Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for October 03, 2024

You know, it occurs to me that maybe this angry mob is not concerned about vulgar language, sexuality, or anti-government themes. They are in fact a dedicated group of Metric System zealots who object to Fahrenheit 451‘s title and are demanding it immediately be changed to Celsius 232.778. "And while you’re at it, can you change the name of Jules Verne’s book to 96,561 Kilometers Under the Sea?"

Um, yes, Lizard Lil, I think the angry villagers have heard about this book. Now soothe them with a quote that will suddenly make them see reason. That works on all the After School Specials!

I met Ray Bradbury and told him that the novel was a good thing!

While this strip is showing ignorant opposition to what most of us understand as a classic novel, how far do we go down the road of forcing children to read things their parents don’t want them to read? Do we insist “Heather Has Two Mommies” be read in grade school? How about “Bobby Learns To Play With Himself”? If a community deems a book not appropriate for the age level of the students being required to read it, do the teachers who “know better” make them read it anyway? Remember, even in this arc, “Fahrenheit 451” is NOT banned — it’s for sale in bookstores (as are “Heather” and “Bobby”) for parents who DO want their children to read them. Or the library!

I’m not sure I like the direction this arc seems to be going anymore.

The mob proved the writing’s fiction as reality.

What is a more dangerous lesson for a kid – foul language, or the use of fire to get rid of things someone doesn’t like?

“And what ‘wrong lesson’ might that be?”

“Um… ‘bad ones!’”

Have any of you actually read the book? Remember the fatwa issued against Salmon Rushdie for Satanic Verses? Turns out none of the outraged Muslim clergy had actually read the book. They had no idea what they were outraged about.

…and thus, the verbal barrage begins.

I was hoping for an extremely unexpected twist like the gargoyle would actually try to sell the books. When you own a seemingly insolvent enterprise, every sale might be critical. Never miss a sales opportunity. Once a salesman always a salesman.

Lillian: “Copies of the book I’m holding are for sale upstairs in my bookstore for $22.99, not including sales tax. Now, who wants a copy?”

Mob: “GET HER!”

Lillian: “RUN AWAY! YAAHHHHH!!!”

Meanwhile, in Westview, the ghost of the Dead St. Lisa warns a slumbering Les Moore to stay away from the heated exchange at Lillian’s bookstore.

Batty: “Oh, this is SURE to get me that Pew-litzer Prize!”

“That book has nothing to do about Les’ suffering while his wife was dying of cancer.”

Hey protestors, that book ain’t even part of the school’s syllabus where your kids is at. This is all some steenky sham scam by that goateed clown in your town called Less Moore. Yours kids would not travels all the way to this another town to gets a book which not in theirs school syllabus in the first place and also when that book is easily available everywhere too. You shoulda be letting Less Moore have it now for trying to scams yours kids. But noooo. It’s called… You knows what it’s called.

Lil probably never read the book

If all these people showed up to burn the place down and protest, then one of the students must have “spilled the beans“ and told them that the books were now at Lillian‘s shop.

Stunned by her charismatic appearance and brilliant argument, they all said “okay” at once, turned and walked away.

It’s really a shame that Batty chickened out and made this about a book that really isn’t challenged much any more like Fahrenheit 451, instead of addressing the real issue and making it about a books with themes about racism or LGBTQ issues.

What could have been a reasonably powerful storyline about advocacy and being an ally is instead descending into meaningless pap.

Should have used Huckleberry Finn as the banned book. It’s an American literary classic with objectionable language. A real issue surrounding the supposed or not danger of a single written word.

Umm… Spoiler alert, Lillian… They don’t give a crap!

The angry mob is listening very respectfully.

Good for Lillian! She is telling this crowd just what they should be hearing now. Like a lot of weak minded people, they listen to the loudest, biggest, mouth and take it for truth. Pathetic!

Lillian has a point Book burners are trying to curtail education. Your past dictates who you are. Your future allows you to decide who you SHOULD be.

In today’s society, especially in the U.S., we seem to be living in a growingly dystopian landscape when it comes to censorship and free speech. Florida, under Governor Ron DeSantis, has become a prime example of this, where books are being banned as part of a larger culture war against what some call “wokeism.” These actions are tied to agendas like Project 2025, which aim to reshape the education system and limit exposure to ideas that don’t align with conservative beliefs.

But what do we lose when we start banning books and silencing voices? When we close our minds to opposing viewpoints, we harm ourselves by becoming less informed and less aware of the world around us. It’s not about agreeing with every perspective or adopting every idea, but allowing their existence. By engaging with diverse thoughts, we raise our social consciousness and make better, more informed decisions.

Censorship—whether it’s through banning books or cancel culture—threatens our freedoms and the very democracy that makes our country strong. The dangers of limiting access to ideas were highlighted in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, where the suppression of thought led to a society deprived of freedom. Likewise, if we choose to shut out what challenges our beliefs, we risk falling into a similar trap. It’s vital to allow the free exchange of ideas if we want to protect the values of liberty and democracy that we hold dear.

Gallant effort, Lillian, but I don’t think you’ll change the haters’ minds.

That this stupid story hinges on the “I’m rubber, you’re glue” defense is so fricking on brand for Tom Batihack.

I agree, they are teaching the wrong thing. :J

larry king here folks tonight we have legend in his own mind comic strip author tom batiuk and we explore the new craze of dipping dill pickle in crab dip right back after these words from garlique

Sorry….you aint’t gonna change their mind!!!!!

P 4 (Lil): “…. Now get offa’ my lawn before I sic my dogs on your useless a$$es…”

After 40 days of buildup, we are now finally at the point where Lillian directly confronts a group of protestors. Her first retort to their complaints:

“no u”

Incredible. She is so brave. Bravo Tom, what a powerful strip you have penned.

