of "Batiuk decided a pregnant teenager wasn't dark enough; now it's gotta be a date rape -- hasn't he beat up on Lisa enough already?!"

I don't know how he may have told the tale differently in flashback, but my recollection was that in the original story arc, Lisa (who really was drawn as a rather dumpy, unattractive teen with glasses at the time) was thrilled to be asked out by the star football player...and being somewhat bedazzled by him, acceded to having sex with him. It was implied that she was pressured into this rather than having it in her own mind to do so. So while "against her will" and "date rape" may be putting it too strongly, "on the same page" would certainly be too far in the opposite direction.

She certainly regretted her actions after the fact, though, and very much appreciated Les's loyalty and support.



Because that was the problem with Lisa's death. It's not that she had cancer and it's not that she died of it. It's that she beat cancer in the '90s. Then Batiuk got cancer, and decided he hadn't portrayed cancer correctly the first time; I think that's what he said. So Lisa's cancer came back. Then it was supposedly in remission. Then it came out that the doctor had read the wrong files (can that happen?). And the cancer was back in full force, and it was fatal, and it was a matter of months.

That's why people are irritated with Batiuk. Because Funky now seems to consist only of bad things happening to the characters. It's not one tough storyline; it's an endless parade. Everyone seems to have been hit at least once, and some of them several times. Rex Morgan, Mary Worth et al are positively lighthearted in comparison.

Maybe people have just never become reconciled to a comic strip that reflects stuff that happens to people in real life. It's inaccurate to portray Funky Winkerbean as featuring "only of bad things happening to the characters." There are still individual strips that strive for humor, and still characters to whom GOOD things happen (i.e., Les's budding romance with Cayla, the recent acceptance of his book about Lisa by a publisher, Harry Dinkle's mellow retirement, Becky successfully taking his place despite the loss of one arm, etc.).

[jayjay]

There are still individual strips that strive for humor, and still characters to whom GOOD things happen

Ahem...

(i.e., Les's budding romance with Cayla,

Soon to be seriously messed with by Les's colleague-teacher/stalker/obsessive...

Harry Dinkle's mellow retirement,

necessitated in part by his growing deafness...

Becky successfully taking his place, etc.).

With her single arm (Thanks, Wally!)...

[digs]

Maybe people have just never become reconciled to a comic strip that reflects stuff that happens to people in real life.

Real life? The real life that has blue skies and bunnies in it? Not in the Funkyverse. No one has that many ... pointless random events ... and hopelessness in their Real Life. Because no one has a mean, petty, psychologically unbalanced Diety writing doom into their every episode.

It's inaccurate to portray Funky Winkerbean as featuring "only of bad things happening to the characters." There are still individual strips that strive for humor...

They may strive... but they fail horribly, embarrassingly.

and still characters to whom GOOD things happen (i.e., Les's budding romance with Cayla)...

... where his dates are interrupted by his 'cancer-ridden/no, she beat it/no, she's dead' dead wife. Bad example. And Les is still obsessed with aging and death ...

Oh, wait, that's EVERY character.

[DChord568]

Soon to be seriously messed with by Les's colleague-teacher/stalker/obsessive...

We'll see. So far, there has been an awkwardness, but nothing more. Perhaps you'll prove to be right, or perhaps it will happen differently.


necessitated in part by his growing deafness...

What I've yet to see is Harry wallowing in misery over his fate. Can you point me to some strips where he does this?


With her single arm (Thanks, Wally!)...

I'm aware of this history. I also recall a sequence in which Becky forgives Wally. And again, in her subsequent career I've yet to see Becky suffer anything other than the same frustrations a two-armed high school band director would face.

It would appear to me that Becky has triumphed over her disability...but somehow, that isn't resonating with you and the many other "glass half-empty" folks posting here.

[DChord568]

Real life? The real life that has blue skies and bunnies in it? Not in the Funkyverse. No one has that many ... pointless random events ... and hopelessness in their Real Life.

If you really believe this to be true, then it must be you who's living in the land of blue skies and bunnies.

In Real Life, no one has as many zany things happen to her as happened to Lucy in the course of portraying three different, but essentially the same, characters. In real life, no crew of any vessel, space-going or otherwise, would ever survive the countless trials and tribulations visited upon the denizens of the many Star Trek universes without going stark raving mad.

