Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for April 29, 2024

Yay! It’s Ed Crankshaft! applause sign flashing

Where’s Crankshaft?AT THE BOOK SIGNING! THE SIGNINGS, they NEVER END! Signings, the SIGNINGS! AHH—HAHHA! It is the—SPAAACE MAAADNESS! Everyone has always coveted my ice cream bar! Three WEEKS of book signings—WHAT THE HELLO KITTY IS WRONG WITH THIS STRIP? I hear the DRUMS—always—THE DRUMS, on the sidelines, beating, BEATING—WHEN WILL THEY STOP

(takes big bite out of bar of soap)

“I want to thank you for that, stranger! You let me expose a whole new stadium to my bandleading skills! And their therapists gave me a five percent cut of their fees!”

Well, Ed Whatsisname is indeed back for the first time in over two weeks! More importantly, we’re starting on our third week of book conventions/book signings,where everyone can stand in line and compliment the author…er, stand-in for Baituk! Fun is sure to ensue this round!

Well, another week of this worthless crap!

Tomorrow Crankshaft will talk all about the book signing with his pals ar Dale Evans

Why ol Cranky buying this steenky book? Me never knews he was books reader before? The only theengs he was reads was Bean’s End Catalogues.

“…that was way back before GPS!”

Back when Ed was a cranky toddler.

“Yeah, yeah, just take the book!”

Take a pill.

Wouldn’t Ed say “GSP”?

Did Ed forget the band turkeys???

To whomever it was last week who was like “wait, let Batty cook…let’s see where this is going!” It’s going into week three of Book Signings.

P 4:” ah, who am I kidding….. I did that on purpose… no GPS needed….. hahahaaaaa…”

That must have been the incident that led to Ed being hired as a permanent bus driver. Seeing how they reward negligence and incompetence and hand out awards for those types of things.

Granted, I don’t know much about book signings. But how many authors sign in the middle of the book?

THAT HAPPENED TWO WEEKS AGO!!

Panels One and Two really look like Dinkle’s head was enlarged a bit and pasted over clip art of somebody else.

I like the way the world, which was solid and carefully-drawn and somewhat bright and sunny in the first couple panels, dissolves into blankness punctuated by black scratches when Dinkle delivers the humiliation that serves as a “punch line” today. Seems to perfectly sum up the Batiukverse.

This story is way worse than Groundhog Day. The Ol’ Cranker and the Harry Dinkle! Together again!

I shall not tell a lie!!!!!

Crankshaft don’t cow-tow to this pompous idiot.

Tom Batiuk: Hi gang. Here’s another wild and crazy adventure I’d like to share with you. Brace yourselves. It’s called a book signing! Wheeeeee!!!

Oh, slow down, you madman. We can’t handle all of this excitement.

Tom Batiuk: (standing tall, arms akimbo) You can never get too much of a good old fashioned book signing. Yessiree. As I always say, if there’s something worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.

Readers: (collective groan)

Yep Old Ed has GPS now, Gigantic Prostate Syndrome. He just wishes there were a flow for him to go with.

Remember that? It’s was 10 years ago for me, but only last month for you. I KNOW! Don’t try to figure it out!

ed thought he was getting a branding from bets and tiffany not a book about bugle players

I once played the triangle in a school band…and nobody ever knew it

Errr. The host team’s groundkeepers paid me to take you to any football game at least 75 miles away. They said you and your band were worse than gophers.

What is Batty attempting to demonstrate here? Dinkle and Crankshaft are both dominant, overbearing alpha males. Although they have had disagreements in the past, they appear to be getting along now. Could it be possible that this book signing event has somehow worked its magic and allowed them to forget about their past differences? Let bygones be bygones?

Dinkle: Ed, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

You heard it here first, folks: World peace can finally be achieved through the magic of the most wondrous of events, a book signing. Wow! The more you know.

Wrong Way Crankshaft.

Panel 1 could be a stand alone inside joke comic.

You look familiar. Wait, I know… you’re ostensibly the protagonist of this strip.

Ed will never admit that he was Paid to drive the band to that other school.