2. Booze good, drugs bad (Part III) – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

2. Booze good, drugs bad (Part III)

Lynn narrates: "Back to the unspeakable void topic... Those working with infants removed from their mother will tell you that the wail of a grieving baby is like no other on Earth. Keeping them tranquilized on a steady dose of Phenobarbital was the order of the day. So I learned very early that drugs mask emotional pain." A full-color illustration of a counter set with a stack of diapers, a container of baby powder, a bottle of Phenobarbital, a container of powdered Similac, and an empty baby bottle. Lynn continues, "When did Mom learn about the painkilling effect of alcohol? I'll never know. It never came up in conversation even when we were old. But I could imagine her popping out of the womb with a Martini in hand. I gave up drugs at the tender age of twenty-one after a harrowing acid trip but joined Mom's booze party later in life." In black and white, adult Lynn and her elderly mom stand a few feet apart and look at each other with solemn expressions. Lorraine says, "Can you stay for a drink? I picked up your Bombay gin." Lynn replies, "Sure." A dirty martini sits on the counter by Lorraine, a phone by Lynn.

Lynn and Lorraine clink glasses. Someone puts on a record. Lynn chugs her drink - "glug." She looks somber and woozy. Lorraine and Lynn are both off-panel. Their glasses are empty on the table. Lynn asks, "Is my old fish bowl around anywhere?" Lorraine replies, "Of course. It's in the garage. God forbid we should get rid of anything." Lynn: "Tell Dad you're having a garage sale. We'll help." Lorraine: "Ha!"

Still in black and white, a bunch of liquor bottles are stored in a built-in bar in the basement. Lynn notes that wall panels hid it from view. On the far left is a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin. On the far right is a bottle of Heischmann's Gin, labeled "Mom's quaff." Lynn narrates, "We gabbed and took in the sweet sounds of 'Blue Moon' and 'Here in my arms.' An illustration of an Ella Fitzgerald record: "Ella Fitzgerald sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book." Ella rests her chin on her hands. She is tilted at an angle and smiles slightly at the viewer. The Verve label tags the upper-right corner. Lynn continues, "Mom and I loved Ella Fitzgerald but locked horns over Billie Holiday. Mom's beef was down to Billie's heroin habit. I didn't have the heart to tell her half the musicians in her record cabinet were known to shoot up. I'd long since given up arguing with her, asking that she walk a mile in someone else's shoes. Mom had her rules, and rule number one? 'Booze good, drugs bad.'"

Published On: November 7, 2023

A hand firmly holds a bunch of lemongrass. There are trees and a fence in the background.

The episode's title is drawn in large block letters: "Modern! Cartoonist" Derek sits on the ground with his legs criss-crossed before some sort of stone altar letting off a thin stream of smoke. Derek appears to be meditating. He wears glasses and a jacket with a large decorative collar and other stylish elements. Text, ranging from speech bubbles to onomatopoeia, surround Derek.

Kim looks at her reflection in the mirror. She has pulled the her shirt sleeve off of her shoulder to examine it. She looks tense. "May 3. Monday. Pulled out a bunch of dead Areca balm branches. Came inside and about 20 minutes later noticed a big bug on my shoulder. Put it in a big jar with water, watched SAW workshop video and started sketching ideas. Sent picture of bug to Tony. He texted back, 'Yikes, it's a bot fly!' I looked it up and panicked, was I bitten? Made an appointment with dermatologist for tomorrow."

An older man, with grey hair that's balded on top, wears dark shades and a green collared shirt. He looks straight ahead as he drives a car. There is a girl in the back and a woman in the passenger seat. The woman says, "To the mall, Jeeves!"

A guy in a blue snow suit races the Iditarod with standard poodles.

Lynn as a young girl wears a pink dance dress, with spaghetti straps and decorative bows, and white tights with the black tap shoes from before. Her hair is tied up in a pony tail with a white ribbon. Her hands are on her hips. She thinks to herself, "shuffle, ball change," "whoops," "step, ball change, step, ball change." An arrow points out that she is "mostly copying the other girls."

Enzo sits on the floor of his room shirtless, back turned to the reader. In front of him is a wall of floating shelves holding books and trinkets. Next to him is a clothes hamper. He is holding a book open. "April 27. Worked. Had an early work meeting. After work, chopped a bunch of Mexican sunflower to feed some plants in need. Enzo dug through his comic collection."

Lynn's brother Adam reaches into a crib and touches baby Lynn's eyes with his "grubby mitts." He says, "Open your eyes, baby sister!"

Enzo waits in a park for Kim to pick him up, on a strip of sidewalk surrounded by grass. He wears a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, all black or simply silhouetted. There are lamp posts and palm trees in the background. "April 20. Worked. Enz left school early, coughing a lot. Went to Mom's while Enz did mock trial. Picked him up from the park."

Vanessa sits on a couch hugging her knees to her chest. A man sits next to her. They both look solemn, and are colored entirely in blue, except for their brown hair.

Vanessa lies in a neon green hospital bed with her legs in stirrups. She is actively in labor. Two people hold onto her legs, encouraging her.

Lorraine wears a pink-orange Butterick 2920 dress and jewelry. She smiles and holds up a dirty martini. She says, "The doctor says it calms my nerves. We won't be out too late."

Kim sits at a desk but is turned to face the viewer. A PC, keyboard and mouse are on the desk, and there is a chair a couple feet away. She is wearing glasses and comfortable clothes. Her legs are crossed. She holds a pencil in one hand, and grabs her shoulder with the other. Her dog sits at her feet; his ear is turned inside out. She points out that he's worried. "April 14. Worked on final project for class all day. Neck hurt. Tony took this picture because Molly and I both looked a mess. Enzo got a bad report card yesterday so we laid out some repercussions."

Lynn, in black and white, chugs from a glass.

A cat sits at a window sill, looking boldly at the reader. The fronds of a palm tree are reflected in the window. "April 8. Thursday. Worked. Tony had a union meeting, via Zoom. I had a call w/ team member from class. Enzo had mock trial."

Derek, wearing an orange turtle neck, poses with his arms outstretched above his head and making peace signs. His eyes are closed and he is smiling; he appears smug. There are camera flashes surrounding him, and two people hold microphones up to him. He says, "Hey! There's nothin' wrong with crying. Or been' soft. Or pig boys. I'm still a nice guy and that's what matters."

A person dressed in a green park ranger uniform holds a boom box over a beaver's dam. It plays water sounds. A beaver works on the dam and thinks, "Whatever, I don't care where I build it."

A girl looks over at a dog, who sits behind a fence. A red sign reads "BAD DOG."

A reddish brown building with smoking chimneys.

Derek sleeps in a hammock. He says, "JFC. KMS."

"Rory runs in a field surrounded by palm trees and other foliage. Description: "April 2. Watched Rory. Worked."

Young Lynn gazes at herself in a full length mirror. She is wearing a blue dress and too-big blue heels. She appears pregnant.

Derek sits on the floor with one of his kids, who reads a book and looks slightly bored. The title reads "Escape." Derek is talking to his kid.

Kim sits at a picnic table amongst trees and foliage. Caption: "March 26-27. Worked. Enzo's mock trial team won circuits. A co-worker bought me pho for my bday. I ate it at the park on break."

"Women often say they become invisible as they get older." Vanessa walks in a crowd, sandwiched by two fashionable younger women walking in different directions.

Part of a hand-drawn and colored map, labeled: "The Southwest Corner of Minneapolis in the 1960s..."

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