Funky Winkerbean is a comic strip created by high school teacher Tom Batiuk (pronounced "BAT-ick"), which debuted on March 26, 1972. For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... Tom Batiuk (born 1947 in Akron, Ohio) is an American comic strip creator. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The webcomic genres are the types of themes a webcomic can take. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... For other uses, see High school (disambiguation). ... For university teachers, see professor. ... Tom Batiuk (born 1947 in Akron, Ohio) is an American comic strip creator. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The strip is centered on Westview High School and initially focused on several of its students: the title character, Funky Winkerbean, Crazy Harry Klinghorn, Barry Balderman, Bull Bushka, Cindy Summers, Junebug, Leslie P. "Les" Moore, majorette Holly Budd (daughter of Melinda Budd, original majorette for Westview High) and Lisa Crawford.

Original form

While the strip's namesake was a visible character, the one whose misadventures began to make him the focus was all-around hapless nice guy Les Moore. Batiuk reserved some of his best visual gags for Les, such as his serving as Hall Monitor while sitting at a desk with a vintage machine gun bolted to it (his symbol of authority). Les, not an impressive physical specimen, had a few battles with rope-climbing in Gym class; once, he made it to the top, was afraid to try to climb down, and had to hang on while an entire Westview varsity basketball game was played below him. When Les began dating the equally nerdy Lisa Crawford, their first kiss resulted in their orthodontic braces locking together. A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...

Other students had their own comic twists. Crazy Harry, who lived in his well-equipped school locker at Westview, was able to play frozen pizzas on his record player – and enjoy the music they produced. Holly, regardless of the scene or surroundings, was seen in her majorette costume (sequined leotard, with a bright grin and hands on hips holding her baton). Barry was the most successful student at Westview, while Bull, with his hulking frame, was its dominant athlete, and often made hapless Les his punching bag. Cindy, the stereotypical "most popular" one, had a hairstyle featuring a sweeping forward point that seemed to extend a foot in front of her. For other uses, see Pizza (disambiguation). ...

Characters who served as the school faculty included its Principal, Mr. Burch; typical teacher (and future Principal) Fred Fairgood; teacher (and Fred's future wife) Ann Randall; Coach Jack Stropp (now retired); Cliff, the security guard; and, the still-famous, always-uniformed band director Harry L. Dinkle (who refers to himself as "The World's Greatest Band Director," and is featured in a running gag whereby every "Battle of the Bands" except the first one occurs during a monsoon). This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The running gag is a popular hallmark of comic and serious forms of entertainment. ... For other uses, see Monsoon (disambiguation). ...

Probably the strangest school staff member in the strip's early years was its Computer, which developed a mind of its own and became a fan of Star Trek. It even organized Star Trek fan conventions to be held at the school and had a teleporter with which it would "beam" students and teachers around as it wished. In another strip, Mr. Burch was informed that the Computer was playing Star Trek games; when he asked how that was evident, he was told that there were several Klingons now signed up for a Math class. This article is about the machine. ... This article is about the entire Star Trek franchise. ... This article is about the fictional race. ... For other meanings of mathematics or uses of math and maths, see Mathematics (disambiguation) and Math (disambiguation). ...

The school is also known for their winless football seasons. The school mascot is The Scapegoats. However, one series had Westview winning the state championship as a result of every team having to forfeit their game with Westview. The teams forfeited each game beforehand with the exception of Westview's rival, Big Walnut Tech. Tech obliterated Westview in the championship game, but later forfeited due to using an ineligible player. United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... The scapegoat was a goat that was driven off into the wilderness as part of the ceremonies of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, in Judaism during the times of the Temple in Jerusalem. ...

The 1992 relaunch

In 1992, Batiuk changed the strip's format. It was established that Funky, Les, Cindy and all the rest of the previous cast had graduated from Westview in 1988; their college years were skipped, and the story continued in the present day. Subsequently, the characters started to age in real time and undergo significant life changes. Funky married Cindy in 1998; they are now divorced. Les and Lisa married in a Halloween-themed 1996 story which saw them dressed as Batman and Robin. Funky now co-owns the local pizza parlor with Tony Montoni, Les teaches English at Westview, Crazy Harry is the local mailman, Bull is the Scapegoats' coach, and Cindy is a national-level television newscaster. The strip follows their stories as well as a new generation at Westview, including Wally, Becky, Darin and Monroe. Overtly whimsical elements (such as the sentient computer described above) have been downplayed in favor of more grounded real-life incidents and stories. This article is about the holiday. ... Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... USPS and Usps redirect here. ...

