Comics I Don’t Understand

Archive for the 'Funky Winkerbean' Category

Happiness is a Warm Pizza

Cidu Bill on Jan 14th 2010

Because… nobody’s ever died or been crippled actually in the restaurant?

Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 16 responses so far

Because… it’s Christmas Eve???

Cidu Bill on Dec 24th 2009

Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 14 responses so far

LOL-November 16

Cidu Bill on Nov 16th 2009

Filed in Abstruse Goose, Arlo and Janis, Bill Bickel, Dave Blazek, Diet Coke, Francesco Marciuliano, Funky Winkerbean, Jimmy Johnson, Loose Parts, Mark Parisi, Medium Large, Mentos, Off the Mark, Robert Frost, Star Trek, comic strips, comics, comics that made us laugh out loud, humor, lol | 36 responses so far

Rasheed: Completely coincidental, of course, with 6-8 weeks of lead time, but in light of the Fort Hood tragedy, I think they coulda/shoulda pulled this strip. But I’m a biased Texan who has also happened to have worked there.

Several people made the same comment about this week’s Depressed Wally and His Gun storyline in Funky Winkerbean.

Filed in Bill Bickel, Fort Hood, Funky Winkerbean, Quigmans, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 21 responses so far

The Wet Vet

Cidu Bill on Nov 10th 2009

S.P. Charles: “As of November 10, it appears as if Tom Batiuk plans to ignore the fact that Westview’s highest-profile veteran is home for his very first Veteran’s Day.”

Filed in Bill Bickel, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, Veteran's Day, comic strips, comics, humor | 29 responses so far

The Next Two Panels

Cidu Bill on Nov 6th 2009

“I meant after you graduate high school, Owen.”

“So did I.”

Filed in Bill Bickel, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 16 responses so far

What is Brooke McEldowney’s Issue Here???

Cidu Bill on Oct 21st 2009

I mean, at least when Tom Batiuk called his readers ignorant poopyheads

he went through the pretense of incorporating it into a storyline and writing a “punchline.” And, you know, most readers knew what the hell he was referring to. This is just… bizarre. And not in a good way.

Update: I’ve had to delete a number of posts disrepectful of Mr. McEldowney’s work, critical of his gay and sexual themes, and complaining that he over-uses Thorax. Okay, I agree about Thorax, but that’s not the point here. I like 9 Chickweed Lane, and I appreciate the man’s talents. My only issue here is that I’ve never seen a cartoonist call his readers imbeciles before, even in the face of much more overt criticism (granted Johnny Hart was convinced his critics were going to Hell; but then, he apparently believed everybody but himself was going to Hell), and I’m curious to know what set him off and what was going through his mind when he thought this was a good idea.

Filed in 9 Chickweed Lane, Bill Bickel, Brooke McEldowney, CIDU, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 62 responses so far

That’s a Wrap

Cidu Bill on Sep 24th 2009

Tomorrow in Funky Winkerbean: Rana is found dead, suffocated behind the “Pie a Cheerleader” booth

Filed in Bill Bickel, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 18 responses so far

Okay, I’m Being Dead Serious Here…

Cidu Bill on Aug 10th 2009

In the ongoing travesty that is the Funky Winkerbean strip, the Army somehow decided that the unidentifiable remains of a dead soldier were Wally’s. Imagine his surprise when he comes home.

Let’s not even discuss how such a mix-up is possible. What I’m wondering about is the logistics of this sort of thing: When Wally actually does pass from this mortal coil (which could very well be next week), will be be buried in the same grave where Faux Wally is right now? Can a plot be re-used? Or if this is a military cemetery, will the government just pull out the headstone and replace it with “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier”?

Just for the record, the military specifically announced a few years back that in future wars, there would be no Unknown Soldiers, since DNA records would make it impossible to ever again have an unidentified body.

Filed in Bill Bickel, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 19 responses so far

S. P. Charles: ”Worst Come-On Line EVER”

Cidu Bill on Jul 22nd 2009

Filed in Bill Bickel, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 12 responses so far

Singing in the Dead of Night

Cidu Bill on Jun 25th 2009

S.P. Charles: She’ll what the what now?

Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 22 responses so far

Working’ on a Chain Gang…

Cidu Bill on Jun 3rd 2009

S. P. Charles: Yeah, I also turn into a sniveling coward whenever I want to tell my kid to do some work. [/SARCASM MODE]

And the follow-up strip is a CIDU for me:

Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 12 responses so far

Key Question

Cidu Bill on May 23rd 2009

S.P. Charles: Bill, I’m not trying to draw you back into the Funkyverse… but I was hoping somebody could explain to me why Summer thinks it’s a bad thing that her father’s lifelong friend knows where he hides his spare house key.

Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 19 responses so far

Batiuk’s School for Gifted Youngsters

Cidu Bill on May 21st 2009

Okay, I know I swore off Funky Winkerbean — but several people asked me about this one and since I can’t explain it, I’m posting it.

Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 20 responses so far

Stuck Funky Update

Cidu Bill on May 15th 2009

Although I swore off the Funky Winkerbean strip a couple of months ago, and explained why right here, people have been asking me what’s become of Stuck Funky, the Funkyverse mockery site.

So I found out: Seems the webmaster has been overworked and is in need of some downtime, and will return to active duty soon. The site has not been abandoned.