It's called characters + plot lines. When a set of characters is created that an audience relates to, and those characters exist over a period of decades, then many things must happen to them. If they lived dull, predictable lives, how long would any reader maintain his or her interest?

These characters serve as stand-ins for millions of viewers/readers, some of whom have inevitably had similar experiences befall them. They just get concentrated among a few characters in the course of a comic strip.


... where his dates are interrupted by his 'cancer-ridden/no, she beat it/no, she's dead' dead wife. Bad example.

I know the ghost of Lisa appears to Les occasionally. But I don't recall her ghost appearing and causing any great trouble when it comes to Les's relationship with Cayla...certainly not beyond any widower's natural tentativeness and slightly conflicted feelings upon entering his first relationship following his wife's death.

Perhaps you can point me to some strips that illustrate the "interruption" you speak of.



And Les is still obsessed with aging and death ...

Oh, wait, that's EVERY character.

Cites of strips that rise to "obsession"? Cites that there's something abnormal about thinking about aging as it happens to you?

A man who loses a wife he loves very much to cancer shouldn't have any thoughts whatsoever about death?

[Ferret Herder]

the recent acceptance of his book about Lisa by a publisher
Don't forget that the publisher in question was "Apple Annie" - at least someone gets some good things in her life. Publishers who didn't know him apparently wouldn't touch it?

Harry's retirement, to me, has not looked very happy. At least he's not miserable.

I'd like to see more characters actually smile when they are happy. Everyone smirks in this strip.

[SkeptiJess]

While I think you make some decent points - I agree, for instance, that Les's widowhood has been portrayed nicely and, despite the sorrows in his life, he is a happy, positive character overall - you've got to admit that Wally is just a frigging downer. He should have been killed in the war; or, if Batiuk wanted to deal with PTSD (not a bad idea) he could have had a tough war and he and Becky could have been divorced during the jump. Either of these would have been tolerable. But imprisoned for 6 years? Declared dead? His wife married to another husband and his children raised by another father while he wasted away in a cell? Over the top and cliched. Batiuk needs to read Doonesbury to learn how to write veteran's issues in a way that is both believable & poignant. And funny.

[Rilchiam]

DChord, it's just. too. damned. much. I'm sure you can point out a handful of recent strips that are only about Montoni tossing pizza dough and making jokes. But the majority, and I do mean over 75%, of FW strips in the last few years have only had to do with disease, loss or other negative things. It's great that the characters are usually able to find a bright side, and I'm well aware that people IRL are subject to cancer, underage pregnancy, amputation, deafness...but do you see what I'm saying here? This is not normal for a medium that's supposed to be funny.

[Rilchiam]

Put it another way. I'm aware that a town with a population of about 20,000 is going to have instances of disease, loss and so forth. But this laundry list of problems (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funky_Winkerbean#The_1992_relaunch) keeps happening to the same two dozen people in that community. Collectively, they seem to have a curse on them.

Maybe the Westview High mascot is a witch. I mean, no one complains when bad things happen in Sunnydale, but that's because we know from the first episode that there's a Hellmouth there. And the main character is a Slayer and is supposed to deal with problems as they come up. No threat, no conflict, no show. But where's the Hellmouth in Westdale? Is it right there in Montoni's? It must be, seeing as how these issues always affect the same two dozen people. These are not normal odds.

[kenobi 65]

This is not normal for a medium that's supposed to be funny.

Or, at least, enjoyable and entertaining to read and follow.

[Rilchiam]

Like I said, I never saw the original strips, so I'm only familiar with the post-jump version, which I just reread this afternoon. The post-jump version uses Batiuk's flashback method with the 'old' panels drawn to look like snapshots on a scrapbook. The flashback panels are either the originals or, if they really are retconned, are drawn in the style of the old originals. Here ( http://www.funkywinkerbean.com/pregnancy.html) is the link. Anyway, in this series of strips, Lisa doesn't seem to indicate date rape, at least as regards force. She does admit that there was drinking at the party and says that the experience was 'lousy.' But she doesn't seem traumatized by the encounter, really; just upset/ worried about the outcome.

I do kind of remember that the baby's father would show up from time to time later in the strip and was presented as stalkerish, at least. Maybe the situation was retconned later (after those flashback strips) to make Lisa's date with Frankie more violent?