In its original form a traditional gag-based strip, Funky is now driven just as often by ongoing narratives with frequent moments of introspection, drama and even tragedy. Though humorous storylines are still a mainstay, Batiuk has also examined real-life contemporary issues not normally seen on the comics page, such as:

• teen pregnancy^[1] (Lisa became pregnant as a teenager; she placed the child for adoption. Her son was, unknown to her, adopted by the Fairgoods, was named Darin, and is a current character in the strip.) In July 2007, the two (unbeknownst to each other) filed paperwork in an attempt to contact one another. Darin was the first to receive confirmation of their relationship and informed Lisa in a touching scene that took place on the front porch of the Moores' home.
• suicide (a student became enamored with Les; when he spurned her for Lisa, she attempted suicide, but would later help Les when he fails to obtain his marriage license in time to marry Lisa - the student's father was a judge).
• censorship (a local comic book shop owner was persecuted by moralizers who accused him of corrupting children, and was successfully defended in court by Lisa)
• dyslexia
• gun violence
• steroids (Les is frustrated and exhausted at his efforts at weightlifting, and has a sudden dream of himself becoming instantly strong by using steroids. While he has some benefits such as being able to rip the infamous gym rope from the ceiling, his attempts to join the football team are rejected when the coach says it is obvious Les has been using steroids, and he starts seeing the side effects such as acne, which then scares him enough to wake up).
• capital punishment^[2]
• bullying and child abuse (in the early strip format, Bull would constantly torment the very non-athletic Les; in the later strip it was revealed that Bull's father was abusive.
• teacher-student relationships (Les is stood up at the senior prom and one of the teachers offers to be his date, saying that as he is near graduation it is appropriate that he is now a full-grown man. No sexual relationship exists, and it is mainly to show Les' maturity)
• alcoholism (Funky is a recovering alcoholic)
• breast cancer^[3] (See Lisa's Story)
• land mines in Afghanistan^[4] In 2005, Batiuk sent Wally and new wife Becky (who has only one arm due to a 1997 car accident) to Afghanistan as a part of an anti-landmine effort by the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation; he nearly dies after stepping on a landmine. He is saved when his Afghani companion manages to knock the mine away (which was a design that launches the explosive to chest level), only to be punched out for selling the RPG that killed his fellow troops. The couple returns with an adopted daughter, Rana, who was left orphaned after her family was killed by a suicide bomber.

Teenage pregnancy refers to the controversial social issue of teenage girls getting pregnant. ... For other uses, see Adoption (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Censor. ... This article is about developmental dyslexia. ... Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold in the cafeteria at Columbine High School, shortly before committing suicide. ... This article is about the chemical family of steroids. ... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ... Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others through verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation. ... Child abuse is the physical or sexual of children by parents, guardians, or others. ... Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ... Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ... “Minefield” redirects here. ... A rocket propelled grenade (RPG) is a man-portable, shoulder-launched weapon capable of firing an explosive device longer distances than an otherwise unassisted soldier could throw. ... A suicide bombing is a bomb attack on people or property, committed by a person who knows the explosion will cause his or her own death in addition to the attacks primary purpose (see suicide, suicide weapons). ...

Lisa's Story

The death of Lisa, 10/4/2007.

A recurring storyline for many years has been Lisa's battle with breast cancer. She first dealt with it when she was diagnosed in 1999. Soon after, she learned that Holly Budd was also a breast cancer survivor. After going through chemotherapy and a mastectomy, Lisa's cancer went into remission. Lisa would later use her law practice to defend a client who was wrongfully fired from her job due to disability, and still later, a client unjustly charged with selling pornographic comic books to children. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Chemotherapy is the use of chemical substances to treat disease. ... In medicine, mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. ...

In March 2006, Lisa's cancer returned in a more serious form. Following another round of chemo, her cancer appeared to go into remission again in early 2007, but on May 9, 2007, her doctor revealed that her medical charts had gotten mixed up and her disease was not only progressing, but had become inoperable. In a King Features press release^[5], it was revealed that "Lisa will start chemo again, learn that her long-range prospects aren't hopeful, stop chemo, deal with telling her daughter about her cancer situation, [and] testify before Congress about the need for cancer research and cope with friends and family." Batiuk has also been very open that Lisa's latest ordeal will end with her death^[6] and some of the events that will take place as a result. is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

The entire storyline, which did culminate with Lisa's death in the October 4, 2007, strip (excerpt at right), was collected and published in a book entitled "Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe".^[7][8] This book, which includes the strips from Lisa's initial battle with cancer (which had itself been collected in book form in 2004), was in fact published before the series had finished running in syndication. is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

After the May 2007 strip ran, Tom Batiuk discussed his reasoning for pursuing the plotline was inspired by his own personal battle against prostate cancer.^[9]

The Second Time Jump

The updated cast of Funky Winkerbean from October 2007 onward. From left to right: Les Moore, Summer Moore, Donna Klinghorn, Maddie Klinghorn, "Crazy" Harry Klinghorn, Becky Blackburn Winkerbean, Rana Winkerbean, Linda Lopez Bushka, Bull Bushka, Jinx Bushka, Funky Winkerbean, Cory Winkerbean, Holly Budd

On October 21, 2007, Funky Winkerbean underwent its second "time warp," this time jumping ahead to a point ten years following Lisa's death and aging the cast of characters accordingly; those that were children will now be of high school age, and the original cast will be in their mid-40s. Readers actually got a small "preview" of the new-look feature starting in the October 5 strip, in which a now middle-aged Les talks to an unseen psychologist about events that immediately followed Lisa's passing, which are then depicted in flashback form. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... A psychologist is an expert in psychology, the systematic investigation of the human mind, including behavior, cognition, and affect. ...

