January 1-7
The new year begins in classic Crankshaft fashion, with Ed and neighbor Lillian having a conversation by the backyard birdfeeder.
January 8-28
Ed slips and falls on a sidewalk grate, receives medical treatment and massage therapy. Dinkle makes a Sunday appearance.
January 29-February 4
Harry Dinkle hawks the latest volume of his autobiography.
February 5-11
Jeff and Mitch visit the Komix Korner.
February 12-19
Ed wreaks havoc with a chainsaw at the winter festival.
February 20-25
Ed Crankshaft’s Bean’s End shopping habits are impacted when the delivery drivers go on strike.
February 26-March 3
Jeff meets cartoonist Batton Thomas at the Korner.
March 4-9
Lillian goes for a medical visit.
March 10-17
Ed eagerly awaits his latest delivery from Bean’s End.
March 18-24
The school bus mechanic and Crankshaft discuss modifications to Ed’s bus to help him evade Grandma Johnson.
March 25-31
Ed and his buddies hanging out at Dale Evans.
April 1-8
Ed intends to profit off the solar eclipse as is passes through Centerville.
April 9-14
Ed brings grandson Mitch to the old-timey Centerville Hardware store to learn that it is going out of business.
April 15-20
Lillian and Dinkle hawk their wares at the Ohioana Book Festival.
April 21-27
Famous cartoonist “Bummer Batton” Thomas signs books at Lillian’s store.
April 28-May 4
World’s Greatest Band Director Harry Dinkle signs books at Lillian’s store.
May 5-12
Dinkle enlists Lillian to sing with the Bedside Manor Orchestra.
May 13-19
Mason Jarre shows up at the Valentine Theater. He’s in Ohio to meet with Dinkle, because Mason wants to use the music of Claude Barlow for the soundtrack of the third Starbuck Jones movie. He also wants to hold the movie premiere at the Valentine. Additionally, Mason and Cindy are in town to share with her parents that, at at least 60 years of age, she’s pregnant. Sunday: Ed visits the gym and works with the same snarky, ponytailed trainer that Funky used.
May 20-26
Mason visits Dinkle at home to talk about Claude Barlow.
May 27-June 8
Crankshaft visits Pete and Mindy to have Montoni’s sponsor his “Summer Silver Senior Slow Pitch Softball Society team. Channel One News interviews Matty Kornbluth, a 94-year-old team member.
June 8-16
Pete brings Jeff (and Jeff’s inner child) to the Atomik Komix offices to meet Flash Freeman.
June 17-23
The premiere of Starbuck Jones: The Rise of the Bandelorians at the Valentine Theater.
June 24-30
Mindy moves in with Pete in the apartment above Montoni’s.
July 1-7
Mindy and Pete don helmets and Kevlar vests for a “grill-out” at Crankshaft’s house.
July 8-14
Hannah and Max at the Valentine Theater.
July 15-21
Flashback to the courtship of Lillian’s sister Lucy and her suitor Eugene.
July 22-28
Ed and his buddies hanging out at Dale Evans. Again.
July 29-August 4
Ed is grilling again and there’s smoke everywhere.
August 5-11
Reporter Skip Rawlings shows up at Komix Korner to write a profile of cartoonist Batton Thomas.
August 12-18
Pam and Jeff see Chad and Jeremy or Peter and Jeremy or some shit. Who cares.
August 19-25
More of Skip interviewing TomBat’s alter ego Batton Thomas.
August 26-September 8
Dinkle brings copies of his latest stupid book to give to the choir ladies. Lillian invites him to an author signing at her bookstore, where he encounters Les Moore, and the discussion turns to banned books (dumb, deaf Dinkle mishears this as “BAND books” lol). Les plans on teaching Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 to his literary arts class, but Principal Nate informs him that the book is on the school board’s “not approved” list. Les orders copies from The Booksmeller bookstore in Westview, and broadly hints to his students to pick up and read the book. Skip shows up at Lillian’s Village Booksmith to inform her that the Booksmeller was burned down the night before.
September 9-October 13
Lillian enlists Les, Pete and Mindy, and those stupid twins to move the copies of Fahrenheit 451 to her bookstore. That very night, an unseen figure dumps gasoline on the bookstore’s wooden steps in an attempt to burn down the bookstore. The firefighters arrive quickly and put out the fire before much damage is done. A mob of protesters arrive a short while later shouting “Ban the Booksmith!” Lillian reads to the mob from the controversial tome, and soon another mob–of supporters, mostly FW regulars–arrive to support Lillian.
October 14-20
Crankshaft and Lillian and the autumn leaves.
October 21-November 3
Pete and Mindy, Darren and Jess are joined at Montoni’s by the Pizza Monster. When the power goes out, they pass the time by making up ghost stories that take the form of sideways comics covers.
November 4-10
The Centerville school system employs some stupid methods of dealing with a shortage of bus drivers.
Son of Stuck Funky 