Meanwhile (I’ve always wanted to write that), as the lawsuit burbled along, I figured I just wasn’t creating enough problems for my attorneys and decided to move Crankshaft to another syndicate. My main reason for doing that was fear. Let’s just say the Funky lawsuit didn’t go my way. Where would that leave me and my Funky friends? The possibilities were wide open, and not knowing was a cause for concern. I was also concerned about Crankshaft and Creators Syndicate. Two of Crankshaft’s top sales reps and supporters had left the syndicate, and, given the Funky situation, I was looking for a little more security and growth on the Crankshaft side. I thought I might find it at Universal Press Syndicate, so they were approached and, as it turned out, were interested. Moving Crankshaft to Universal Press would reunite me with John McMeel, who had been my initial stop when I first arrived in New York to try to get my strip syndicated. McMeel had built Universal Press into a powerhouse syndicate. In a time of tumult, I needed a safe harbor, and having Crankshaft there allowed me to lower my anxiety level down to DEFCON 2.
