The Tinkerer’s Handbook, Page 1 (of 8)

Comic Transcripts

[[A banner at the top says: “CONVERTING EVERYTHING TO COAL POWER [How to do it terribly – expensively – and with great difficulty]”]]

[[Another banner states: “WONDERMARK’S” “Nominally-essential” “Tinkerer’s Handbook” “The magazine for people who cannot leave well enough alone”. A woman is shown operating some sort of water pump.]]

[[A badge reads: “TAKE IT APART”]]

[[Three pictures on the side state “CUT IT”, “HIT IT”, and “STUFF IT”, depicting a screwdriver of some sort, a hammer hitting a nail, and two hands grasping a piece of wood.]]

[[A newspaper-style block of text reads: “LET US MEDDLE.” A rallying cry for a generation.]]
Newspaper text: Such are the benefits afforded us all by the unending march of Progress, that each new dawn finds many a person safe, fed, clothed and sheltered. A citizen of our modern era rarely finds him- or herself in a deadly battle for survival, as was common for the first generations of Mankind. Thus do our bodies, evolved for and hardened by constant struggle, often find themselves idle; and without some constant whetting, thus swiftly begins the degenerative process of death.
Newspaper text: Some people have rebelled against this notion, and constantly keep on the move, busying themselves with the creation of novel problems and competing to find overly-elaborate ways to solve them. This magazine is our attempt to cash in on that demographic.

[[A banner at the bottom reads: “Over 2 projects inside”]]

{{alt-text: ‘We have taken a gamble as to whether people will pay 8.95 to feel like they are the sort who would invent something, given the time, and it seems to be paying off.’}}

The Tinkerer’s Handbook, Page 1 (of 8) transcribed by in

[[A banner at the top says: “CONVERTING EVERYTHING TO COAL POWER [How to do it terribly – expensively – and with great difficulty]”]]

[[A badge reads: “TAKE IT APART”]]

[[Three pictures on the side state “CUT IT”, “HIT IT”, and “STUFF IT”, depicting a screwdriver of some sort, a hammer hitting a nail, and two hands grasping a piece of wood.]]

[[A banner at the bottom reads: “Over 2 projects inside”]]

{{alt-text: ‘We have taken a gamble as to whether people will pay 8.95 to feel like they are the sort who would invent something, given the time, and it seems to be paying off.’}}

The Tinkerer’s Handbook, Page 1 (of 8) transcribed by in

[[A banner at the top says: "CONVERTING EVERYTHING TO COAL POWER [How to do it terribly - expensively - and with great difficulty]"]]

[[Another banner states: "WONDERMARK'S" "Nominally-essential" "Tinkerer's Handbook" "The magazine for people who cannot leave well enough alone". A woman is shown operating some sort of water pump.]]

[[A badge reads: "TAKE IT APART"]]

[[Three pictures on the side state "CUT IT", "HIT IT", and "STUFF IT", depicting a screwdriver of some sort, a hammer hitting a nail, and two hands grasping a piece of wood.]]

[[A newspaper-style block of text reads: "LET US MEDDLE." A rallying cry for a generation.]]
Newspaper text: Such are the benefits afforded us all by the unending march of Progress, that each new dawn finds many a person safe, fed, clothed and sheltered. A citizen of our modern era rarely finds him- or herself in a deadly battle for survival, as was common for the first generations of Mankind. Thus do our bodies, evolved for and hardened by constant struggle, often find themselves idle; and without some constant whetting, thus swiftly begins the degenerative process of death.
Newspaper text: Some people have rebelled against this notion, and constantly keep on the move, busying themselves with the creation of novel problems and competing to find overly-elaborate ways to solve them. This magazine is our attempt to cash in on that demographic.

[[A banner at the bottom reads: "Over 2 projects inside"]]

{{alt-text: 'We have taken a gamble as to whether people will pay 8.95 to feel like they are the sort who would invent something, given the time, and it seems to be paying off.'}}

'We have taken a gamble as to whether people will pay 8.95 to feel like they are the sort who would invent something, given the time, and it seems to be paying off.'

The Tinkerer’s Handbook, Page 1 (of 8)

— April 26th, 2011

[ Tags: craft, diagrams, tinkerer ] Permalink: https://wondermark.com/c/tink1/

Today marks the first day of Year Nine of Wondermark. To celebrate, I present to you the Nominally-Essential Tinkerer’s Handbook, a magazine in eight parts, running this week and next.

Buy a Print

Last year, I participated in Genius Northwest, a gaming competition inspired by the Korean gameshow The Genius and its ilk.

It’s a reality show without the cameras — a 3-day, all-inclusive weekend retreat structured around a series of challenges and puzzles, in which personalities and dealmaking matter as much as playing games.

It’s truly a remarkable thing. I came in dead last in the competition, but I still had a great time participating.

The event is held annually in the Pacific Northwest (hence the name) and applications are now open to participate in the 2026 competition!

Learn more — and apply — at GeniusNW.com.

Comic Transcripts

The Tinkerer’s Handbook, Page 1 (of 8)

— April 26th, 2011

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