Crankshaft (comic strip)
Encyclopedia
Crankshaft is an eponymous comic strip
about an elderly, curmudgeonly school bus
driver which debuted on June 8, 1987. Written by Tom Batiuk
and drawn by Chuck Ayers, Crankshaft is a spin-off
from Batiuk’s comic strip Funky Winkerbean
.
Ed (Edward Roger Dale) Crankshaft, Sr. is a widower with two daughters, Pam and Chris (he had a son [Eddie] who died as an infant). Crankshaft is a World War II
veteran who, in his youth, was an aspiring baseball
player who never made it to the major leagues (he played for the Toledo Mud Hens
at his highest level). Pam, who is a major fixture, is married to Jeff and has two children, son Max and daughter Mindy. Chris (who according to the storyline lives in New York City
) occasionally appears in the strips. Crankshaft drives a school bus
for a living and is part of the company bowling
team (though he is not a great bowler). The continuity of the strip is as much as twenty years behind that of Funky Winkerbean
; strips in both comics in August and September of 2011 show a character in the latter strip, a high school teacher with a daughter of her own, as a college-age student in the former.
Crankshaft is known for recurring running gag
s, such as:
Batiuk has tackled many serious issues in the strip, including:
Crankshaft often features flashback scenes involving Ed (or one of his friends) as a younger individual. Between Thanksgiving
and Christmas
of 2005, flashback scenes were used extensively in a storyline that had Ed and several of his war buddies visiting the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.
Daily strips commencing July 20, 2009 appear to show Ed Crankshaft in a state of grave decline, his life flashing before his eyes as he attends a Little League baseball game. This narrative development was immediately preceded by the death of Tom Batiuk's father, Martin. It was later revealed to be a fast forward, and the strip went back to more familiar adventures the next week.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
about an elderly, curmudgeonly school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
driver which debuted on June 8, 1987. Written by Tom Batiuk
Tom Batiuk
Tom Batiuk is an American comic strip creator. His best-known comic strip is Funky Winkerbean.Batiuk attended Kent State University, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in painting. He went on to teach art in junior high school...
and drawn by Chuck Ayers, Crankshaft is a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
from Batiuk’s comic strip Funky Winkerbean
Funky Winkerbean
Funky Winkerbean is a comic strip created by high school teacher Tom Batiuk , which debuted on March 27, 1972.The strip is centered on Westview High School and initially focused on several of its students: the title character, Funky Winkerbean, Crazy Harry Klinghorn, Barry Balderman, Bull Bushka,...
.
Ed (Edward Roger Dale) Crankshaft, Sr. is a widower with two daughters, Pam and Chris (he had a son [Eddie] who died as an infant). Crankshaft is a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran who, in his youth, was an aspiring baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who never made it to the major leagues (he played for the Toledo Mud Hens
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...
at his highest level). Pam, who is a major fixture, is married to Jeff and has two children, son Max and daughter Mindy. Chris (who according to the storyline lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
) occasionally appears in the strips. Crankshaft drives a school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
for a living and is part of the company bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
team (though he is not a great bowler). The continuity of the strip is as much as twenty years behind that of Funky Winkerbean
Funky Winkerbean
Funky Winkerbean is a comic strip created by high school teacher Tom Batiuk , which debuted on March 27, 1972.The strip is centered on Westview High School and initially focused on several of its students: the title character, Funky Winkerbean, Crazy Harry Klinghorn, Barry Balderman, Bull Bushka,...
; strips in both comics in August and September of 2011 show a character in the latter strip, a high school teacher with a daughter of her own, as a college-age student in the former.
Crankshaft is known for recurring running gag
Running gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
s, such as:
- all the bus drivers insulting the cooking efforts (especially the brownies and coffee) of Lena, a co-worker
- Crankshaft constantly trying to outrun kids (and their mothers) who miss the bus
- Crankshaft's coming up with different labor-saving gadgets (which often don't work or cause more damage)
- pouring too much lighter fluidAliphatic compoundIn organic chemistry, aliphatic compounds are acyclic or cyclic, non-aromatic carbon compounds.Thus, aliphatic compounds are opposite to aromatic compounds.- Structure :...
on the grillGrill (cooking)A barbecue grill is a device for cooking food by applying heat directly from below. There are several varieties of such grills, with most falling into one of two categories: gas-fueled and charcoal. There is a great debate over the merits of charcoal or gas for use as the cooking method between...
, causing it to explode whenever the grill is lit - neighbor George Keesterman's mailbox getting destroyed on a daily basis by the school bus (although some strips have George Keesterman saving his mail box on time.)
Batiuk has tackled many serious issues in the strip, including:
- Adult literacy: When Crankshaft revealed to his family that he could not read, the strip followed his efforts to learn.
- Alzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
and dementiaDementiaDementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
: One of Crankshaft's friends, Ralph, has a spouse who no longer recognizes him. A neighbor, Lucy McKenzie, also exhibited symptoms and moved to a nursing home. The character died in the March 7th, 2009 strip. - Access to higher education among the poor: Crankshaft recognized that the students on his bus route would never better themselves if they didn't attend college, yet they were too poor to do so. Therefore, Crankshaft sold an extensive collection of movie posters to set up a fund so they could attend college after graduation. However, he never bothered to invest the money, so the students could only attend one semester. In the June 29th, 2011 strip, it's revealed that all the 'roughriders' he sent to one semester of college, have graduated, and since Crankshaft couldn't attend all their graduations, they brought the graduation to his porch.
- Recent history: The anniversary of the May 4, 1970, shooting and killingKent State shootingsThe Kent State shootings—also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre—occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4, 1970...
of Kent State University students by Ohio National Guard troops was commemorated through flashbacks of Pam and Jeff's involvement. It is also revealed that Crankshaft fought in the Battle of NormandyOperation OverlordOperation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
. - RapeRapeRape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
: Crankshaft became the subject of degree of controversy when Batiuk wrote a cartoon that some readers and editors thought trivialized rape by saying that only young, attractive women need to fear sexual assault, implying that rape was in some sense a compliment. It was pulled from publication in at least one paper.
Crankshaft often features flashback scenes involving Ed (or one of his friends) as a younger individual. Between Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
and Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
of 2005, flashback scenes were used extensively in a storyline that had Ed and several of his war buddies visiting the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.
Daily strips commencing July 20, 2009 appear to show Ed Crankshaft in a state of grave decline, his life flashing before his eyes as he attends a Little League baseball game. This narrative development was immediately preceded by the death of Tom Batiuk's father, Martin. It was later revealed to be a fast forward, and the strip went back to more familiar adventures the next week.