Crankshaft (Original)

Marc Notes: Selections from the author's comic strip, Crankshaft. Publisher Marketing: Mailboxes beware: Crankshaft's just around the corner!Ed Crankshaft, the lively creation of Tom Batiuk and Chuck Ayers, stars in this "Crankshaft" collection. It's a hilarious depiction of an irritable but endearing school bus driver and life with his daughter Pam, son-in-law, Jeff, and grandchildren, Mindy and Max. With cynical wit and biting humor, Crankshaft sees the world in absolutes. Although he comes across gruff and grumbly, Ed's really an old softy with a keen sense of humor that sometimes surprises even himself. The crafty curmudgeon isn't always tough-relationships with his grandchildren, his cat, Pickles, and the problems of growing older in a rapidly changing world show Crankshaft's more sensitive side. Batiuk (creator of "Funky Winkerbean") and Ayers's unique portrayal of life at the wheel of a school bus has delighted readers since the strip began. Contributor Bio:  Batiuk, Tom Born in Akron, Ohio, Tom Batiuk first had his cartoons published in his elementary school newspaper. After graduating from Kent State University, Tom taught junior high school art. During this time, he conceived the popular comic strip Funky Winkerbean. Tom lives in Medina, Ohio. Like Batiuk, Chuck Ayers was born in Akron and graduated from Kent State. He launched his cartooning career as a staff artist and later editorial cartoonist at the Akron Beacon Journal. His work has been showcased in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, and various school textbooks. He lives in Akron. Online: www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/crank/about.htmContributor Bio:  Ayers, Chuck Born in Akron, Ohio, Tom Batiuk first had his cartoons published in his elementary school newspaper. After graduating from Kent State University, Tom taught junior high school art. During this time, he conceived the popular comic strip Funky Winkerbean. Tom lives in Medina, Ohio. Like Batiuk, Chuck Ayers was born in Akron and graduated from Kent State. He launched his cartooning career as a staff artist and later editorial cartoonist at the Akron Beacon Journal. His work has been showcased in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, and various school textbooks. He lives in Akron. Online: www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/crank/about.htm