Bøger af Tom Batiuk

The characters of the Funky cartoon universe deal with the challenges of middle age This latest installment of The Complete Funky Winkerbean presents the comic strips from 2008, 2009, and 2010 and ushers the original Funky characters into middle age. In true Funky fashion, the characters have to grapple with very serious issues: nearly fatal car crashes, a war abroad, and a tanking economy at home. These years also mark the first appearance of Cayla, and her arrival on the scene is where cartoonist Tom Batiuk's new time-jump era begins to coalesce and take on its unique identity.

Relationships move to the front of the stage in this eleventh volume of The Complete Funky Winkerbean as the lighthearted dalliances of the past segue to the more mature partnerships of the adult world.

Funky Winkerbean, a newspaper staple since 1972, is one of the few comic strips that allows its characters to grow and age. This tenth volume, spanning from 1999 to 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.

"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, IllinoisCranky 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 first collection from the popular new comic strip introduces Crankshaft, a crusty old bus driver with a heart of gold who grumbles through life at the head of his loveable family. Original.

Follow award-winning cartoonist Tom Batiuk as he chronicles the lives of the students and teachers at the fictitious Westview High School. Fans will enjoy the progression of Funky's subtle evolution from gags to situational humour to behavioural humour.