Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for February 27, 2024

“Bless you!” The words backfire and Batton Thomas goes up in a puff of sulphureous smoke.

Where’s Crankshaft?

Back in November, during this strip’s gripping “Centerville Sentinel Shareholders’ Meeting” arc (which of course was a self-serving paean to the moribund newspaper medium), I commented:

Are we supposed to believe that this threadbare, crowd-funded, small-town fishwrap actually pays a syndicate to run daily comic strips? Perhaps Batton Thomas, Creator of the Nationally Syndicated Comic Strip “Three O’Clock High,” lets them print old cartoons gratis if he’s allowed to work out on someone’s treadmill each day.

Imagine my surprise that I apparently turned out to be right.

Please don’t let those two recreate the VJ-Day grope.

Oh, just kiss him like you had Crank assault that woman a few days ago, Tom! Maybe have him dress up like Flash #123 or Sailor Moon going on a solo car date to the vendo or whatever else is wrong with you!

Batton Thomas leaves, Jfff actually buys something—and can’t find his wallet.

I still get a newspaper. It’s digital now, though. And far smaller. But it still has the comics.

… we’re using it to re-toilet train my father-in-law.

Panel 3 looks like Jeff’s half a second away from grabbing the guy’s derriere while yelling “I like big Battons and I cannot lie!”

Always back to the shabby, dumpy comic book store.

Good griefs. First creepy Cranky sexually assault a random woman walking down the streets and now this creepy guy forcing a hug on unsuspecting victim. And me bets they is gets away with it too because its called….

I stopped subscribing when delivery got erratic.

The challenge with newspapers, as opposed to 98% to 99% of what you read online, is that newspapers have ethical standards they have to adhere to. If I want facts I read newspapers and listen to the national news (or what the GOP calls “lame stream” media). Why does the GOP feel that way? Re-read my second sentence.

A far wider variety of comics is much more easily available to find and read than they ever were in the newspaper era. This allows fans to discover (and support, via Patreon and other portals) all kinds of new and creative artworks.

But by all means, Batty – yearn for the days when the only things we could regularly find were Peanuts reruns, 100 year old stale dinosaurs like Beetle Bailey and corporate schlock like Garfield.

Such a weird flex – boomers yearn for “Good Old Days” that never really were.

Gratitude in action!!!!!

I wish I could still afford a daily newspaper.

Half of a big city newspaper these days is Associated Press Articles because the cheapskates are laying off reporters.Sinclair Co.—-BOOOOOO!!!

It used to be that a daily paper had everything.

Anybody found MILTON BERLE COMICS #1 y et?

Batiuk and Davis are lucky go comics is around,,,,,,,,,,,

Anyone else remember when Tom-boy was once angling for a Pulitzer and did the original weeks-long arc about the evils of newspaper consolidation and news deserts. Now we learn it was really all just about ensuring a place for people to read his funny paper.

“It’s the Consoomers fault my xomixs are being cancelled and not mine for turning everything I touch into xomixboox naval gazing and a psychopath at OMEA”

We still get a news paper but it’s a weekly with no funnies.

\\//_

Read this morning and especially enjoyed. My beloved South Carolina newspaper is switching over to digital in two months. At least I’l be able to access CRANKSHAFT at this site.

They have to take the paper so Crankshaft has something to read in the bathroom.

it looks like mary worth is rubbing up againest a wall today crankshaft cant top that

Because without print media, there’s no way to hang gems like this on your fridge!

Is it still considered sexual assault if the person seems to be enjoying the unrequested physical contact?

The robot is the only one making the appropriate reaction.

I still get a newspaper. Only I read it online, comics and all. I just vsit here (and, CK,) to see strips not carried by the paper I subscribe to. (and, to snark.)

The only way I can make sense of today’s strip is to assume that “Three O’Clock High” and “The Wrinkles” are so terrible that no website is willing to host them.