Works by
Tom Batiuk
(Cartoonist)
[1947 - ]

Comic Strips

Crankshaft

• Crankshaft (1992) by Chuck Ayers and Tom Batiuk

• And One Slice With Anchovies! A Crankshaft Collection (1993)

• I've Still Got It! A Crankshaft Collection (1995) by Chuck Ayers and Tom Batiuk

• Safe Return Home: Crankshaft Inspirational Book For Caregivers of Alzheimer's (1998) by Chuck Ayers and Tom Batiuk
  Crankshaft's creators generated a surprising amount of attention when they introduced two characters into their cartoon strip who suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Safe Return Home is a special collection featuring both of these touching Alzheimer's story lines. With actual letters from fans interspersed throughout, it is an elegantly executed book that uses humor to deal with a serious subject in a dignified and touching way.

• Your Favorite...Crab Cakes! A Crankshaft Collection (2002) by Chuck Ayers and Tom Batiuk
  He blusters and grumbles. He rants and raves. He tries to outgun the schoolkids 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.Since 1987, Ed Crankshaft has entertained millions in this strip, which now appears in more than 300 daily and Sunday newspapers. 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. It's a balancing act that's rarely attempted in the comics-and with Crankshaft, it works admirably.

Funky Winkerbean

• Funky Winkerbean (1973)

• Play it again, Funky! (1975)

• Closed Out! (1977)
  Funky Winkerbean and company are back! From the world's greatest band director, to a computer that plays Star Trek! And they're all wainting to tickle your funkybone!

• Funky Winkerbean Yearbook #3 (1980)
  Illustrated cartoons from the newspaper comic strips - "Welcome to Westview High, where students and faculty meet to pursue the holy grail of education .. Yes, good old Westview High, where mary Sue Sweetwater cheers the home team till her throat gets hoarse. Where Crazy Harry has made a charming home .. in his locker. Where Les can climb up the rope in gym class .. but how do you get down? And where there's this funny kid with a name that sounds like .. no, it couldn't be .. well, a name that sounds like, Funky Winkerbean?".

• Could Be a Book Deal Here (1984)

• Football Fields Are For Band Practice!! (1986)

• Life's lessons Aren't Always Learned In the Classroom (1986)

• Sunday Concert (1987)

• Funky Winkerbean - Harry L. Dinkle Live At Carnegie Hall (1988)
  More adventures at Westview High School paricularly featuring band director Dinkle.

• I Never Promised You a Rose Parade (1990)

• Would the Ushers Please Lock the Doors! (1994)

• Attack of the Band Moms (1996)

• The Grass Always Looks Greener On the Other Side of the Football Field. (2000)

• My Name is Funky ... and I'm An Alcoholic: A Story About Alcoholism and Recovery (2007)
  In 1972, Tom Batiuk created a comic strip about high school student Funky Winkerbean and his pals. Today the characters are adults and the comic strip explores sensitive, real-life issues such as breast cancer, teen pregnancy, and addiction.
  
  My Name I Funky ... and I'm an Alcoholic ??? chronicles the three-year plot line of Funky Winkerbean's slide into alcoholism and his eventual recovery. Readers see how Funky's marriage, friendships, and work begin to suffer as drinking takes center stage in his life. Readers also learn about how an intervention works when Funky's friends confront him and urge him to seek addiction treatment. Readers also get a glimpse into what happens in a treatment program, how Twelve Step meetings work, and just how easy it is to relapse. In the end, readers experience the promise of recovery by witnessing Funky's commitment to living one day at a time.

• Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe (2000, 2007)
  A story from the comic strips that will make you laugh and make you cry.
  
  In 1999, Lisa Moore, one of Funky Winkerbean's friends and a main character in the comic strip, discovered she had breast cancer. After a mastectomy and chemotherapy, Lisa was cancer free. She finished her law degree, opened a practice, and had a baby daughter, Summer. Then, in the spring of 2006 the cancer returned. Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe is a collection of both the 1999 comic strips about Lisa's initial battle with cancer and the final series that examined her struggle with the disease and its outcome.
  
  Tom Batiuk, unsure about dealing with the serious subject of cancer on the funny pages, decided to go ahead with the story line. He approached the topic with the idea that mixing humor with serious and real themes heightens the reader's interest. Lisa and husband Les faced the same physical, psychological, and social issues as anyone else dealing with the disease.
  
  Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe is part of the Literature & Medicine Series published by Kent State University Press. Additionally, it contains resource material on breast cancer, including early detection, information sources, support systems, and health care.

Harry L. Dinkle

• Harry L. Dinkle Live At Carnegie Hall (1988)
  More adventures at Westview High School paricularly featuring band director Dinkle.

• Gone With the Woodwinds The Best of Harry L. Dinkle (1992)

See also:

• John Darling (1984) by Shubert Fendrich
  A musical in two acts based on the comic strip, John Darling, by Tom Armstrong & Tom Batiuk

• Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index (1995) by Dave Strickler