Aha. Got this from the wiki link: After her appearance in the suicide storyline, Susan began dating Westview High star quarterback and "big man on campus" Matt Miller, who is abusive and possessive with her. Les and Lisa are able to intervene and empower Susan to end the relationship. It was also revealed that Lisa's ex-boyfriend, Frankie, had abused a teen-aged Lisa during their relationship before he got her pregnant.

If I have time this evening, I'll check with r.a.c.s. and Joshreads and see what they remember.

[kaylasdad99]

Hey, it's REAL* Funky Winkerbean, and his pal Crazy Eddy! (http://www.seattlepi.com/fun/comic.asp?feature_id=Funky_Winkerbean&feature_date=2010-07-07)

Is Crazy Eddy still listening to frozen pizzas on his turntable? SOMETHING has to remain untouched and innocent.

Seriously, though, if it turns out he's dead, or the president of the local bank, just don't even bother answering.









*As opposed to this miserable reboot Batuik has been foisting off on us for so many years.

[DChord568]

Hey, it's REAL* Funky Winkerbean, and his pal Crazy Eddy! (http://www.seattlepi.com/fun/comic.asp?feature_id=Funky_Winkerbean&feature_date=2010-07-07)

Is Crazy Eddy still listening to frozen pizzas on his turntable? SOMETHING has to remain untouched and innocent.

Seriously, though, if it turns out he's dead, or the president of the local bank, just don't even bother answering.

That's Crazy Harry, not Crazy Eddy. He's a postman, and drops by regularly at the counter at Montoni's to chat and make a few wry observations.

He found a somewhat younger and very good-looking fellow comic-book freak several years ago. He married her, and there's every indication that they're quite happy together.

Sorry to put another chink in your theory, downers!

[Miller]

That's Crazy Harry, not Crazy Eddy. He's a postman, and drops by regularly at the counter at Montoni's to chat and make a few wry observations.

He found a somewhat younger and very good-looking fellow comic-book freak several years ago. He married her, and there's every indication that they're quite happy together.

Sorry to put another chink in your theory, downers!

Meh. It's only a matter of time until their airplane crashes into the Andes, and they have to decide which of them is going to be used as an alternative food source.

[SkeptiJess]

Don't know if this will make you feel better or worse, but Crazy Harry and his wife have a teenage daughter named Maddie. Maddie has wild red hair and wears her father's old hat. Maybe she plays pizzas on her turntable.

[DChord568]

DChord, it's just. too. damned. much. I'm sure you can point out a handful of recent strips that are only about Montoni tossing pizza dough and making jokes. But the majority, and I do mean over 75%, of FW strips in the last few years have only had to do with disease, loss or other negative things. It's great that the characters are usually able to find a bright side, and I'm well aware that people IRL are subject to cancer, underage pregnancy, amputation, deafness...but do you see what I'm saying here? This is not normal for a medium that's supposed to be funny.

Ah, now we come to the real issue.

Who says that any given newspaper comic strip is "supposed to be funny" 100 percent of the time? I can name any number of strip authors who, like me, must have missed that edict when it was handed down.

I mean, The Beatles were "supposed to" forever remain lovable moptops who only played bouncy love songs, too, right? Shame on them for instead, as time went on, writing some songs that reflected their own feelings, concerns and real-life experiences!

(And shame on that damned Bob Dylan for not remaining an acoustic guitar-strumming harmonica blower for his entire career.)

I support any artist's right to do whatever he or she wants to do with his or her art. Batiuk has no obligation to produce precisely the strip that YOU want to read. If the majority of his readers share the opinions expressed here, then I imagine the newspapers who carry his strip will dwindle.

I don't know if this has been the trend over the last few years or not...do you? Meanwhile, if you don't care to go along for the ride, then for cryin' out loud, stop reading the strip. That's YOUR right.





Put it another way. I'm aware that a town with a population of about 20,000 is going to have instances of disease, loss and so forth. But this laundry list of problems (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funky_Winkerbean#The_1992_relaunch) keeps happening to the same two dozen people in that community. Collectively, they seem to have a curse on them.

See paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of this post (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12656576&postcount=83).

There is probably a finite number of characters a strip's readers can keep in their collective consciousness. Funky's cast, if this page (http://funkywinkerbean.com/cast.html) is any indication, is larger than most (and at least a few characters are missing from this grid).

