# Funky Winkerbean spoiler question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 28, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841 "2010-06-28T21:04:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 5
### Author:  [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/81 "2010-07-07T04:01:17Z")
> [@DChord568](#):
>
> 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.
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### Author:  [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/82 "2010-07-07T05:01:20Z")
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> 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.
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### Author:  [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/83 "2010-07-07T05:14:51Z")
> [@digs](#):
>
> 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?
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/84 "2010-07-07T11:18:53Z")
> [@DChord568](#):
>
> 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.
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### Author:  [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/85 "2010-07-07T13:04:19Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/86 "2010-07-07T17:02:47Z")
**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.
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/87 "2010-07-07T17:29:58Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/88 "2010-07-07T17:30:57Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#):
>
> This is not normal for a medium that’s supposed to be funny.
Or, at least, enjoyable and entertaining to read and follow.
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/89 "2010-07-07T17:41:29Z")
> [@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?
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.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/90 "2010-07-07T18:36:09Z")
[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.
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### Author:  [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/91 "2010-07-07T19:12:05Z")
> [@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.
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!
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/92 "2010-07-07T19:31:54Z")
> [@DChord568](#):
>
> 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.
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### Author:  [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/93 "2010-07-07T19:46:55Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/94 "2010-07-07T19:52:50Z")
> [@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.
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.
> [@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.
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.
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### Author:  [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)
#### Post date: [July 7, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/95 "2010-07-07T21:47:08Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/96 "2010-07-08T00:59:39Z")
Yeah, **DChord** , I figured you were going to fall back on that.
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### Author:  [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2010, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/97 "2010-07-08T05:07:40Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#):
>
> 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.
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### Author:  [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/98 "2010-07-08T05:19:06Z")
> [@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.”
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.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/99 "2010-07-09T02:30:35Z")
Well excuse some of us for wanting comics to be comical, and the funnies to be funny.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/funky-winkerbean-spoiler-question/544841/100 "2010-07-09T02:33:30Z")
> [@DChord568](#):
>
> 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.
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