Crankshaft by Tom Batiuk and Dan Davis for September 12, 2024

Of course Les, “hero” that he is, isn’t going to tell her that it was his selection and purchase of Fahrenheit 451 in spite of school board policy that led to someone burning down the Booksmeller store.

“And if you see Skip Rawlings, the editor-publisher-reporter of the Daily Birdcage Liner, be sure to tell him what a heroine I am!”

They don’t make mob violence like they used to.

“LAMEVENGERS—ASSEMBLE!” Up stumble The Inedible Pulp, Iron Deficiency Man, Grey-Haired Widow, Captain Why Did I Come In Here Again?, and the Mighty Golly Is My Back SORE! They stand there trying to remember what they’re fighting. For a week. Every book store in the world burns down while they go to Denny’s.

Why can’t Les mail them to the students? Why can’t Les bring them to the classroom and hand it out on the spot?

Lillian is amazing! She’ll show them up

Love this arc!

Welp, since no one else said it… where’s Cranky??? Or have we all just given up…

So now the students will have to travel all the way from Westview to Centerville to get their books? Why can’t the Booksmeller just hand them out to the students on some street corner near the high school? There is absolutely no need for Lillian to get involved in this matter, and it would be better all around if she didn’t.

It is nice to see this strip exploring this particular issue. Every day, I read yet another story about someone burning a store because it has Fahrenheit 451 and all of those schools that won’t allow it to be used in school. Those evil rightwing people will stop at nothing! Next, I expect to see riots in the streets and the burning of all businesses. Thanks for the public service.

Daring and defiant move on Lillian’s part.

\\//_

Now waitsaminute. HER BookSmite it in another town away from HIS town. So you telling me students is has to travels all the way from one town to another to gets some books that is not even accepted by theirs school boards and is completely outta syllabus for exams. What on earth audience is supposed to beliefs this level of concocted poppycock? It’s called writing eh.

And gee. Did she not says that there sometheeng called internet just a week or so ago? But nooo. Lets em comes all the way to another town. What a genius.

Buuuurrrnn IT! Buuuurrrnn IT! Buuuurrrnn IT! Buuuurrrnn IT!

“No need,” Les tells Lillian. “I already called the school janitor, and he’s going to fix everything. By tomorrow morning, the BookSmeller will never have been torched in the first place.”

Maybe Crankshaft will make the delivery……I miss that “ole man”!!!!!!

Brave woman.

do to popular demand in ohio montonis pizza will now be serving dog and cat stew previous owned of course

Everyone responding to today’s strip to say how “brave” Lillian is are apparently forgetting that she’s had F451 in her store the entire time, and that she’s had that same table of “Banned Books” in place since last year at minimum, and no The Burnings has happened to her store at any time despite that.

If The Burnings were an actual threat, then her store should have faced resistance back then, and it didn’t.

In the face of never enduring negative consequences for selling “Banned Books” for the past year, Lillian is stocking more “Banned Books”. Yeah, so brave.

Well, then, what’s important is Les got his way, not that someone’s whole life burned down.

Typical. The arsonists failed to burn what they set out to burn. Now they’ll have to go back and burn down the rubble all over again.

First get your facts. then you can distort them at your leisure"

Mark Twain

I can see this is going to end in a fistfight between Les and Lillian over who is the biggest hero. I hope it happens before they find out the fire was an accident.

This comic story has been banned in Florida and Texas.

I’m sure there’s a story here somewhere, but I can’t see it for the plot holes. Too many questions, not enough consistency.

My willingness to suspend logic only goes so far.

Burn, baby, burn!

How many of the kids are just going to download a digital copy online? Or just read the Cliff Notes and not even read the whole book?

Batyuk’s confusing prose is summed up in two panels. Lillian asks Les if the books for his class were burned. Les says no, only some of them were damaged. I’m confused. Were any copies burned or are we talking about water damage, crushed by falling rubble or something?

So, does that mean it’s first come, first served for the undamaged books? Some kids are just sh*t out of luck? Some kids get a damaged copy?

Les to Student: “You should have gotten to the Booksmeller before the fire. You snooze, you lose.”

Or is Les going to demand the Booksmeller replace the damaged copies? In light of what happened to the store, that’s cold but it would fit Les’s a*hole behavior.

Who would want a book that smells of a burnt building.

taps screen

Huh. It’s 9/13 right now. Where’s (today’s entry for) Crankshaft?

Where is Crankshaft? one LAST TIME!!!!!!