New story line at Daily News

On the same day that the Daily News unveils a newly designed website, the comic strip Funky Winkerbean kills off main character Lisa Moore with cancer. On Oct. 21, the comic strip's setting will jump forward ten years, with Moore's widowed husband a 46-year-old with receding, slightly gray hair and a goatee, and their young daughter a 15-year-old teen. Artist Tom Batiuk explains:

First, I didn't want to present an extended grieving process, but instead wanted to show how the characters have gotten on with their lives.

Second ... I wanted the new freshman class to be the sons and daughters of my original core characters.

Finally, I wanted to bring the ages of my characters in line with those of my long-time readers to better reflect the changes in their lives.

Funky Winkerbean is one of the strips the Daily News dropped then restored — with a prominent apology — this summer.