Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for February 18, 2024

Mindy thinks she could try the same thing with Mopey Pete, but then she remembers what his stink-lines would mean.

“But it was stone cold when you picked it up! It’s Montoni’s, after all!”

Where would Ed be without the women in his family feeding him straight lines?

Also, shouldn’t Min-dull be behind the counter of the pizzeria she and her basset-faced fiance purchased last year? As far as we know Mopey never hired anyone else to work the joint, and Pizza Box Monster won’t be back until Halloween.

Still in business!

What a great idea! I’ll have to try that myself. Crankshaft still funny as always.

Few cars have rear seat heaters and NO car with a radio like that has seat heaters at all.

Well, what do you know? Ed isn’t an idiot all the time.

Great idea, people thought that years ago then realized the grease soaked thru box and onto their seats.

Wish I had one of those, and while I’m wishing might asa well wish for a front seat heater.

Now waitsaminute. Has Monotony’s is opens franchise in Crankyville or Cranky is driving all the way to Funkyville just to gets Pizza from them?

He knows he’s gonna change his mind about the toppings he wants, so he’s preparing to go back for a heated exchange with the “staff”.

Looks like… Generic Blonde (I wanna say… Mandy? Does that sound right? Or maybe Minnie?) is preparing to force Pm out of the comic. “What are you doing” is HER line, stay in your lane, Mopey’s Trophy Girlfriend.

I was hoping he would fall backward again

I cover my pizza with a blanket to keep in insulated for the drive home.

Does that really works in real life?

Looks like Batty got himself a guest writer gig in today’s Pearls Before Swine.

This really isn’t funny!

Isn’t SHE part owner of the restaurant?

“Smarter than the average bear”!!!!!!!!

That’s not a bad idea.

A real slice of life. I’ll run the heat in the car in summer to keep the pizza warm.

well, that actually is a cool idea (pun intended)

Any car that Crank could afford is not going to have a heated back seat..

It may not be funny. But Cranky proves he is practical!

1) Did anybody else notice that in Panel Three it looks like they are getting into a conventional-cab pickup truck, not an East German Batiuk-mobile hatchback? Apparently Davis couldn’t find the clip he wanted in the Crankshaft Reusable Art Portfolio.

2) In the sixth panel, omitted for reasons of space, Ed arrives home and slices up the pizza with his chain saw. Hilarity ensues as tomato sauce flies everywhere! Wait… that’s not tomato sauce after all… looks like Min-dull will be joining Skip and Becks in the Pinned-Up Sleeve Fashion Show next month!

Even a senile old fart has a good idea now and then.

Heated rear seats?

Here in the boondocks where we have no back seat heater, we drive home faster!

so i guess you can only get hired to deliver food if you have heated seats

Mindy is part owner of this restaurant. The restaurant is in operation right now. Prior strips have shown her providing service to the restaurant as an operator. There is no reason for her to be outside of the restaurant right now. There is no reason why Ed is transporting her anywhere, while she should be in the restaurant with her husband.

She lives with her husband, Pete. Pete has a car. If she would be in a car with anyone right now, it would be Pete, if not by herself. She is capable of operating a car.

Why does Tom do this.

In addition to staffing concerns for Montoni’s, what irritates me here is Mindy’s smirk, the anatomically impossible rearrangement of the mouth that Batiuk so often uses to oversell a joke or an awww moment. It’s wink-wink drudge-drudge manipulation.

As the owner of the restaurant she probably could loan or give her grandfather an insulated travel bag.

Hey Crankshaft naysayers —-today’s is clever and funny and so in keeping with the characters. If you don’t agree perhaps go to Nancy or Hagar the Horrible

it looks like the people who hate the comics saying its not funny never miss the sunday strip

It might be sort-of funny, in a vague way, if Crankshaft had talked about the magical wonders of Montoni’s pizzas, while Pmm sits in the back seat looking annoyed. Then we see the pizza box in the front, strapped into a child safety seat while Pmm says “If we crash, I don’t think it really needs the added protection of the passenger airbag.”

Are you on dope? You sound cranked up on meth.