Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for July 16, 2024

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    Bill Thompson  4 months ago

    At least he ditched that 1937 Batiukmobile.

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    wherescrankshaft  4 months ago

    Panel 3: Eugene is mid-air leaping away from the car as Crankshaft backs his bus into the parking spot.

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    Kitty Queen  4 months ago

    Old memories, I need a time machine.

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    French Persons Premium Member 4 months ago

    Batty was watching movies on “The Hallmark Channel” and got inspired..

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    Gent  4 months ago

    Geez man there sometheeng called gets over it and gets on with life. It’s called moving on. What a loser.

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    Gent  4 months ago

    Yeah what a loser indeeds. If me was writes letter to anyone expecting response then me woulda makes sure the person is get the letter and has seen and reads the letter instead of assumings the steenky old “if ya no respond to letter then it means your answer is no” trope like a lazy half-witted dimwit. How’d ya knows that she even receives the letter in the first place? Anyone with a half a brain woulda confronts the person in person and makes sure why no response and ask whether she gots the letter or not in the first place. And now we supposed to has sympathy for this irrefutably imbecile character? It’s called sympathising?

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    bobpickett1  4 months ago

    Trees will grow, more shade now.

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    Ken Gagne Premium Member 4 months ago

    The real surprise is that the beach park hasn’t been flattened to make way for condos.

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    Foob  4 months ago

    AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

    Good one, Tom!

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    rockyridge1977  4 months ago

    Flashback to “A Wonderful Life”!!!!!

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    Daltongang Premium Member 4 months ago

    Now THAT’S the smartest thing they have had to say all day.

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    puddleglum1066  4 months ago

    I’m calling it now: this “story” will have Eugene writing a book about his lost love, which becomes a bestseller, maybe even a P. U. Litzer Prize winner. There will be a signing at Lilliopsaurus’s “bookstore,” at which Lil confesses how she stole the letter so her sister wouldn’t see it. Eugene will console her, saying that if she hadn’t stolen the proposal he never would have become that highest form of human life, an author.

    You read it here first!

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    tcayer  4 months ago

    So those cars are like, mid ’30’s. They are at least 20 in the first pic. That makes him 115 in the second pic. Or 105, if we’re still 10 years behind…

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    tcayer  4 months ago

    So because he didn’t marry her, he stayed true in case she ever changed her mind. And she died a lonely old spinster. And he’s returned to this spot on their “anniversary” every year since 1935.

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    Crandlemire  4 months ago

    I want to share with you something amazing. Yesterday I I wrote a scene about a couple Rose and Tom — I wrote the draft and then ran it through ChatGPT to improve and fill it out in more detail — the story was really good. Today I took a screenshot of this comic and asked ChatGPT to continue on with the story — here is what it gave me — this is 100% ChatGPT.

    Analyze This comic strip and what’s going on and then continue on with the story based on what you see.

    In the comic strip, the left panel shows a young couple, likely Rose and Tom, arriving at Summit Beach Park in a vintage car. Tom is opening the car door for Rose, who appears to be in high spirits, dressed in a polka-dot dress, as they prepare to enjoy their day at the park. The setting is nostalgic, capturing the essence of a simpler, more innocent time.

    In the right panel, an elderly man, presumably Tom, stands in the now-deserted parking lot of the same Summit Beach Park. He looks wistful, wearing a hat and a shirt reminiscent of his younger days, gazing at the once vibrant place now quiet and empty, save for a single car.

    Continuation of the StoryRose placed the photo back on her nightstand, her heart heavy with the weight of the years gone by. She stood up, feeling the familiar ache in her bones, and walked to the window. The sun had risen fully now, casting a warm glow over her garden, a reminder of the relentless march of time.

    In that moment, her thoughts drifted back to Tom. She wondered how he was, if he, too, reminisced about their days at Summit Beach Park. She imagined him standing there, just as she remembered, his eyes filled with the same mix of longing and love that she felt.(continued below)

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    Crandlemire  4 months ago

    Across town, Tom was indeed standing in the parking lot of Summit Beach Park. The once bustling boardwalk was now quiet, the echoes of laughter and the scent of the ocean breeze long gone. He touched the brim of his hat, a habit he never lost, and smiled faintly. The memories of those summer days with Rose flooded back, filling him with a warmth that defied the years.

    Tom walked slowly to the edge of the boardwalk, the wood creaking beneath his feet, just as it had so many years ago. He closed his eyes and let the memories wash over him. The feel of Rose’s hand in his, the sound of her laughter, and the way the sun would set, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink.

    Back in her room, Rose felt a sudden urge to visit the park. She hadn’t been there in years, but today felt different. She dressed with care, choosing a simple dress and a sunhat, and made her way to her car.

    As she drove, the familiar landmarks guided her, each turn bringing her closer to the past. When she finally arrived, she saw him, standing at the edge of the boardwalk. Her heart skipped a beat. She stepped out of the car, her steps hesitant but filled with purpose.

    “Tom,” she called softly.

    He turned, and for a moment, time stood still. The years melted away as their eyes met, filled with the shared memories of a love that had never faded. They walked towards each other, and as their hands clasped together once more, they felt the same warmth, the same connection that had bound them so many summers ago at Summit Beach Park.

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    mfrasca  4 months ago

    Fun fact: Summit Beach Park’s Crystal Pool—“the biggest tile pool in the world!”—was closed to Black people.

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    WesC Premium Member 4 months ago

    Wasn’t there an arc a few years ago where Lilian met Eugene and confessed? He had had moved on with his life and although sad, the event was only a vague memory. Or did I remember that wrong?

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    J.J. O'Malley  4 months ago

    Well, this storyline may be dead on arrival (much like Lillian herself), but just cast your peepers on that sweet vintage trashcan. You’ve got a wide-open shot to toss in your drained Moxie bottle, your empty Sweet Caporal cigarette package and matchbox, those discarded White Tower hamburger wrappers, and all your other detritus. No narrow side slots to aim for like its modern-day descendant and no wondering what’s recyclable and what isn’t. It was truly a Golden Age of Garbage…and Batiuk’s about to add to it.

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    ms-ss  4 months ago

    Looks like it has kept up with the times, and not fallen into disrepair.

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    lemonbaskt  4 months ago

    how do you put a picture in the circle next to your name ?

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    kathleenhicks62  4 months ago

    When Crankshaft is back I will look!

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    chief tommy  4 months ago

    Sweet old guy

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    Strawberry King  4 months ago

    My, how times have changed.

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    lawguy05  4 months ago

    Don’t see that today. More is the pity.

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    raybarb44  4 months ago

    Nothing stays the same…..

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    KenHelmick  4 months ago

    Yeah, about the trees. We have a photo of Mom and Dad on their first date, circa maybe 1956. They are sitting under a large tree in a meadow on a hillside. About 15 years ago, Dad asked me to find the spot for him … it was impossible because that hillside is now heavily forested with large trees. I went to Google Earth and couldn’t find an opening within a square mile of the spot.

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