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The slice-of-life comic strip tackles real-world issues as its conclusion looms

In this penultimate volume of The Complete Funky Winkerbean, creator Tom Batiuk gives unique insight into his creative process and explains why he made the difficult decision to end the strip after 50 years. But even with the strip's conclusion in sight, Batiuk still takes risks, including introducing dramatic new storylines.

Volume 16 covers the birth of Atomik Komix, a small comic book publishing company. Band leader Harry L. Dinkle and the Bedside Manorisms visit Memphis to cut some sides at Sun Studios. One of the most compelling character arcs is Bull Bushka's. In high school, he had been the star football player-but he was also a bully. Years later, he apologized for his behavior and made amends. Despite this transformation, in this volume, Bull remains troubled, is diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and subsequently dies by disease-related suicide. As always, Funky is shaped by current events-this time the national conversations about sports injuries, athletes' well-being, and concussion protocol.

In his foreword, John Morrow writes, "The strip is touching, even melancholy at times . . . I think it's a misnomer to call Funky Winkerbean a 'comic strip'; it may've started out that way, but now it's more a 'cartoon epic drama,' and totally deserving of all its critical praise." As the conclusion to Funky Winkerbean draws closer, readers are reminded of why the strip has such a devoted following-why its stories and characters continue to resonate with readers of all ages.