Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for May 02, 2024

“Name three things that have never been together but once, and 1 of the three is awful.”

“Oh, no, there are no small animals in it!”

So, after declaring himself Hemingway during Les’s Lisa Story, now he’s Spiegelman and Lee. Tommy Boy, you just ain’t never get over losing that Pulitzer ever, are you?

Well, now…this time it’s Lena, manager of the school bus garage and baker of inedible brownies, making her first appearance in the Village Booksmith because…someone she’s never heard of is signing copies of a book whose subject she doesn’t know? Who wouldn’t show up for that? Yes, this is certainly “a quarter-inch from reality.”

By the by, Lena, the book’s cover has a guy in a marching band outfit carrying a marching band drum. Why on Earth would you assume Dinkleberg was saying “banned book”?

My guess would be that she isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer – kind of like you, jj.

It a typo see. What he meaning to say is it a bland book.

I read a band book once…it was called Band of Brothers

I thought that was surprisingly clever, considering what usually passes for funny wordplay.

Uh…what??

(Sad Trombone) “muah muah muaaaaahh…!”

Oh geez, it took me a minute. Band vs banned. Now I got it.

I bought Maus. It can be traumatic, but it’s a good read. I gave it to my oldest great-granddaughter, but she hasn’t read it yet.

So we’ve had 4 weeks of book signings this year. 25% of 2024 Crankshaft is the worst people from Funky Winkerbean signing books in various locations. I’m officially Team The Burnings.

Where’s Monty?

What? I was looking for a new character for a change!

Where’s Cranky? I’ve had more than enough of this boring character…..Zzzzzzz.

No, Lena, it’s a Ban® book: it stinks so bad it needs a whole case of deodorant!

Sorry, that’s the best I can do given the source material.

the ghost of pop clutch will visit the store next

Normally banning a book is intended to prevent people from reading it. The content should do that by itself.

Now it’s ON! Wordplay in the strip that’s not done by Ed or one of Ed’s family that’s poking fun at him? Sacrilege!

At least he chose an example from both sides of the aisle; TKaM was banned by people on the left for racist language and Maus was banned by people on the right for profanity and (mouse) nudity.

What????

….not even close!!!!

Look at the cover again, lady…

DEA is investigating whether Dinkle’s book is an admission of his using hallucinogens.

LOVE today’s strip!! Hilarious. Took me awhile to figure it out. Couldn’t read the title of the books on the table easily, which is the basis if the joke.

Will they ban the U S Constitution or the Bible next?

Two nitwits separated by a common language.

Like Stars and Stripes Forever.

About 200 pages, 140 of them boring