Tom Batiuk

Tom Batiuk was a junior high school art teacher in Elyria, Ohio, when he created a comic panel aimed at teens for the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. That panel was the precursor to what became Batiuk's award-winning comic strip Funky Winkerbean. Since its debut on March 27, 1972, Funky Winkerbean has chronicled the lives of a group of students from the fictitious Westview High School. This volume, which presents the strip's first three years, introduces the strip's title character, Funky, and his friends Crazy Harry Klinghorn, Bull Bushka, Livinia Swenson, Les Moore, Holly Budd, and Roland Mathews. Principal Burch, counselor Fred Fairgood, and band director Harry L. Dinkle also make their first appearances. Funky fans will relive Les's misadventures in gym class and his unintentional attendance at the homecoming dance as he remains stuck on a climbing rope high above the gymnasium floor. They will remember Crazy Harry's ability to play pizzas like records and his air guitar virtuosity, and majorette Holly who never removed her uniform. They will recall the school's winless football team, and Harry Dinkle's attempts to win the Battle of the Bands despite the contest always coinciding with a natural disaster. Volume 1 contains a charming autobiographical introduction by Tom Batiuk that shares his early attempts at cartooning, discusses his teaching career, and explains the genesis of Funky. Subsequent volumes will each contain three years of Funky comic strips and will be published annually. Batiuk has been recognized for his humorous and entertaining portrayals of the students and staff at Westview and acclaimed for his sensitive treatment of social and educational issues.

"Crankshaft has touched on a raft of senior concerns with humor and often poignancy, including illness, mortality, making out a will, literacy, physical deterioration, vulnerability, security, and, recently, muggings and Alzheimer's disease." -The Telegraph, Alton, Illinois Cranky Ed Crankshaft is at it again, gunning his school bus so he can outdistance the little Johnson girl, backing over the Keestermans' mailbox, and holding up a record-breaking line of cars. It's just another day for the sixty-something curmudgeon who's earned a soft spot in the hearts of millions of readers. Originally spun off from the popular Funky Winkerbean strip, Crankshaft is an enormously popular character in his own right. Writer Tom Batiuk and artist Chuck Ayers combine their talent and insights into a strip that deals with aging in a heartfelt and funny way. "After sixty, it's just patch, patch, patch," says Crankshaft as he waits at the doctor's office. In this Crankshaft book, I've Still Got It!, readers can follow their beloved grandfather figure as he struggles with new challenges, from a friend with Alzheimer's disease to another friend who's been mugged. Along the way, Crankshaft continues his quest to finally read all the Popular Mechanics magazines daughter Pam has given him over the years. Although readers love Crankshaft because the strip makes them laugh, they also cherish the panel's honesty about issues faced by people of all ages, from literacy to illness to crime. They also appreciate the real feelings that linger just below the surface between Crankshaft and his housemates-daughter Pam, son-in-law Jeff, and their kids Max and Mindy, his stray cat, Pickles, and his girlfriend, Grace.

The school bus driver everyone loves to hate is back with another collection of his crotchety antics. Ed Crankshaft, the man who enjoys nothing more than parking in the middle of a puddle or making kids lose their lunchboxes, is more obnoxious than ever in this new set. But he isn't all bad-underneath his crusty exterior lies a fun-loving romantic. And Crankshaft is gaining new converts even as he ages. Tom Batiuk (creator of Funky Winkerbean) and Chuck Ayers continue the saga of one of the most distinctive characters in the world of comic strips in ... And One Slice With Anchovies, a timely collection that includes Crankshaft's award-winning series on illiteracy.

The slice-of-life comic strip tackles real-world issues as its conclusion looms In this penultimate volume of The Complete Funky Winkerbean, creator Tom Batiuk gives unique insight into his creative process and explains why he made the difficult decision to end the strip after 50 years. But even with the strip’s conclusion in sight, Batiuk still takes risks, including introducing dramatic new storylines. Volume 16 covers the birth of Atomik Komix, a small comic book publishing company. Band leader Harry L. Dinkle and the Bedside Manorisms visit Memphis to cut some sides at Sun Studios. One of the most compelling character arcs is Bull Bushka’s. In high school, he had been the star football player—but he was also a bully. Years later, he apologized for his behavior and made amends. Despite this transformation, in this volume, Bull remains troubled, is diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and subsequently dies by disease-related suicide. As always, Funky is shaped by current events—this time the national conversations about sports injuries, athletes’ well-being, and concussion protocol. In his foreword, John Morrow writes, “The strip is touching, even melancholy at times . . . I think it’s a misnomer to call Funky Winkerbean a ‘comic strip’; it may’ve started out that way, but now it’s more a ‘cartoon epic drama,’ and totally deserving of all its critical praise.” As the conclusion to Funky Winkerbean draws closer, readers are reminded of why the strip has such a devoted following—why its stories and characters continue to resonate with readers of all ages.

Funky reminds us of the real challenges of being humanFunky Winkerbean, a newspaper staple since 1972, is one of the few comic strips that allows its characters to grow and age. As time passes and characters evolve, new and loyal readers alike are reminded that not only does Funky have a future, but the strip has a rich past. What remains a constant is Batiuk's signature narrative-driven humor. This tenth volume, spanning from 1999 through 2001, embraces the strip's past while casting an eye to a bright future.

He blusters and grumbles. He rants and raves. He tries to outgun the school kids chasing after the bus on his route. But in his heart, Ed Crankshaft has a decent streak a mile wide. Patiently explaining death to his grandson Max. Comforting his friend Ralph as Ralph's wife descends into Alzheimer's. Thrusting flowers and candy at his son-in-law on a nearly forgotten wedding anniversary. The star of the hit comic strip Crankshaft is a gentle soul stuck in a cantankerous mood. With a supporting cast that includes Ed's two daughters, Chris and Pam; Pam's husband, Jeff; and their kids, Max and Mindy, Crankshaft appeals to families everywhere who steadfastly deal with intergenerational cares and conflicts. As one critic said: ""Crankshaft is a witty, thoughtful commentary on the trials and tribulations of today's senior citizens."" But, of course, Crankshaft is so much more. The strip's approach to Alzheimer's generated countless letters and e-mails, as did Crankshaft's near-death illness. Hilarious and clever, honest and moving, Crankshaft both keeps readers laughing at the curmudgeon's pranks and pondering life's real meaning in this collection, Your Favorite... Crab Cakes It's a balancing act that's rarely attempted in the comics-and with Crankshaft, it works admirably.