Discussions of current FW strips continue on the site even without his participation.

Filed in Bill Bickel, Funky Winkerbean, Stuck Funky, comic strips, comics, humor | 7 responses so far

My Final Funky

Cidu Bill on Mar 26th 2009

Okay, I’m done. Tom Batiuk has clearly made a fetish out of tragedy and death, and this depressionfest has become no more than a vehicle for him to work out his issues.

I don’t really believe he’ll kill off Funky — after all, I can think of only one cartoonist who ever ended his “humor” strip by killing off the title character — but whatever happens next, it happens without me: It’s off my reading list and will no longer be discussed on this site. As far as I’m concerned, the Funky Winkerbean strip ended in 1992.

For anybody who hasn’t seen it, I direct you to David Willis’s classic 2007 panel.

Filed in Bill Bickel, David Willis, Funky Winkerbean, Shortpacked, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics | 40 responses so far

March 21, 2009: The Day Funky Winkerbean Rendered Me Compleetly Speechless

Cidu Bill on Mar 21st 2009

I mean seriously… “WTF” is just so pitifully inadequate here…

Filed in Bill Bickel, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics | 25 responses so far

Good Luck

Cidu Bill on Mar 10th 2009

“Good luck finding somebody who knows what ‘diurnal’ means”??

Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 16 responses so far

FunkEx

Cidu Bill on Nov 14th 2008

I have to think this was a blown punchline, because Express Mail is in fact a service provided by the Post Office. What Batiuk probably meant for Funky to say was “I’ll FedEx it to you.”

And perhaps in the eventual paperback collection, he will.

Filed in Bill Bickel, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 7 responses so far

Got…?

Cidu Bill on Oct 29th 2008

In the Funkyverse nobody drinks milk in high school? Because in the real world, especially with most schools banning a lot of sugary drinks, milk might not be the most popular drink, but it wouldn’t elicit this sort of reaction.

Or is Summer making the opposite point, that she’s incredulous that milk had been invented as long ago as Les’s high school days?

Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Funky Winkerbean, comic strips, comics, humor, milk, schools | 21 responses so far

Betty Beatified

Cidu Bill on Sep 7th 2008

Here’s a thought: How about you do what any normal school secretary does, for which very few people are actually canonized? Why is the principal explaining her job to her, and why is she acting as if doing it is some big deal?

Filed in Bill Bickel, CIDU, Funky Winkerbean, Tom Batiuk, comic strips, comics, humor | 6 responses so far

Okay

Cidu Bill on Aug 28th 2008

Did I miss a panel here? I didn’t see anybody particularly saying Grandpa Jim was going to be okay, yet I really don’t get the sense that Elly was lying. And geez, the entire strip essentially ends in a couple of days. Would it have cost Lynn Johnston, you know, money or anything to let the guy regain some semblance of health before then? I mean what is this, Funky Winkerbean?

Filed in Bill Bickel, For Better or For Worse, Funky Winkerbean, Lynn Johnston, comic strips, comics, humor | 20 responses so far

My Own Comics List

Cidu Bill on Aug 14th 2008

since i was asked…

Comics I Like So Much, I Would Actually Buy a Newspaper If I Had To

Arlo and Janis (along with Arlo and Janis Redux on Jimmy Johnson’s blog)
Frazz
Heart of the City
Kevin and Kell
Joyce and Walky (requires a $2/month payment; you receive a special URL once you pay)
*Least I Could Do
Out There
Punch an’ Pie (I’d still love to know what the strip’s name means)
Questionable Content
Shortpacked
Something Positive
Zits

Comics I Read Every Day and If I’m Out of Town For a Few Days I’ll Make Sure I Hit the Archives to Make Sure I Haven’t Missed Any Continue Reading »

Filed in 9 Chickweed Lane, Argyle Sweater, Arlo Page, Arlo and Janis, Baldo, Between Friends, Bill Amend, Bill Bickel, Bizarro, Brevity, Brooke McEldowney, Clear Blue Water, Cleats, Crankshaft, Curtis, Dave Whamond, David Willis, Days of Thunder, Dilbert, Doonesbury, Edge City, F-Minus, For Better or For Worse, Fox Trot, Frazz, Funky Winkerbean, G.B. Trudeau, GPF, Garfield, General Protection Fault, Grimm, Guy & Rodd, Hagar the Horrible, Heart of the City, Hilary B. Price, In the Bleachers, Jef Mallet, Jerry Scott, Jim Davis, Jim Meddick, Jimmy Johnson, Jump Start, Kevin and Kell, Least I Could Do, Leigh Rubin, Lio, Luann, Lynn Johnston, Mark Tatulli, Meaning of Lila, Medium Large, Mike Peters, Monty, Mother Goose, Non Sequitur, PVP Online, Pardon My Planet, Punch an' Pie, Questionable Content, Retail, Rhymes With Orange, Rose is Rose, Rubes, Safe Havens, Sally Forth, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, Scott Adams, Scott Hilburn, Shortpacked, Six Chix, Soap on a Rope, Something Positive, Speed Bump, Stange Brew, Stone Soup, Strange Brew, Stuck Funky, Tom Batiuk, Zits, comic strips, comics, comics that made us laugh out loud, humor, lists | 15 responses so far