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Artists challenge limits and rules
North Canton native lands leading sci-fi role
See 'Equalizer' in earlier life
Catch 'Road Trip' along Route 66
Modern-day father has warts and all
'Friends for Life' provides insight into war families
Read the book before the movie's out
Most Read Stories
Fourth of July Events; fireworks, neighborhood parades
Five years after attack, woman finds her way
Promises look promising for Browns
Ex-NFL quarterback McNair killed in Tennessee
DiLullo's closes doors after 63 years
Akron police arrest murder suspect within an hour
How recruiters sell life in Ohio
Blogs:
Pets:
Summit teams up with Rescue Waggin' to save dogs
The Heldenfiles:
Songs for an American Day
Patrick McManamon:
Touching on the Browns, Cavs
Akron Zips:
Opponent outlook: Northern Illinois
Browns Bulletin:
Single-game ticket sales begin July 11
Tribe Matters:
Laffey making it tough on self
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth test showed marijuana
Kent State Sports:
Men's Basketball Scheduling update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Updated: Free Agency: Another Gone - Apparently
All Da King's Men:
The Obligatory Palin Post
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Wow….Sarah Palin Resigns Governorship
Akron Law Café:
Abraham Lincoln and the Fourth of July
Varsity Letters:
Highland senior receives honor
See Jane Style:
Picnic Wear
Car Chase:
Where do We Go from Here?
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Happy 4th of July!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Linda asks-where is the Ohio Chautauqua?
Sound Check:
Rundgren fans rejoice!: Second night of AWATS at The Civic added
HRLite House:
Morscruethal Behaviors or Just Lip Service?
Akron Gamer:
Hot link: Best of Nintendo at E3
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Wednesday, Oct 08, 2008
Batiuk's Back. Cartoonist Tom Batiuk, the man behind Funky Winkerbean, will speak at the main Akron-Summit County Public Library main auditorium at 7 tonight. Admission is free.
The event helps mark National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Funky readers will recall that the character Lisa Moore died in the strip a year ago. Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe, a book collection of the cancer chronicle, will be available for purchase and signing by Batiuk.
While some comic-strip readers were unhappy with Lisa's dying — since they believed the ''funny papers'' should stay funny — Medina resident Batiuk said that the reaction overall was ''incredibly positive.'' He received more than 4,000 e-mails about the story.
Readers also accepted a leap ahead in time that Funky made after Lisa's death, bringing many of the characters into adulthood — and closer to Batiuk's own perspective.
Well, accepted most of it. With a laugh, Batiuk said there had been complaints that Funky is now ''a little too fat.''
But he has found the change invigorating. ''I've put my nose closer to the grindstone again,'' he said. He hinted at still more surprises in coming strips, including — he deliberately vaguely said — the return of a character people keep asking about.
And the stimulation helped him through a personal crisis.
•
A Shocking Accident. In March, Batiuk was driving back from a tennis game when another car hit his head-on. He ended up with broken ribs and whiplash to his neck and shoulders.
''I was flat on my back for two months,'' he said. He had to postpone a series of public appearances tied to the Lisa's Story book. But he didn't stop working.
''I kept writing right through the whole thing,'' he said, so the strip would not fall behind schedule. ''The toughest part was typing (the stories) out on my laptop.'' Since he wasn't up to drawing, Chuck Ayers, who does the Crankshaft strip with Batiuk, pitched in.
Now, Batiuk said, he is almost entirely back on his game, and sounding optimistic. But given the way his life has inspired his comic strips, will there be an auto-accident story in Funky sometime soon? ''Given the way I write, that's possible,'' he said. ''But nothing right now.''
But he laughed briefly at the idea. If it does happen, he said, ''I've got some great reference photos!''
•
More Newman. The tributes to Northeast Ohio's Paul Newman continue. AMC will air The Sting at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Monday, with ''limited breaks.'' Get the DVD and avoid any breaks.
My Sunday column about Newman movies worth re-seeing on DVD (which you can still find online at Ohio.com) inspired one reader to suggest an addition to the list.
Mark Schweitzer of Akron is a fan of The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, the 1972 movie directed by John Huston. ''Newman is hilarious,'' he wrote. ''And though it has its flaws, it's a very original and unique Western.''
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://www.ohio.com. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Batiuk's Back. Cartoonist Tom Batiuk, the man behind Funky Winkerbean, will speak at the main Akron-Summit County Public Library main auditorium at 7 tonight. Admission is free.
Get the full article here.
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