Tom Batiuk | |
|---|---|
 Batiuk in 2013, aged 66 | |
| Born | Thomas Martin Batiuk (1947-03-14)March 14, 1947 (age 78) Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Comic strip creator, writer, artist |
| Awards | Inkpot Award (1999)[1] |
| Website | tombatiuk |
Thomas Martin Batiuk/ˈbætɪk/ (born March 14, 1947) is an Americancomic strip creator, best known for his long-running newspaper stripFunky Winkerbean.
Born inAkron, Ohio, Batiuk attendedKent State University, from which he graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, majoring in painting. He went on to teach art in junior high school. He put his experiences to use in his gag-a-dayFunky Winkerbean, which first appeared in print on March 27, 1972. With the success of the strip, he abandoned his teaching career, occasionally returning to the classroom to refresh his sources. He authored two spinoff strips,John Darling, which ran from 1979 through 1990, ending with the death of the title character, andCrankshaft, which began syndication in 1987. These strips sometimes experiencecrossovers.[2]
Over the years, Batiuk's strips have taken on an increasing narrative continuity.[3] Starting in 1986,Funky, and to a lesser extentCrankshaft, sometimes abandoned humor to explore serious, even tragic subject matter.[3]Funky Winkerbean has been time-jumped twice, first aging the characters to their late 20s early 30s and a second jump pushed them into late middle age. Crankshaft was never jumped, but he is shown in crossovers to suffer a rather painful retirement.
His stories often involve strong drama elements combined with generally rosy outcomes or ending with a pun.[citation needed] They also show a strong belief inGod, as well as sympathies for theAmerican military. On the other hand,Funky Winkerbean dealt very critically withIntelligent Design,[4][5] and two students in the strip even did a pro-evolution take-off on Johnny Hart'sB.C.[6]Funky Winkerbean has dealt with teen suicide and breast cancer, the latter of which mirrored Batiuk's own wife's diagnosis and treatment.[3] Batiuk was a finalist for thePulitzer Prize in 2008 for the comic strips involving breast cancer.[3]
Batiuk lives inMedina, Ohio.[3]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
 | This profile of a comic strip creator, writer, or artist is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
