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Timed to the 10th anniversary of Lisa’s Story: The Other Shoe, in which Lisa battles and ultimately succumbs to breast cancer, Tom Batiuk expands Lisa’s universe with two new titles: Prelude: Lisa’s Story Begins and The Last Leaf: Lisa’s Story Concludes.
Prelude (9/21/17; ISBN: 978-1-60635-323-3; $28.95), a prequel to The Other Shoe, brings together a collection of early Funky Winkerbean comic strips depicting the beginning of Lisa and Les’s relationship. First introduced in 1984, Lisa became a pivotal character in Les’s story, as well as becoming a central figure in her own arc that has resonated with readers for decades. Prelude follows Les as he begins dating and then breaks up with Lisa, before realizing how much he misses her – only to discover she is pregnant with someone else’s child. Their bond deepens when he agrees to be her childbirth coach, and the story follows them through the baby’s birth and adoption.
In The Last Leaf (9/21/17; ISBN: 978-1-60635-325-7; $28.95), the sequel to The Other Shoe, Batiuk depicts the fallout of Lisa’s death as her husband Les and their daughter mourn and try to find a way to move forward. Lisa returns to the strip in Les’s imagination as he works through his grief and struggles to make decisions regarding their family’s life.
Batiuk was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in honor of his portrayal of Lisa’s Story, and was recognized by the American Cancer Society with its Cancer Cure Hall of Fame Award. Batiuk blends somber realism with gentle humor to create a sympathetic portrayal of a tragedy that hits home for so many readers. These new books put Lisa’s Story in context within the full tapestry of Lisa’s life.
All three cloth titles are also available in a slip-cased Lisa’s Legacy Trilogy edition (ISBN: 978-1-60635-327-1; $80), to be released simultaneously.
About the Author:
Tom Batiuk, who pens the continuing story of Funky Winkerbean and his pals, was recognized as one of three finalists in the cartooning category of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize awards competition for the series of daily comic strips that chronicled the death of longtime character Lisa Moore. His Complete Funky Winkerbean series and Roses in December: A Story of Love and Alzheimer s were finalists for the 2016 Eisner Awards. He is a graduate of Kent State University. His Funky Winkerbean and Crankshaft comic strips are carried in over 700 newspapers throughout the United States. In 2006 he was honored by the American Cancer Society and presented its Cancer Cure Hall of Fame Award for his sympathetic work in highlighting the experiences of those with cancer in Lisa s Story: The Other Shoe.
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