The relaunched Funky, Batiuk claims, "is going to be a different strip, a little bit quieter." He also promises that despite Lisa's death, she will remain a presence in strip through flashbacks, remembrances, and a series of videos she recorded for daughter Summer just before she died.^[10] Montoni's will have opened several locations, including in New York City, Summer will have grown into a popular 15-year-old basketball star (in contrast to her geeky father), and Bull's adopted daughter Jinx, as well as Becky's daughter Rana, will also be high-school aged. Batiuk explained that he wanted the comic to move so far ahead in order to prevent it from being an extended grieving process, to ensure that the next generation of students he followed were related to the original cast of characters, and that he wanted to bring the ages of his original characters closer to that of his current target audience. After the flash forward, all of the strip's prominent adult male characters -- Funky, Les, Bull and Crazy Harry -- will be 46 years old.^[11]

Wally Winkerbean, who was serving in Iraq, is not in the core cast as shown on the Funky Winkerbean website, and there is a reference in the updated cast bios (on the main page) that Becky has remarried. At this time, Wally's fate is unknown, though on his blog page Batiuk mentions that it "may not be what you think happened." Batiuk also revealed that a "clue" to Wally's fate could be found in the October 11th strip which features Les in New York after Lisa's death. A Newspaper in the strip reads "Soldiers Taken Hostage". ^[12]

Controversy

The more dramatic turns of the storyline have led to mixed responses from readers. Negative reaction to a 2007 strip featuring Wally in a landmine simulator, including two papers that ran the strip receiving irate phone calls and letters to the editor, led to Batiuk issuing an apology soon after the strip ran.^[13]

Reactions to the most recent chapter of Lisa's Story led to further complaints over the comic's gloomy content. Web comic Shortpacked produced a strip poking fun of the storyline's prominence.^[14] Batiuk has also mentioned in interviews about the storyline that he has received complaints about the current direction of the storyline.^[15] Shortpacked! is a webcomic by David Willis set in a toy store. ...

A Crankshaft strip from May 23, 2007, sarcastically addresses the more recent controversies from Batiuk's perspective.^[16] In the Funky Winkerbean strip published on September 30, 2007, Les essentially echoes the Crankshaft comment.^[17] Crankshaft is an eponymous comic strip about an elderly, curmudgeonly school bus driver which debuted on June 8, 1987. ...

Spinoffs

Two minor characters have been spun off into their own strips: the bus driver Crankshaft in 1987 and the talk show host John Darling in 1979. The latter caused a sensation in 1991 when Batiuk had Darling murdered in the penultimate strip. In Funky Winkerbean, Les Moore wrote a book on Darling's murder and solved the case in a 1997 storyline. Crankshaft is an eponymous comic strip about an elderly, curmudgeonly school bus driver which debuted on June 8, 1987. ... John Darling was a comic strip about a talk show host created by Tom Batiuk. ...

Comic connections

Batiuk's neighbor, comic book writer Tony Isabella, occasionally appears in the strip as himself. Another comic book creator, super-hero artist John Byrne, drew ten weeks of the strip while Batiuk was recovering from foot surgery, and has appeared in the strip himself as a character. Tony Isabella (born December 22, 1951) is an American comic book writer and commentator, best known as the creator and writer of Black Lightning, DC Comics first major African American superhero. ... For other uses of John Byrne, see John Byrne (disambiguation). ...

The character Harry L. Dinkle, the self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Band Director," is based on the director of The Ohio State University Marching Band. Professor Dinkle is based on a composite of past and current directors Dr. Paul Droste and Dr. Jon Woods. In addition, a 2006 article from the Cleveland Free Times that is published on the FunkyWinkerbean.com website asserts that Harry L. Dinkle is based on Harry Pfingsten, a retired band director from Avon Lake, Ohio, who was the band director of the junior high school that Tom Batiuk attended. The Ohio State University Marching Band (often called The Best Damn Band in the Land or TBDBITL by fans[1]) is one of the few all-brass and percussion bands in the country, the largest of its type in the world. ...

Musical

Batiuk assisted in the writing of a musical based on the strip, called Funky Winkerbean's Homecoming and set in the era while Funky was still a student at Westview High. This musical is still popular among high school drama groups.^{[citation needed]} The musical was co-written by Andy Clark, who appeared as himself in the comic strip in December, 2006. Clark is also a publisher of the C. L. Barnhouse Company, and has published several Funky Winkerbean collections dedicated to the character of Harry L. Dinkle.^{[citation needed]} Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theatre combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... The C. L. Barnhouse Company is an American music publishing firm. ...

References

Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 269th day of the year (270th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official Funky Winkerbean Website
• Funky Winkerbean at King Features
• Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers
• Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe by Tom Batiuk
• Batiuk and the "Dinkle's" band-accessory store
• Toonopedia entry
• Free Times profile on Batiuk and upcoming changes in Funky Winkerbean