Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for June 12, 2024

Yet, somehow, Batiuk is always pleased to put this strip before his readership . . . okay, readerraft.

OMG TOM! I thought that SAME THING like TWELVE TIMES TODAY! GAWD, it’s like you can read your readers’ MINDS!

Enough! When is the BOOK SIGNING? No one reads this strip any more who doesn’t want MONTHLY book signings—with a little Dinkle on the side! ;)

Stop teasing us, Tom! WE WANT HOT NERD BOOK SIGNINGS IN NORTHERN OHIO RUST BELT TOWNS! (Tom: You can use that for your next book title!)

Hate to tell ya, Phil, but that’s not chocolate.

Where’s Cranky?

That is because after they refused to return your original art they used it for floormats on rainy days.

What is this? The “Old Comic Book Artists’ Home”?

“Hey – Pete, shouldn’t you be at Montoni’s?”

“Oh, it’s OK – Mindy can run the register, wait the tables, cook the pizzas, clean the tables, wash the dishes, mop the floor, sweep the sidewalk, and clean the ovens by herself!”

Yup, the long dead Jack Kirby clone is still obnoxious.

Well.. ya knows, it’s called printing!

…….old comic books!!!!!

Considering the overall quality of art and printing in comic books back when the cheapest newsprint was used, the artist has a fair point. But not with the omnibus publisher.

You know what else is missing in today’s strip besides Crankshaft? The tombatiuk.com/books URL wedged between the panels, like he usually puts there.

What’s the matter? Is today’s strip not a good time for you to tell people to buy your comics, Tom? Why ever would that be the case, hm?

Tomorrow—Winky,Blinky,and Noddy arrive to liven things up

the big decision get it signed in sharpie or fountain pen or maybe crayon

Would be better if they had shot the omnibus pages from a real cannon.

Shooting from the actual comic books and printing with a Hershey bar? Probably still looks better than they did Back In The Day, then.

This might be the dumbest comic in the history of the world.

“Artists are never happy with how their work is printed.”

In this case, Phil drew these comics to be printed on a cheap press with poor register, using cheaper inks, on the cheapest pre-yellowed newsprint (one step above toilet paper). The omnibus prints them on acid-free white paper, on a high-quality press, using the finest inks that will remain color-fast for decades, and probably a bit oversize to boot. No wonder Phil isn’t happy—this library-quality printing shows up all the flaws and cut corners that he figured weren’t worth fixing for a read-it-once-and-throw-it-away ten cent comic book.

Wowie…Gee whiz…that is funny…………………..NOT!

The guy in the blue shirt could pass for Mr. Ed.

i started reading my swamp thing box set but im not gonna ask pete if he knows alan moore

P 2: OMG!…So funny!…(Smirk)

would it kill Batiuk to have his characters NOT constantly figuratively sucking each others dick?