I have a feeling Tom does “jokes” like these all the time IRL. “Listen to him!” they say, then whip out a tire iron and start brutally beating him with it. “NOW—you’re PERMANENTLY TIRED! HAHAHHA!” Two guys in the background laugh “Guess you’ll never get that Pulitzer now, Whiny Man!”
That second panel seems to imply that the end of “Three O’Clock High” (and its quarter-inch-away, in reality, counterpart “Funky Winkerbean”) was not Batton/Batty’s idea.
Since the author-avatar is present in this week’s saga…
Batty has a habit of constructing homophone-based “jokes” (using two words that sound the same), which don’t really work when you realize these characters are talking to each other and therefore wouldn’t hear the “gag.” The “Wallace the Brave” strip from yesterday (2/27) constructs an actual joke about such gags: the first two panels set up a homophone gag, and the third punctures it by having the character not hear any difference.
So I guess this puts to rest the narrative that he voluntarily retired Funky Winkerbean. Which makes it more likely that he’s cramming all those characters into Crankshaft because he’s mad about it.
Honestly, Funky Winkerbean was one of the worst strips ever created. Boring, dull, and … irrelevant. Crankshaft was good when it concentrated on his personality and the ways people interacted with it. Now that he’s basically missing in action, and everything else has sunk back into the uselessness of Winkerbean’s lifestyle, this strip isn’t worth the effort of bookmarking anymore. Please put it out of its misery. Preferably with a chimney fire that takes down the whole neighborhood.
J.J. O'Malley 8 months ago
Well, thank goodness Jfff named the strip Batton used to “craft,” otherwise how would he know what Jfff was referring to?
Bill Thompson 8 months ago
It was nowhere near enough like being hit by a truck.
Bill Thompson 8 months ago
“How did it feel to get fired for doing such a lousy job you lost most of your readers?”
“Readers? Pfui! Who needs them?”
billsplut 8 months ago
I have a feeling Tom does “jokes” like these all the time IRL. “Listen to him!” they say, then whip out a tire iron and start brutally beating him with it. “NOW—you’re PERMANENTLY TIRED! HAHAHHA!” Two guys in the background laugh “Guess you’ll never get that Pulitzer now, Whiny Man!”
Gent 8 months ago
Hit by a truck eh. Which is why you is re-tyred eh.
Gent 8 months ago
Eh but if it gots hit by truck then why it was look like train wreck?
Argythree 8 months ago
I know Cranky is a mess, but he’s a much better read than this stuff. Where’s Cranky?
sueb1863 8 months ago
John: “Buy something or get out.”
Cabbage Jack 8 months ago
“That’s why I decided to just keep doing 3 o’clock high. I just do it in the space labeled ‘the wrinkles.’” Art imitates life with this goober.
seismic-2 Premium Member 8 months ago
For years, Tom’s avatar was Les Moore. Now it’s Keesterman’s mailbox?
Irish53 8 months ago
P 3… I’d rather not
[Unnamed Reader - 14b4ce] 8 months ago
“Semi-retired” translation—-“Somebody offer me a job!! ANY job!!”
puddleglum1066 8 months ago
That second panel seems to imply that the end of “Three O’Clock High” (and its quarter-inch-away, in reality, counterpart “Funky Winkerbean”) was not Batton/Batty’s idea.
Stephen M Dallas 8 months ago
I thought Tom “voluntarily” retired his strip. This seems a tacit admission it was going to be cancelled, as many of us have suspected.
kathleenhicks62 8 months ago
Where is Crankshaft?
puddleglum1066 8 months ago
Since the author-avatar is present in this week’s saga…
Batty has a habit of constructing homophone-based “jokes” (using two words that sound the same), which don’t really work when you realize these characters are talking to each other and therefore wouldn’t hear the “gag.” The “Wallace the Brave” strip from yesterday (2/27) constructs an actual joke about such gags: the first two panels set up a homophone gag, and the third punctures it by having the character not hear any difference.
puddleglum1066 8 months ago
Look at the facial expressions in panel three. Get a room, you two!
And I thought nothing could be worse than Batty’s trademark smirks…
tcayer 8 months ago
Given this strip’s lead time, he probably wrote this right after he stopped doing the other strip.
Mopman 8 months ago
So I guess this puts to rest the narrative that he voluntarily retired Funky Winkerbean. Which makes it more likely that he’s cramming all those characters into Crankshaft because he’s mad about it.
MuddyUSA Premium Member 8 months ago
Hey, trying drawing a toon called Crankshaft and make it funny……..
lemonbaskt 8 months ago
what senior citizen home does he test these jokes at ?
Brian Perler Premium Member 8 months ago
I’m sure Batton Thomas Creator Of The Comic Strip Three O’Clock High will “borrow” that terrible pun to use in one of his “The Wrinkles” strips.
Niko S 8 months ago
Haha so it’s SEMI RE-TIRED
Brent Rosenthal Premium Member 8 months ago
Nice pun!
malatrope56 8 months ago
Honestly, Funky Winkerbean was one of the worst strips ever created. Boring, dull, and … irrelevant. Crankshaft was good when it concentrated on his personality and the ways people interacted with it. Now that he’s basically missing in action, and everything else has sunk back into the uselessness of Winkerbean’s lifestyle, this strip isn’t worth the effort of bookmarking anymore. Please put it out of its misery. Preferably with a chimney fire that takes down the whole neighborhood.
rockyridge1977 8 months ago
Old truckdrivers never die…..they just get their “Peterbilt”!!!!!!