Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for August 05, 2023

Go ahead and buy the Green Lama Omnibus, Pam. It’s cheaper, and it’s about what Jeff deserves after making such an annoyance of himself at Comic-Con.

Yes, folks, there actually was a comic book character known as the Green Lama. An American millionaire who studied Buddhism in Tibet, he sought to spread Buddhist teachings in the U.S. and gained superpowers through the use of “radioactive salts.” This GL debuted in pulp magazines in 1940 and jumped over to comics later that year. He even had a short-lived 1949 radio series and has been revived more than once in the years since.

Oh, and before I forget…COMIC BOOKS! WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL COMIC BOOKS! THEY REARRANGE MY MOLECULES AND MAKE ME WANT TO EAT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES ON THE FRONT PORCH!

Ed, if you come back next week I promise not to make fun of you for 48 hours.

Iron Melon, Deadpoodle and Batuikman look on, irritated. “Ha ha!” they say. “Girls sure are dumb!!” Hey, Tom! Sleeping on the couch again tonight?

Yes, there is a Green Lama omnibus, of comics from the 40s that TB would have no real way to read in 1960, and no, it’s not the Green LLAMA, which would be cool. That llama would never take the poison made for Cuzco!

“No, you ignorant slotcar, the Green Lama is the exciting new breakthrough work about the yeti ruler of a Tibetan monastery. Have you been living in a cave—” (Pmm looks around) “—or can’t you afford the deposit on a good one?”

What better way to retain your shrinking customer base than to be a condescending jerk.

She’s participated in this entire thread, and he can still have her saying, “same difference”???

“I want that comic book with the world’s most punchable face! Martin Shkreli, Elon Musk, same difference!’ “Actually, sweetie, the world’s most punchable face in comics is—OW! STOP PUNCHING MY FACE!!”

”Hey, have you ever heard of Lisa’s Story?”

Sideways Sunday tomorrow?

Been around Crank “way too long”!

He’s in love. Of all the comic book joints in all the towns in all the world she had to walk into this one.

CHRISTMAS PRESENT?! It’s not even Labor Day yet!

I hope there really IS a Green Lama omnibus! Anyone interested in finding out more about this golden age superhero can search the amazing Digital Comics Museum (https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/). It is truly one of the web’s great treasures!

That lantern does not look like a lama.

Because there’s NO chance he would buy it for himself in the next four months.

The original Green Lama pulp stores from the 1930s are available on Amazon in ebook and audiobook format. I recommend them if you like pulp adventures, especially the earlier stories. The ebooks and audiobooks were first sold by RadioArchives.com. They have several other pulp heroes’ stores for sale for any interested.

There are plenty of wives who get comics and love the history! I hope to see this one read one of her husband’s favorites-she might just like them too!

Since you are buying it….

She actually looks pleased about the fact that she doesn’t know everything about comic books… not even everything that her husband has already told her.

Somebody has a crush!

I dont think Pam knows much about Marvel and DC comic books

unrelated note: If Roberta Blackburn (Becky Blackburn’s mother, who debuted in Funky Winkerbean), ever finds out that The Boys By Garth Ennis (Garth Ennis’s deconstruction of superheroes, and there’s a lot of swearing an other stuff i cant say on this website), she’ll probably drop dead of pure, utter shock

DC did had an anthropomorphic version of Green Lantern called ’ Green Lambkin’.

I’m surprised he didn’t throw her out the door after she got the name wrong. Blasphemy!

Tom Batiuk: I like comic books.

(grins awkwardly and walks away)

Why does Dead Skunkhead say Jeff was looking for that Green Lantern Omnibus? Jeff had it in his hands. He found it!

Was Jeff still telling everyone he was looking for the book after he had already found it? You found it, Jeff. You can stop looking.

It was a comic book that “rearranged his molecules”. In other words, a life-changing comic book. If the comic book was so special, why didn’t he buy it while he was in the store? Why risk someone else buying it?

Perhaps Jeff asked Pam to give it to him for Christmas? He even showed her where to get it. It kind of ruins the surprise Christmas morning, though, doesn’t it?

Pam has repeatedly demonstrated she doesn’t know one superhero from another. What if Dead Skunkhead sold Pam the Green Lama book she requested? I’d love to see Jeff’s face when he opens the Christmas gift containing the wrong book. (Sign in the Komix Korner behind the register, “ALL SALES ARE FINAL”).

I never thought I’d miss Cranky…

YOU CAN HEAR THOSE SHOWS ON RADIO CLASSICS ON SIRIUS XM

No. No, Pam, they’re not. SMH (/_<)