Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for March 21, 2025

Who’s “HIM” in the last panel, Mr Write With Clarity? Neptune Nick, the only name dumber than “Starbuck Jones”? Or “Butch”? When other people call your “best friend” Butch…What did they call you?

So he took a leap for Faith.

There’s a lot of people fainting right now…out of sheer boredom over this arc.

And so, for the third week in the past eight months, we humble readers have been granted a peek behind the curtain at the comics genius that is Tom Ba…er, Batton Thomas. The origins of Neptune Nick in “Three O’Clock High,” finally revealed for…what’s that? We never saw Nick’s covers in Batton’s strip-within-a-strip? This is all self-aggrandizing backslapping over Starbuck Jones’ appearances in FW? As if we cared where Jones came from?

“Neptune Nick?” Batiuk, stop pulling these Batton Thomas story lines out of Uranus.

“Who? ‘Aquaman’? Never heard of him.”

“I probably would have…fainted…from joy…Oh god, these aren’t Gummie Bears! It’s my daughter’s edibles!” (goes cross-eyed; faints)

The waitress is coming around to see if the Strychnine she put into the coffee is beginning to work…

Hmmmmmm…this strip needs to get moving again. Hopefully Ed will show up to get ’er cranked back up.

The cartoonist does seem to be high, and it’s still a long way to three o’clock.

Speaking of komix bookx, there been many kind of komix bookx which adapt different story bookx. But was there ever a Dracula komix book? The original one that is. Not steenky retcons. Speaking of which me was finally reading the original Dracula book the other day. It was really interesting in the beginning and all the way through halfway through the book too. But then Stoker Bram who never show up until now suddenly show up in a tavern and bores Mina to death by narrating his boring life story without even giving Dracula a chance to drains her blood. Till the very end it get so boring that audience get bored to death too waiting for Van Helsing to shows up and puts a stake through Stoker Bram who just continues narrating his boring life events in a boring manner but that never happens. In the end finally Dracula is kills himself by jumping on a stake after he unable to bear Stoker Bram for so long.

It’s a possibility.

RIFF RAFF why would we need him on this job JUST IN CASE

This cartoonist goof is actually as much of a self back-patter as that dumb band director is.

Why all the negativity? I am very much enjoying this arc.

I am fascinated by the way Tom’s giving us a look at an actual fictional comic, something he never did (beyond covers, of course) with “Starsuck Jones” or anything from AtomiKKK KomiXXX. And, just like this current “story arc”… it’s dull and pointless. “Open the airlock.” “Send more men to help Jove.” “Got him!” “Close the airlock.” Absolutely riveting… in the sense that somebody would have to pop-rivet me to my seat to make me read any more of it.

Is this a comic strip? Day after day some guy is talking about his life to some other guy. I can’t even find a cohesive story line. Is he telling this story chronologically or just randomly reminiscing? Was there a beginning? Will there be an end? Will the newspaper guy actually print this slop in his paper or is he just sitting there thing, “When will this guy shut up?”

…….and that is the rest of the story………I hope!!!!

I see Skippy’s pulled out his credit card in the first panel. I take that as good news, implying that this series of strips (I am reluctant to call it a “story arc”) may mercifully end tomorrow.

Or is that his Batton Thomas Dosimeter, which he’s checking to see if he’s reached his daily exposure limit?

well, at least it wasn’t Uranus Nick

“Or man will vanish and the insects will inherit the Earth”

He’s using the Paper’s credit card to pay for the meal. “I’m sorry, sir. Your card was declined.”

I fear Batty will strain his shoulder patting himself on the back

Several years ago I un-followed Funky Winkerbean because it became unfunny, repetitious, and tiresome. Ed is funny, but his strip has been hijacked by Funky.

What’s with their eyes? They look like they’re sampling the wares at a baked sale.

I’m really enjoying this storyline. I like Batiuk’s approach to comics and get to know his “origins” as a cartoonist is a pleasure. One of the genius in the comic strips history.

The only good thing about these Batton Thomas interview story arcs is that they typically last only a week.

Since a comic book type cartoon has been featured today, you can bet your bottom dollar there will be a ‘Neptune Nick’ sideways cover on Sunday. We all know how much TB loves his comic book covers.

One can only hope that this is all leading to Batty reminiscing about the days when the US Constitution wasn’t in tatters and democracy was still a thing.

Better fictionalized comics nostalgia than fictionalized school band nostalgia, I say.

‘yawn’

This is so anal-retentive!

“If I’d realized then that I’d end up using him on comic book covers in my strip ‘Three O’Clock High’… I probably would have”…

“…paid more attention to writing an actual story”?

“…learned how to draw competently”?

“…come up with a better character name than ‘Neptune Nick’”?

Nah. This is Batton…

I’m going to faint with anticipation for tomorrow’s strip

“If I’d realized then that I’d end up using him on comic book covers in my strip ‘Three O’Clock High’… I probably would have fainted from joy!"

Um, you were writing the strip. Who you chose to put on the cover was your choice? Why would you faint? From the huge honor future self gave your past self?

I love these walks down memory lane! If you don’t like it, skip it.