Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for June 10, 2024

I heard Mopey Pete say “Work” in the Maynard G. Krebs voice.

Do it! Maybe a pilgrimage to meet the Wizard of Odd will let us miss the movie’s premiere.

Thank goodness Jfff is holding that book where he is in Panel Two, lest daughter Mindy see the Brobdingnagian fanboy reaction to Mopey’s offer taking place in his nether regions.

Also, this is basically a rehash of the July 12, 2023 strip, wherein Pete invited Jfff to go with him and the Atomik Komix Bullpen to the San Diego Comic-Con, to which Jfff’s Inner Homunculus began braying “Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!” Can’t wait to see how Batiuk repurposes the “joke” next year.

Huh, I guess Batiuk remembered that Flash’s last name is supposed to be “Freeman” again. Now he can explain why Mopey Pete’s last name changed…

Oy vey…. Howdy-Dooty boy is back..

“Hey – shouldn’t you guys be at Montoni’s, since you’re the only employees and it was supposed to open two hours ago?”

Pete and Mindy look at eahc ohter.

Pete: “Uh-oh.”

And me thoughts only ghost of St Lisa was haunts around here. Now we gots creepy kid ghost too.

“Ya knows me was work with Flash Freeman see. Ya knows me was works in komix see. Me was one of top guys in komix publication company too see. Me most favourite theeng in life is komix see. Me whole life was all bout komix see. Which is why me was leaves great job in komix and tooks over pizza joint see, even when me not even knows anything about even making a cup of coffee see. Because it’s called…ya knows what it called see.”

While you’re at it take him to meet Zanzibar.

Where’s Matty?

Yay! More comics fawning!

So did Mindy, but she’s a goil so she can’t talk or have agency, just smirk.

I couldn’t help but notice that Flash Freeman sort of matches with Friz Freleng, nice touch.

\\//_

That would be a nice treat.

Flash Freeman, now there is a name I haven’t heard in a long time. Along with his sidekick Phil Holt.

Creator of Starbuck, The Lone Ranger of Space, who once had been a member of a group called the Lunar Cadets. A mercenary for hire for the right cause.

This could be good.

Since I don’t have a brain cell working, sounds great!

With Disney’s complete control of Indiana Jones since acquiring Lucasfilm, I was surprised that the “real” Starbuck Jones was not licensed for comic books, especially considering that Star Wars is licensed to both IDW and Marvel.

Meanwhile, Jff sits there with a blissed-out expression on his face, already halfway through the book of blank pages the postman delivered yesterday. Just as he is fantasizing his annoying little homunculus, he is also fantasizing that there are exciting, action-packed space-opera comic strips in that book. Y’know, the ones Batty couldn’t be bothered to write and show us.

Can’t deny the inner child!!!!!

hey dont you two dopes have tables to move and pizza to burn

Geez………

Wayne Boring actually was NOT boring…..

His inner child is rearing its head.

Maybe, if we’re lucky, find out that Atomik Vanity Komix has gone out of business without Mopey Pete.

We can only hope.

“Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!” That will be Mopey’s Mantra on his wedding night. Meanwhile, Arm Candy smirks at him for getting him out of his green crosshatched shirt and into a blue crosshatched shirt.

It’s the return of the CLB. I’ll bet Jff got bullied a lot as a youngster, not because he was a nerd, but because he was a creepy little b*stard. That toothy grin is the stuff of nightmares.

Yes !!!!

Jff’s daughter worked at Atomik Komix along with Mopey Pete. Is Batyuk trying to tell us Mindy never once mentioned to her father, a Silver Age Comix nerd, that she worked in the same office as the legendary Flash Freeman? That’s a little hard to believe. Hardly a quarter inch from reality.

Cutting Batyuk some slack, we can possibly write this off as Mopey Pete not being smart enough to realize Jff already knows.

I guess I have to post this, since no one else did. Where’s Cranky?