Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for December 20, 2023

What can be funnier than Mopey Pete trying for a crude innuendo? Well, lots of things, I suppose.

“Now tell our audience how much experience you have with making pizzas!”

“Oh, I’ve been at it for years! Ever since I could open that frozen carton and reach the microwave!”

Mindy nailed it … a grand reopening without any food and servers.

“I think we’re pretty much set for our grand reopening! And here’s the pizza my kinda sorta fiance and I spent all afternoon cooking, so any of your viewers who want a slice, just come on down! Isn’t that right, Pete?” “That’s right, Mindy!”

Mindy, why isn’t Mopey’s shirt buttoned? Did you let the big boy dress himself again?

And the joke here is… ?

1st panel,Montoni’s is reopening but “our”, this is their first time. And “grand” hah, more like a dollar!

If you cook it, They will come

GET IT

okay, enough of these losers. where’s crankshaft?

This story is so ridiculous on so many levels that it’s hard to know where to start.

Pete does not know how to run a business. He write comic books for a living. Mindy certainly isn’t an expert and the Pizza Monster guy seems to have taken a powder.

Speaking of which, what’s going on at Pete’s other job? As far as I know Pete is the ONLY writer they have so they’ll never be able to meet their publishing deadlines if he’s off running a pizza place. His boss Chester must be apoplectic.

From what we can see he hasn’t hired anybody else, is it just him and Mindy? They haven’t done anything except decorate.

Mindy certainly seems chipper for a woman who’s agreed to marry a guy even though she doesn’t really want to and who has now been roped into an impending business disaster. Wait until Pete tells her to put on an apron and not only start waiting tables but also go make the pizza and run the cash register.

As long as your pizzas are tasty, it will be all good.

This is a classic Christmas story filled with the true spirit of the holiday: crass commercialism!

Just in time for Christmas.

I think she had a stroke in that last panel..

a hyena wouldnt laugh at this joke if its a joke ?

A lot of times the last panel with the punchline is missing. It looks like the last two or three are missing here.

“…but it will definitely be a reopening.”

Like a gaping wound after you’ve torn your stitches.

The transformation to Cranky Winkerbean is almost complete! (Imagine Batty rubbing his hands together and cackling like the emperor in Reurn of the Jedi!)

Will Mopey ever learn that it is a bad idea to run down your own business when you are trying to draw customers? “We’re re-opening, but don’t expect much. It probably won’t be very good.” That’s just not designed to bring in customers.

Glad to see Montoni’s reopening. I hope to see more of Funky and Les, and the rest of the old crew.

So when is the grand reopening? Friday? Saturday Maybe a glorious sideways panel Sunday? Whenever it is, you can be sure the place will be JAMMED with people clamoring for the pizza they didn’t care about enough for the place to stay open a year ago.

Where’s the Pizza Box Monster? He owns 50 % of this disaster, he should be there.

Haha! (＾▽＾)