BKITU: It's one thing to have a dramatic story arc from time to time if you think a point has to be made. It's another thing entirely to have your characters know nothing but sorrow and pain for decades on end

But that's the funny part!

katerbug72: Wow, I had no idea it had changed so much. This is how I remember Funky Winkerbean.

Back in the mid-90s, Batiuk aged all the characters so that they were now set in their careers. Shortly thereafter it turned into Funky Cancercancer. Batiuk decided that since the characters weren't in high school any more, they should deal with life's problems.

All of life's problems.

All at once.

All the time.

Then, a few years ago, he did it again, advancing them into middle age. And Funky is an alcoholic. And Les is a perpetually-grieving widower. And so on, and so on, and so on.

It's one thing to have a dramatic story arc from time to time if you think a point has to be made. It's another thing entirely to have your characters know nothing but sorrow and pain for decades on end. Batiuk seems to have forgotten that, sometimes, personal tragedies actually turn out OK.

Don't worry. They'll probably get hit by a bus. Or one of them will wind up getting mugged. That comic strip can't spend more than a week without something depressing happening.

While the Medina, Ohio, native make his viewpoint clear, he does show both sides of the argument. "I didn't want to demonize anybody

Ah, the NPR/CNN method of "balance". It's unfair to the side that's ethically and factually incorrect to to call them on it.

And the Christian Taliban will be outraged in 3...2...1....