It makes sense that major plot lines will feature characters readers have already identified with via repeated appearances...as opposed to introducing still more new ones.

[digs]

Look, even though I think the strip is obsessively depressing, I don't want to talk anyone out of liking a comic strip.. If you find Funky fun, I would hate for you to suddenly say "Wow, everyone else is right. I shouldn't be enjoying myself reading this."

So I'll stop.

[Rilchiam]

Yeah, DChord, I figured you were going to fall back on that.

[DChord568]

Yeah, DChord, I figured you were going to fall back on that.

Wow, what a finally considered riposte!

Guess I better fold up my tent and go home...I can't deal with such incisive arguments.

[DChord568]

Look, even though I think the strip is obsessively depressing, I don't want to talk anyone out of liking a comic strip.. If you find Funky fun, I would hate for you to suddenly say "Wow, everyone else is right. I shouldn't be enjoying myself reading this."

Nor do I expect to win any converts to my point of view. I just find the supporting arguments for the unremittingly downer view of Funky Winkerbean to be somewhat weak.

What's not noted by those who linked to the "laundry list of problems" cited in Wikipedia is that, in the majority of cases, the characters to at least some extent triumphed over those problems and went on with their lives.

Is it all "blue skies and bunnies" for them? Not necessarily. But I consider the very recent strip in which Funky was tempted to fall of the wagon (after dealing with putting his dad in a nursing home) but ultimately walked out of the bar without touching the drink that was poured for him to fall into the "triumph" category. YMMV.

I suspect that many promulgating the downer view were very heavily influenced by the couple of sources of comics commentary cited in earlier posts. I detect a fair amount of climbing on the (supposedly) hip bandwagon here.

[kaylasdad99]

Well excuse some of us for wanting comics to be comical, and the funnies to be funny.

[Ferret Herder]

Is it all "blue skies and bunnies" for them? Not necessarily. But I consider the very recent strip in which Funky was tempted to fall of the wagon (after dealing with putting his dad in a nursing home) but ultimately walked out of the bar without touching the drink that was poured for him to fall into the "triumph" category. YMMV.
And immediately got into a car accident. ;)

I suspect that many promulgating the downer view were very heavily influenced by the couple of sources of comics commentary cited in earlier posts. I detect a fair amount of climbing on the (supposedly) hip bandwagon here.
I don't read Comics Curmudgeon; I've tried but dislike his narrow selection/concentration of strips.

I'm not a "comics must be laughs all the time!" type. I just think Batiuk isn't all that good at a serious strip; he ladles on the drah-ma with a shovel and buries his characters in misery, with the occasional bright spot that earns only a smirk. Garry Trudeau is much better at showing serious issues as well as a more realistic-seeming (and definitely not all happy-bunnies) look at VA hospital issues and the like.

[Rilchiam]

I'm guessing a coma like Tony Soprano's "Kevin Finnerty" experience.

You may have got it in one. (http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20100710&name=Funky_Winkerbean) Unless it's an OOB experience without the coma. (But then I have to wonder, how can he be thirsty or have his blood pressure rise if he's not corporeal?)

DChord, since I'm here, first of all I did stop reading the strip, two and a half years ago. This current storyline was brought to my attention by a meatspace friend, and since then I've learned enough about the strips I missed to be glad I stopped. Second, when Dylan went electric, he still made good music. Same with your Beatles example. This is more like the Beatles putting out an album on which every song was in the same style as Revolution 9. It's clunky, heavy-handed storytelling, and that's even when it's factually correct. For example, no high school* is going to put on "Wit" as their only stage production that year. Or stage it at all. If you're including me among those who have "weak supporting arguments," I wasn't trying to have an argument. I started out explaining that people are irritated by FW for many reasons, not just because Lisa had cancer. You may find that weak, but it doesn't change how people regard the strip.

*Okay, maybe a performing arts school. But not a suburban school like Westdale.

[DChord568]

You may have got it in one. (http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20100710&name=Funky_Winkerbean) Unless it's an OOB experience without the coma. (But then I have to wonder, how can he be thirsty or have his blood pressure rise if he's not corporeal?)

No doubt you're all disappointed to learn that Funky "is gonna be OK" according to the paramedics who found him...his flashback experience apparently a dream of some sort that is helping him come to grips with his current reality. It's looking like a positive resolution to me...sorry.


