Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 22, 1995 TAG: 9506220060
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: EXTRA1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STACY JONES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Susan, an honor student, is infatuated with her English teacher, Les Moore. After she discovers he has a girlfriend, she plummets into depression.
In a fit of desperation, Susan steals Mr. Moore's taped marriage proposal to Lisa, his out-of-town girlfriend. Then Susan attempts to kill herself.
Stay tuned for the next installment of - not "As the World Turns," the soap opera, but ``Funky Winkerbean,'' the comic strip.
In an attempt to be relevant, many cartoonists are sketching scenes of real-life into their strips. Tom Batiuk, the creator of ``Funky Winkerbean,'' is one of them.
``One of the questions I always get asked is `Do you think the comics page is the place for this?' '' Batiuk said. ``Obviously, I do.''
``It offers a great range of opportunity for examining our world and our life,'' he said.
Batiuk's teen suicide storyline, which began in May, will climax in a dramatic event this Sunday.
The cartoonist, who also has dealt with teen pregnancy, school violence and dyslexia in his 23-year-old strip, said it's only natural that comics change as the world changes.
``After I did my first serious strip on teen pregnancy, I got a very positive response,'' Batiuk said. ``It showed me the medium could deal with it.''
Batiuk's interest in social issues goes deeper than ensuring a steady stream of material for his strip. He hopes to use his comic strip ``to provide information to the community'' and inspire local efforts to address teen issues.
According to Batiuk, teen suicide is a natural subject for the strip.
``Funky Winkerbean is about life in high school,'' he said. ``It [teen suicide] was becoming a harder subject to ignore.''
``If you are at all aware,'' he continued, ``you see it is a very prevalent, very serious problem.''
In an effort to stay in touch with the concerns of the young people he chronicles, Batiuk occasionally works as a substitute teacher at his old high school in Grafton, Ohio.
``It makes the strip a richer experience,'' he said.
More often, he goes just to hang out and observe.
``The principal has given me a permanent hall pass,'' laughed Batiuk. ``I have the run of the place.''
Such access has led to eye-opening as well as ordinary experiences. Many have found their way into his strip, like the time Batiuk observed drug-sniffing dogs roaming Midview High's hallways. In the strip, the drug-sniffing canine appears as a French poodle.
In the end, after all the hard work and hype has passed, Batiuk hopes the strip's message gets through.
``Whatever kids are experiencing, it is a temporary thing,'' he said. ``I want to tell them to just hang in there.''
Gregg Evans, creator of the comic strip ``LuAnn,'' began straying from high-jinks to high-drama a few years ago.
The 10-year-old strip centers around its namesake, ``a perpetual 13-year-old,'' and her sphere of teen-age friends. Much like Batiuk, Evans feels a responsibility to explore the nuts-and-bolts of teen life.
``Being a teen-ager today is downright death-defying,'' said Evans. ``When I was a teen-ager, it was just annoying.''
Safe sex, drug use, drunken driving and LuAnn's first menstrual period have all been thrust into the strip's plots.
``It sounds heavy when you talk about it, but it's done obtusely so younger readers don't get it,'' he said. ``Comic strips can enlighten, educate and still be entertaining.''
``The day of the big-footed, pie-in-the-face comic strip is over,'' said Evans.
Although more cartoonists are eagerly dipping into the reality pool, it is not without a cost.
Typically, a few newspaper editors refuse to run the strips they deem too controversial. It happened to ``For Better or For Worse'' when creator Lynn Johnston introduced a gay character into her strip. Now, such censorship has found its way to Batiuk's doorstep.
At present, two newspapers have declined to run the series on teen suicide for content reasons. They are the Courier-Times-Telegraph, a 38,000 circulation daily in Tyler, Texas, and the Buffalo News, a 283,000 circulation daily in New York.
``It's a very sensitive subject,'' said Claudia Smith, assistant director of advertising and public relations at King Features, which distributes ``Funky Winkerbean.''
``Some think issues shouldn't be in their funnies,'' she said. ``But a lot of the new comics don't see it that way.''
If she was annoyed at the refusals, Smith didn't let on.
``That's what it's all about, free speech,'' she said. ``They know their markets and what will fly.''
Jim Giametta, executive editor at the Telegraph, refused to talk about the matter beyond confirming that it was he who made the decision not to run the ``Funky Winkerbean'' suicide series.
Murray B. Light, editor and senior vice president at The Buffalo News, was more accommodating.
``I have no problem with the daily strips, but the Sunday strip is too much,'' he said. ``I know [Susan] does survive, but she looks dead.''
The entire Sunday strip for June 25 consists of one frame. It shows Susan lying unconscious on her bed with an empty prescription bottle falling out of her hand.
``I just thought it went too far,'' said Light, who said he was concerned about the possible effects on younger readers.
Light was certain that his readers - Catholic and socially conservative - would support his decision. ``I just know our readers,'' said the editor, whose paper ran all of Batiuk's other serious strips, including the one on teen pregnancy. He plans to write a column explaining his decision to his readership.
On the whole, Light said, he could accept the melding of comics and social issues.
``I just hope it's not a trend that will be increasing,'' Light said. ``Comics are supposed to be comics.''
``If too many of our comic strip creators continue to delve into social issues, they will be usurping the traditional role of comics,'' he said.
That argument doesn't sway Batiuk, who defends his work on the series.
``Basically, the goal in any art form is to present something that reaches a common humanity,'' he said. ``If you strive toward that it will lead you to some strong issues. I don't know of any art form that has remained as it was in its infancy.''
When told that Light had called the strip "sensational," Batiuk sighed and said, ``sensational was probably too strong a word.'' But he offered no apologies.
``It was meant to be a strong piece that would grab people's attention,'' Batiuk said. ``So, it was intentional.''
``I want to do more than a gag-a-day type strip,'' he said.
\ Numbers troubled teens can call for help
RAFT: Montgomery County 382-1738; Floyd County (703) 745-2333; Giles (703) 921-1738; Pulaski (703) 674-1738; Radford 639-1738. Hot line service 24 hours free of charge.
St. Albans Connect: (800) 284-8898. 24 hours. Calls, assessments are free of chargte.
TRUST: Roanoke Valley Trouble Center 344-1948. Open 24 hours, no charge.
982-TEEN (8336): For teen-agers only, open 6-10 at night. For outside local calling area (800) 345-TEEN. No charge.
by CNB