Lisa’s Story: The Other Shoe

This First Edition, First Printing, Signed copy of "Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe", by Tom Batiuk, was published in 2007 by the Kent State University Press of Kent, Ohio as No. 12 in its Literature and Medicine Series. The book is a follow-on to Batiuk's previous comic strip books featuring Funky Winkerbean, but in this book the comic strips start when, in 1999, one of Funky's friends and a main character, Lisa Moore, discovers she has breast cancer. The book, which measures approximately 10 inches wide by 7 ½ inches tall by 5/8 inch thick, contains 231 pages of comic strips following Lisa's battle with breast cancer, plus an additional ten pages of a Guide to Resource Materials. The book is paper bound in stiff white glossy paper, with an illustration on the front. The author's signature, along with a hand-drawn picture of Lisa, appears on the front free end paper. The book is in fine condition.

The following quotation, taken from the rear cover of the book, beautifully summarizes the author's intent and summary of the book. It reads "'Funky Winkerbean' creator Tom Batiuk, unsure about dealing with such a serious subject on the funny pages, decided to go ahead with the story line. He approached the topic with the eye that mixing humor with serious and real themes heightens the reader's interest. Lisa and husband Les face the same physical, psychological, and social issues as anyone else dealing with the disease. After a mastectomy and chemotherapy, Lisa was cancer free. She finished her law degree, opened a practice, and had a baby daughter, Summer. Then, in the spring of 2006, the cancer returned and metastasized. 'Lisa's Story: The Other Shoe' is a collection of both the 1999 comic strips on Lisa's initial battle with cancer and the final series that examined her struggle with the disease and its outcome. Additionally, it contains resource material on breast cancer, including early detection, information sources, support systems, and health care."

The illustrations accompanying this description provide a feel for the content and quality of the book. They are:
• The front cover
• The half-title page
• Three (3) typical pages of the comic strips