DChord, since I'm here, first of all I did stop reading the strip, two and a half years ago. This current storyline was brought to my attention by a meatspace friend, and since then I've learned enough about the strips I missed to be glad I stopped. Second, when Dylan went electric, he still made good music. Same with your Beatles example. This is more like the Beatles putting out an album on which every song was in the same style as Revolution 9.

No, my Beatles example was perfectly apt...a response to someone who said in so many words that newspaper comic strips aren't allowed to be anything but funny all the time. There was no discussion of quality involved. And of course, "good" is entirely subjective.


It's clunky, heavy-handed storytelling, and that's even when it's factually correct. For example, no high school* is going to put on "Wit" as their only stage production that year. Or stage it at all.

I've already explained (twice) how a strip has to compress a wide variety of experiences into a relatively small space...I'm not going to do it again. If you don't get this, there's nothing more I can do.


If you're including me among those who have "weak supporting arguments," I wasn't trying to have an argument. I started out explaining that people are irritated by FW for many reasons, not just because Lisa had cancer. You may find that weak, but it doesn't change how people regard the strip.

I imagine "people" have widely varying reactions to the strip. As noted earlier, if vast numbers of "people" were regarding it with the negativity on display here, the strip would be dropped like hotcakes from newspapers across the country. I don't see any indication that this is happening.

My point remains: Batiuk has the right to do whatever he sees fit with his strip...just as an artist in any other medium has. There will always be critics...and there will always be healthy debate among them as to how valid their criticisms are.

And there will always be "people" who don't care to follow an artist where he or she wants to go. No harm, no foul...but no harm or foul in talking about it, either.

[Peter Morris]

I don't read this strip usually. But I've just had a look through the last few days and noticed this strip. (http://www.seattlepi.com/fun/comic.asp?feature_id=Funky_Winkerbean&feature_date=2010-06-12) What's the betting that the old geezer turns out to be himself?


Hah, I knew it. (http://content.comicskingdom.net/Funky_Winkerbean/Funky_Winkerbean.20100716_large.gif)

[jayjay]

Hah, I knew it. (http://content.comicskingdom.net/Funky_Winkerbean/Funky_Winkerbean.20100716_large.gif)

Well, yeah, and congratulations and all, but that this was going to become "I'm My Own Geezer" was pretty well telegraphed about the time coma-hallucination-Funky wobbled his way out of the wreck.

[Ferret Herder]

Well, yeah, and congratulations and all, but that this was going to become "I'm My Own Geezer" was pretty well telegraphed about the time coma-hallucination-Funky wobbled his way out of the wreck.
The question is, did his younger self actually buy the comic book this time? Those two kind of scoffed at his recommendation.

[carnivorousplant]

The question is, did his younger self actually buy the comic book this time? Those two kind of scoffed at his recommendation.

What was the comic he sold to keep the pizza joint running?

[Ferret Herder]

What was the comic he sold to keep the pizza joint running?
Did we get a resolution on that? My vague recollection of the timeline is that he pulled out the comic - which his buddy proceeded to ruin the condition of by reading it with his bare hands, not that Funky had kept it properly bagged and boarded for storage or anything - went to a bar, resisted drinking, then got in the accident. My thought is that perhaps he didn't act quite right and ruined the timeline somehow. (If he's lucky, maybe his younger self bought and kept safe something more profitable.)

[Bridget Burke]

....My point remains: Batiuk has the right to do whatever he sees fit with his strip...just as an artist in any other medium has. There will always be critics...and there will always be healthy debate among them as to how valid their criticisms are.

And there will always be "people" who don't care to follow an artist where he or she wants to go. No harm, no foul...but no harm or foul in talking about it, either.

I'm one of the many who stopped reading Funky a few years ago. Batiuk beat cancer! Then he made Lisa's cancer recur, have her doctor screw up, and let her die after (briefly) meeting the child she gave up. Who had not been treated well by his adoptive family. Rather than see how Les dealt with the loss, he skipped ahead--to show all the characters looking much older than their ages.

I was blissfully unaware of the latest developments until this thread. Concerning Wally: Doesn't Batiuk know that, with DNA testing, there are no more "unknown soldiers"? (I'll join the chorus recommending he leave the vet stuff to Doonesbury.) He seems to go out of his way to torture his characters. If that's where his mind is, he's certainly free to express himself. I've mostly stopped buying newspapers--but his strip will get no clicks from me at the Houston Chronicle site.

