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

Picking a classic. Nice.

The one with the holes rotted in its hull? Poor guy, he has all the will to live of a terminally-depressed kamikaze pilot!

What happens when Lois catches Hi cheating on her?

Please tell me this ends Saturday. I can’t stand it when Tom tells stories with the blistering pace of “Someone Opens an Envelope”!

It’s bad enough that she aged while he didn’t, but why is she wearing that bow tie?

Whatever floats your boat eh.

Ah yes, the rational choice. A couple of 5 gallon pails filled with water up in the front of the canoe and you’re ready for a solo paddle.

So Eugene went ahead and booked a kayak online?

“Get in the boat, see?? I got something to show ya’z, see?? It’s in the lake, see?? But it’s on the bottom, see?? Make sure ya’z takes a deep breath, see??”

Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.

……and cheaper!!!!

Rose and Tom continued their walk along the familiar lakeshore, each step a journey back through time. The modern kayaks and paddleboards felt like foreign objects in a place that held so many of their cherished memories.

Tom paused near a stack of brightly colored kayaks, his gaze fixed on a lone wooden canoe, weathered by time but still sturdy. A young attendant approached, his uniform crisp and clean. “Can I help you, sir?” he asked politely.

Tom pointed to the old canoe. “That one,” he said softly, “we used to take those out all the time.”

The attendant smiled, recognizing the nostalgia in Tom’s eyes. “That old thing? It’s more of a relic now, but it’s still seaworthy. We keep it for sentimental folks like you.”

Rose, catching up to Tom, wrapped her arm around his. “Would you like to take it out one more time?” she asked gently.

Tom nodded, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I would love that.”

With the attendant’s help, they eased the old canoe into the water. Tom took his place at the stern, and Rose settled in the bow, just as they had done so many years ago. As they paddled out onto the serene lake, the years seemed to melt away, leaving only the two of them and the timeless beauty of the water.

The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a golden glow over the lake. Rose and Tom paddled in silence, their hearts full, their souls content. In that moment, they were young again, two lovers on a summer adventure, bound by memories and the enduring strength of their love.

up the creek without a paddle ?

Best dialog of the year (and DQ, Chef T, etc., accuse me of never saying anything good about this strip)!

with the oil of aphrodite and magic dust from the grand wazoo

So there’s more than one boat rental place here?

Good call my friend ….

“Sure pops, you can rent that one. Fifty bucks.”

Three minutes later: “HEY! Where’s that old dude going in my canoe?!”

No one thinks this is as sweet and sentimental as Batty does. It’s more sad, and not in the way you would think!

Ah yes, memories of canoodling in a canoe in the middle of the lake on a warm summers eve. Sadly for Eugene, at his age his “paddle” isn’t up to propelling the canoe.

Going down memory lane is not always a happy one………..

Is Eugene about to drown himself in yet another maudlin and poorly written sacrifice on the alter of “Gimme an Award Please?”

Well they let him rent one without going on-line. Good.

Amazing one of the canoes remain after so many years. I’m not sure it’s safe to ride, though.

WARNING: Latecomers to this strip will not be seated during the suspenseful “Eugene Picks His Canoe” scene.

“I was gonna get a flat bottom, but the girl at the boat house didn’t have one.” — Groucho Marx, Horse Feathers.

Today the roles of Flashback Eugene and Lucy will be played by Hi Flagston from “Hi and Lois” and Bernice Halper from “Luann.”

Where’s Lillian? Eugene wants to reenact the scene from ‘The Godfather: Part II’ where Neri executes Fredo.

Why is everyone so cruel and critical about this strip?

Anyone know if this FW strip I’m thinking of is real or not,and if it is,what date? I asked Batiuk himself,and he didn’t know the date either. I saw it on Wayback Machine,where I read Comics Kingdom. In the strip,Les is on a computer on Zoom or something,aaking to himself how someone so rich can have such “crappy” video quality. I asked SoSF on Twitter,but they haven’t answered. I even looked at NewsBank.