Funky Winkerbean, a newspaper staple since 1972, is one of the few comic strips that allows its characters to grow and age. As time passes and characters evolve, new and loyal readers alike are reminded that not only does Funky have a future, but the strip has a rich past. What remains a constant is Batiuk’s signature narrative-driven humor. This twelfth volume, spanning from 2005 through 2007, embraces the strip’s past while casting an eye to a bright future.

In The Railroad Forger and the Detectives, real estate agent Thomas H. Cone vanishes suddenly. At the same time, the Pinkerton Detective Agency’s Philadelphia branch, helmed by Mr. Linden, is hired by the Adams Express railroad company to investigate a draft forgery case. Two checks totaling more than $1,200 had been intercepted in the mail and falsely endorsed by none other than Mr. Thomas Cone!

Detective Allan Pinkerton and his associates, including the indispensable Mr. Bangs, travel to Troyville, Pennsylvania—a beautiful village known for its rural beauty and community of farmers—to investigate the robbery of the Howard Express Company. The thieves made off with nearly $15,000 and vanished. Pinkerton learns that two suspicious men had arrived in town the morning before the robbery, and he races to track them down and discover their connection, if any, to the robbery.

Funky Winkerbean, a newspaper staple since 1972, is one of the few comic strips that allows its characters to grow and age. As time passes and characters evolve, new and loyal readers alike are reminded that not only does Funky have a future, but the strip has a rich past. What remains a constant is Batiuk’s signature narrative-driven humor. This tenth volume, spanning from 1999 through 2001, embraces the strip’s past while casting an eye to a bright future.

Football historians regard the games between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers as the basis for one of the greatest rivalries in NFL history. Authors Richard Peterson and Stephen Peterson, in telling the engaging story of these teams who play only a two-hour drive along the turnpike from each other, explore the reasons behind this intense rivalry and the details of its ups and downs for each team and its fans.

Upon receiving a telegram that reads, “First National Bank robbed, please come, or send at once” from Thomas Locke in Somerset, Michigan, Pinkerton sets off to investigate the crime. After journeying to the quaint town in a blizzard, the detective learns that $65,000 of treasury bonds, notes, and cash had disappeared from the bank’s vault overnight. Only one man knew the combination: the bank’s cashier, Mr. Norton. When Pinkerton’s subsequent examination of the crime scene reveals no signs of forced entry, it starts to look like Mr. Norton committed the crime.

Captain J. N. Sumner from Springfield, Massachusetts, hires Pinkerton to help solve a crime involving his sisters and the deed to a family farm. His younger sister Annie falls under the charms of a married man, Mr. Pattmore, who promises to marry Annie once his wife and her brother are out of the way. Captain Sumner possesses an opal ring with a stone that appears to foretell events. After suddenly falling violently ill, he becomes convinced his sister is trying to poison him to get his fortune and, more importantly, his ring.

Pinkerton travels to Atkinson, Mississippi, to investigate the murder of bank teller George Gordon and the theft of more than $130,000 in the City Bank of Atkinson. Atkinson appears at first to be no more than a quiet town of shopkeepers, laborers, and businessmen. But dark secrets lurk beneath the town’s Southern facade, and Pinkerton wastes no time in discovering them. Traveling under the guise of a cotton speculator, Pinkerton makes inquiries into the crime without drawing suspicion.

Funky Winkerbean, a newspaper staple since 1972, is one of the few comic strips that allows its characters to grow and age. With this ninth volume of the collected Funky Winkerbean, containing strips from 1996 through 1998, time continues to pass and events take place that will forever alter the lives of the core characters, even as new characters take the stage with stories to tell.

Cities around the globe, whether large or small, have characteristics that create a particular identity. So what about Cleveland? What are its nuances, its images? In addressing that question, Cleveland A to Z is not a typical city guide. Rather than concentrating solely on the usual topics—landmarks, restaurants, shopping, and notable facts—this guide touches on deeper themes related to Cleveland’s people, places, stories, and events. These 72 short articles reveal details about the city’s rich history, while also hinting at the issues, attitudes, and even the quirks that define Cleveland’s character. Cleveland A to Z truly serves as an entry point for a fuller exploration of the city’s history.