Born in Akron, Ohio, Batiuk attended Kent State University, from which he graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, majoring in painting.

He authored two spinoff strips, John Darling, which ran from 1979 through 1990, ending with the death of the title character, and Crankshaft, which began syndication in 1987.

[3] Starting in 1986, Funky, and to a lesser extent Crankshaft, sometimes abandoned humor to explore serious, even tragic subject matter.

On the other hand, Funky Winkerbean dealt very critically with Intelligent Design,[4][5] and two students in the strip even did a pro-evolution take-off on Johnny Hart's B.C.

[6] Funky Winkerbean has dealt with teen suicide and breast cancer, the latter of which mirrored Batiuk's own wife's diagnosis and treatment.