But I will start checking up on Comics Curmudgeon again. That's what smart "people" do--even though we're past the glory days of the Settlepocalypse (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ForBetterOrForWorse).

[MOIDALIZE]

Funky Winkerbean...Serious Fucking Business

[DChord568]

I'm one of the many who stopped reading Funky a few years ago. Batiuk beat cancer! Then he made Lisa's cancer recur, have her doctor screw up, and let her die after (briefly) meeting the child she gave up. Who had not been treated well by his adoptive family. Rather than see how Les dealt with the loss, he skipped ahead--to show all the characters looking much older than their ages.

I was blissfully unaware of the latest developments until this thread. Concerning Wally: Doesn't Batiuk know that, with DNA testing, there are no more "unknown soldiers"? (I'll join the chorus recommending he leave the vet stuff to Doonesbury.) He seems to go out of his way to torture his characters. If that's where his mind is, he's certainly free to express himself. I've mostly stopped buying newspapers--but his strip will get no clicks from me at the Houston Chronicle site.

But I will start checking up on Comics Curmudgeon again. That's what smart "people" do--even though we're past the glory days of the Settlepocalypse (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ForBetterOrForWorse).

Funny, I always thought I was "smart" enough to figure out whether I enjoyed a comic strip on my own, without someone else telling me whether I should like it or not.

Sorry for being so out of step with everyone on this new paradigm.

[Tom Tildrum]

No doubt you're all disappointed to learn that Funky "is gonna be OK" according to the paramedics who found him....

Well, today (http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20100719&name=Funky_Winkerbean) he's been handed a penis pump by a nurse who tells him he has to use it twice a day. That seems awfully depressing to me.

[Ferret Herder]

Well, today (http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20100719&name=Funky_Winkerbean) he's been handed a penis pump by a nurse who tells him he has to use it twice a day. That seems awfully depressing to me.
Must be pretty bad - the strip for the 20th has him grouching at his friend for asking how he's doing. I think Funky is morphing into Crankshaft; he even looks it in this strip.

The comic strip Sally Forth has its days of gloom, so you know it's bad when that strip's creator takes a potshot (http://shortpacked.com/comic/book-11/06-sister-tact/funkysadsad/) at Funky.

[carnivorousplant]

Well, today (http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20100719&name=Funky_Winkerbean) he's been handed a penis pump by a nurse who tells him he has to use it twice a day.

A lung capacity device.

[DChord568]

Must be pretty bad - the strip for the 20th has him grouching at his friend for asking how he's doing. I think Funky is morphing into Crankshaft; he even looks it in this strip.

You guys crack me up.

I realize it's more than one person saying these things, but there's been a fairly consistent collective point of view as to what's wrong with this strip.

On the one hand, it's pilloried for not being more "realistic" (no high school drama department would put on only that one play...no one person or group of persons could have that many bad things happen to them, etc., etc.).

And on the other hand, when a character who's physically hurting after being seriously banged up in an accident fails to make a saintly, grateful response when a friend asks, somewhat lamely, "How are you doing?" (when it's clear he's not doing very well) -- then that's wrong, too...perhaps a little too "real," eh?

[Ferret Herder]

I realize it's more than one person saying these things, but there's been a fairly consistent collective point of view as to what's wrong with this strip.
Eh, I bitch at all the doom - at least that part is funny. ;) It's like reading Dilbert, but transplanted into a small town. It's just weird to see "that band strip" after it's morphed into one of the other soap strips like Brenda Starr. Except I think the latter doesn't take itself as seriously.

[Rilchiam]

The comic strip Sally Forth has its days of gloom, so you know it's bad when that strip's creator takes a potshot (http://shortpacked.com/comic/book-11/06-sister-tact/funkysadsad/) at Funky.

What does David Willis have to do with Sally Forth? What you linked to is Shortpacked. (Which has also taken aim at For Better or For Worse.)

[jayjay]

What does David Willis have to do with Sally Forth? What you linked to is Shortpacked. (Which has also taken aim at For Better or For Worse.)

Ces probably HAS commented on the Funkiness at one point or another (although more likely in Medium Large than Sally Forth), but yeah...that was Shortpacked that was linked. And it's not the only time Willis has taken shots at Batiuk. There's a strip called Funky Cancercancer that I don't have time to look for right now but will in about 15 minutes unless someone else gets to it first.

