Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for March 22, 2025

SKIP: “Oh, do go on, Batton! I’m all ears! Wait—I AM ALL EARS! They’ve tripled in size since panel one! HELP ME, TOM!” BATTON: “It’s Batton Thomas, not Tom Batty. Anyway, it reminded me of how I liked Wonder Woman, and—” SKIP: “MY LOBES! They’re SMOTHERING me! HELP Murrrf…” BATTON, 20 minutes later: “And that’s why I only ever ate Wonder Bread! Funny story with a point, eh?” (looks at Skip, who has choked to death on his lobes) BATTON, shakes head: “Some people are just terrible listeners.”

Gee, so a week’s worth of Strip-Avatar-as-Cartoonist rambling on about his boyhood superhero obsessions and making glib “jokes” in reference to them could have been summed up with a single word balloon of “Well, Skip, I always knew this is what I wanted to do.” Thanks a pantload, Batton. Can’t wait until May or June to see Part IV of “The Never-Ending Interview.”

You see … my parents took me on vacation … we got separated … I could not recall my address … when I did, they had already moved away.

Let’s welcome him home with a song! Everybody join in! “Home, home on deranged, where we fear what this strip may display. Where never is writ some encouraging wit, and the art is a source of dismay.”

I feel like a witness to history. (At least I hope this thing is history).

Writing his autobiography before the strip is cancelled and he loses the chance.

Do you suppose Pastis knows of Madeleine L’Engle??

And you certainly belong in one.

1st panel, shouldn’t that be buffoonists..

The 2018 film adaption of A Wrinkle in Time or being quoted by Batty—Which induced the most grave-spinning from Ms. L’Engle?

Imagines going to watching a game and then after halftime the coach and some sports journalist comes and sits in the middle of the stadium field and coach begins to talking bout his life story through the rest of the game while them players is forced to sit aside outside the field and doing nothing all the while. If you was in the crowd, what would you does? Yays or boooos?

Wait a minute. What?

The ole boy said….."I was not born here…..but I got here as fast as I could!!!

Have any of these characters worn eyeglasses more contemporary than the ones from the originals in Funky Winkerbean?

I believe the word you are looking for is HIRAETH.

It’s never going to stop

I never heard of Madeleine L’Engle. But everybody has heard of Robert Heinlein. Now when I was a kid growing up in a small town in Ohio, I would read SciFi novels, Bradbury, Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke. I loved them all. At 18, I enrolled in a creative writing class at Whatsamata U. in Frostbite Falls, Minnesota. I failed the class and thought that all was lost when along came….hey where did everybody go? Wow, what a bunch of Cranky people.

There is nothing wrong with your TV set you are in the outer limits beware the zanti misfits

You know, Charles Shultz would never have written a story line like this one. Just saying.

he should try the Bedside Manor…. Dinkle might even let him in the band

Nice quote. It’s that constant yearning in our hearts that show that there is more for us than this world has to offer……

A week when Ed Was the only one in Westview (last Sunday). The rest of the week spent drinking coffee down at the Dale Evans (one cameo with Ed). Hard to keep up with the numbers. My best estimate:

150-44-19

Please give me the unfunny puns of Crankshaft, rather than this self-love fest that Bathack likes to do. We get it, Tom, you’ve always wanted to be a cartoonist. We get it, you’re awesome. We get it, you love talking about yourself. Sheesh

Waitress: “You bums paid your bill two hours ago! GET OUT!”

Here Billsplut. I have a drink for you. The fact that it has cyanide in it means absolutely nothing. lol

I get Batton. I found myself at home when I’m reading comics. It has been like that ever since I was 5 and got in touch with a Cebolinha comic book (that’s Jimmy Five in English). And then it never stopped.

Isn’t this story a rehash? I am having Deja Vu.

Where is Crankshaft….

How long has this arc been going on?

I gotta say though:

The last panel sounds meaningful

I think this must be Batty’s attempt to distract us from the destruction of democracy.

You know… like slamming your hand in a car door to forget your headache.

Please go there and stay

I once met Madeleine L’Engle – she not only signed a book for me but so did her husband, Dr. Tyler on All My Children!

Very cool. I’ve been searching for 40 years and I still haven’t found my “home”. My spirit continues to follow the wind.

And now,back to YOUNG HEROES IN LOVE….