They don’t want their kids to grow up smarter than they are—-but that’ll happen automatically

You better read t he book—-Hollywood botched the movie version

Banning, burning and removing books is brought by ignorance to promote ignorance. NO book should be banned in the U.S. NONE

The chants rose like a tidal wave—"Ban that book! Ban that book!"—echoing through the small town square, once quiet and quaint, now twisted with rage. The target of their fury was unmistakable: Fahrenheit 451. “Save our children’s minds!” they screamed.

The crowd surged, their faces a blur of righteous anger, fists clutching signs as if they were weapons. Violence simmered just beneath the surface. Ed felt it. He had seen this before, long ago in a different world—uniforms, flags, and boots trampling over freedom, over voices, over humanity. World War II was never far from his thoughts, not when he looked into a crowd like this. Fascism wore many faces, and today it stood before him, cloaked in moral superiority.

He stepped forward, steady and unshaken, the weight of his years etched into his hardened jaw. “What do we gain from banning this book?” His voice cut through the chants, cold and sharp. The crowd paused, but the fire in their eyes remained. “When we close our minds and shut out ideas, we gain nothing. But we lose everything.”

Lillian moved beside him, lifting Fahrenheit 451 high like a banner, defiant. Her voice was as steady as Ed’s, but there was fire in it. “Anyone here with the guts to take this book from me—step forward. Right now.”

A crack from the crowd, wild and venomous: “We’ll burn your place to the ground!”

Lillian smiled. Not out of fear, but out of something else, something deeper. “Burn it all down if you like,” she said, her words steady as stone. “But you’ll never burn this from our hearts, our minds—the fight to be free, to express ourselves, to stand against fascism, to preserve liberty. These are the principles this country was built on. We are not a nation of one idea. We are a melting pot of many.”

The crowd seethed, but the fire in their chants was met by a stronger one, a fire that could never be extinguished. Freedom, like books, might be challenged, but it could never be erased.

Amazing that anyone can see anything at all with just a sliver of a moon.

“This is the book you want to prevent me from offering to your daughters and sons! It’s by Ray Bradbury and it’s called Fahrenheit 451. It’s about burning books. If you want to burn it yourself, you’ll have to come upstairs and buy a copy. $24.95 for hardback, $14.95 in paper. Credit cards accepted, but NO PERSONAL CHECKS! Please form a line to the left, and come up one at a time; the stairs won’t support more than that.”

Apologies to Rich Koz.

Hard to believe the mob didn’t even know what they were protesting, but, I guess, here we are.

That book is teaching our kids the wrong lessons!

After several weeks, this is the closest we’ve come to hearing the opposing side of the issue. Batty’s primary argument appears to be that those who oppose banned books do so solely because they are banned. While this perspective has some merit, it is also tautological: if a book is banned by the school, it shouldn’t be available or distributed by school representatives. So why aren’t these individuals protesting the school itself, particularly the teacher Best Actress Award Winner Les Moore? Instead of targeting the distribution point, why not protest the actual source of the calamity?

Why did Batty illogically force the scene of confrontation from Westview High to the steps of The Village Booksmith in the next municipality over? Why was Batty so insistent on making Lillian his mouthpiece?

Honestly, this overly long piece could have been written more effectively by actual high school students, rather than by Batty, who seems more focused on congratulating himself for opposing censorship while relying on the most obvious example of it.

Got that right and that future may already be here….

Enjoyed the back-n-forth in today’s comments so far; it’s a fun read.

“Have YOU read the book?”

“Of COURSE not. It was banned by our school!”

Why does Lillian feel the need to introduce the book and author to the crowd? They already know about the book. That’s the MacGuffin driving this weird wonder tale. At this rate, this story will still be plodding on around Thanksgiving.

Lillian should read from one of her mysteries. That ought to disperse the crowd real quick.

I once, at a fabulous gathering of relatives in-laws and friends made a poor choice of words and told the assemblage, “AS an only child, I played with myself a lot.” I of course meant “by myself” and not “with myself”, however that malaprop is still referred to at family gatherings.

I think it is pathetic that you use your platform to defend the principle of giving porn to elementary students and portraying concerned parents as arsonists.

Calling books “banned” is a red herring. They have merely been relocated so that young children cannot access them without parental consent. This is something all responsible adults favor.

If you’re afraid reading a book will change someone’s way of thinking you’re not afraid of books, you’re afraid of thinking.

Thank you again, Batuk! The fact that so many readers don’t support this story line is sad but also a little scary. I am absolutely for separating books by maturity level, not banning one outright. The irony is that when it happens , teens just want to read them even more!

Attagirl! Tell them!

The book banners doesn’t realize that in Farenheit 451 (nearly) ALL books have been banned. Isn’t that the goal they’re reaching for?

Art Dept.: What happened to the garage stairs in panel #1? It looks like they collapsed. The stairs are no longer parallel to the handrail. For contrast, check out the stairs in panel #2 of yesterday’s comic where they are much steeper.

“That book is teaching our children how cool arson is.”

Get back to burning Lillian’s house, burners

I wouldn’t mind checking out Ray’s book “The Halloween Tree”

I applaud the parents in the strip standing up for their children. An old busybody has not right exposing someone else’s child to something that the parents objected to. Of course the strip will make parents that care look like the bad guys. Perhaps if more parents in the real world took more interest in their children, the world would be a better place.

I’ve never heard of anyone trying to ban any books in the US except teaching the historical value of the Bible in California. Books are routinely edited for sex, violence and language to make them suitable for a particular age group.

Telling a child, especially a teenager that he is not allowed to read a book is a sure way to get him to read it.

Enough already with the banned books. Please move on to a new story line.