[Kamino Neko]

What you linked to is Shortpacked. (Which has also taken aim at For Better or For Worse.)

This isn't even Walky's funniest Winkerbean shot. This is. (http://shortpacked.com/comic/book-5/01-a-talking-car-joins-the-cast/cancer/)

Cancer incest?

[Ferret Herder]

Ces probably HAS commented on the Funkiness at one point or another (although more likely in Medium Large than Sally Forth), but yeah...that was Shortpacked that was linked. And it's not the only time Willis has taken shots at Batiuk. There's a strip called Funky Cancercancer that I don't have time to look for right now but will in about 15 minutes unless someone else gets to it first.

:smack: My mistake. I was thinking about Ces' strip, correct.

[Kamino Neko]

There's a strip called Funky Cancercancer that I don't have time to look for right now but will in about 15 minutes unless someone else gets to it first.

It's actually easy, now that he's got tagging - there's only 3 strips in the Funky Cancercancer tag (Funky Cancercancer, Funky Creepycreepy, and Robin's crack). The character tags, and certain theme tags are obviously way more common, and would take longer to find a particular strip, of course.

[Kamino Neko]

And here's the most recent Medium Large shot at Funky, just to actually get Ces in here. (http://mediumlarge.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/friday-june-25-2010/)

[jayjay]

It's actually easy, now that he's got tagging - there's only 3 strips in the Funky Cancercancer tag (Funky Cancercancer, Funky Creepycreepy, and Robin's crack). The character tags, and certain theme tags are obviously way more common, and would take longer to find a particular strip, of course.

Yeah, but I was about 30 seconds from my break relief coming in at that point so I really literally didn't have time to go look. :) That's exactly the one I was talking about, though.

[Tom Tildrum]

You guys crack me up.

I realize it's more than one person saying these things, but there's been a fairly consistent collective point of view as to what's wrong with this strip.

On the one hand, it's pilloried for not being more "realistic" (no high school drama department would put on only that one play...no one person or group of persons could have that many bad things happen to them, etc., etc.).

And on the other hand, when a character who's physically hurting after being seriously banged up in an accident fails to make a saintly, grateful response when a friend asks, somewhat lamely, "How are you doing?" (when it's clear he's not doing very well) -- then that's wrong, too...perhaps a little too "real," eh?

You have to focus on the gestalt: After closing his NY restaurant and scraping up cash to save the failing comic book place back in Westview, Funky moves his father into a nursing home, stops at a bar to contemplate his alcoholism, gets run into a ditch by a distracted driver, drifts into a reverie of a happier time during which he reflects on his prostate problems and Elvis' death, and wakes up battered and in pain.

All of this followed Les letting his romantic relationship wither because he's spending too much time being fawned over by the woman who attempted suicide back in high school because she couldn't have him.

Note too that Funky drives a PT Cruiser, which is itself a little Funky metaphor: Started out with such promise and somewhere along the line turned into the most depressing model on the road.

[The Hamster King]

On the one hand, it's pilloried for not being more "realistic" ... .No, it's pilloried for being such a relentless downer that the tragedy has become ridiculous.

Back when Batuik did his storyline on Lisa's cancer, that was touching and brave. But over the last few years he seems to be putting his characters through the wringer at every opportunity. And they all respond to their troubles with the same sad, weary resignation. There's not any joy in the strip anymore, no moments of carefree happiness or enthusiasm or triumph. Everything is tainted and ruined and everyone is just marking time until death.

It's maudlin (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maudlin). Which makes it ripe for ridicule.

[Krokodil]

I just remembered an old PJ O'Rourke quote that kind of sums up everything I hate/disrespect about Funky Winkerbean's shift into melodrama:

"Anybody can get a rise out of a roomful of people by saying 'I have cancer.' But how many people can do five minutes of good stand-up comedy?"

[Tom Tildrum]

"Anybody can get a rise out of a roomful of people by saying 'I have cancer.' But how many people can do five minutes of good stand-up comedy?"

"Crazy times, ladies and gentlemen, crazy times. So I go in to the doctor last month and he tells me, 'you have cancer.' And you know what I don't get?"

"BETTER!"

"Thank you folks, you've been great. Look for me at Comedyfest this fall -- if I'm still alive."