3. Step, ball change (Part VI) – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

3. Step, ball change (Part VI)

"If I had been an only child. I wouldn't have been the typically spoiled sort. An Easy Bake Oven under the Christmas tree? Never. Mom would always say, 'How about if I just bake you a cake?' Oh well, it's for the best I never got that adorable instant-cake maker I so desperately wanted..." In a thought bubble, young Lynn makes a pancake using a Kenner Easy Bake Oven. She smiles sinisterly while pushing the tray in. Next to the batter bowl is an open box of Lucy's Rat Poison. Lynn as narrator points to this bubble and notes, "Actual thought I once had." "In another thought bubble, Lynn serves the cooked pancake to Adam. She pours him tea from a tea pot. Smiling, she says, "Eat it while it's hot!" The Lynn who imagines these scenes reads a Sears Wish Book with a Christmas tree on the front cover and a $5.99 Raggedy Ann doll on the back. There is a bandaid on Lynn's forehead. Lynn continues narrating, "What can I say? There were many Charles Addams books around the house and also The New Yorker. Let's chalk this one up to 'nurture.'"

Lynn writes, "Decades later when Adam croaked I went to see a psychic, a pretty blonde girl I used to smoke cigarettes with in the can at high school. She reassured me that our karma was done in this life and furthermore he wasn't allowed any contact with me in the future. I liked the sound of that, but I'm still worried that I should have helped him. My concern isn't for Adam. What if she was wrong and there was still karma that needed balancing out? I'm horrified at the thought of meeting him in the next life." Adam as a young boy lies in bed awake, sucking his thumb. Off-panel, someone says, "Let's get you all tucked in." The panel is all colored in blue: blue shirt, blue sheets, blue comforter, blue background. Lynn continues, "All the time I spent loathing him, avoiding him, fantasizing about his demise, maybe I could have solved the problem that was Adam. But then, I couldn't solve the problem that was me. And he was like a manic depressive Tasmanian Devil. Indeed, my psychic friend said he had three souls trapped in his body. Normal Adam, Chuck Adam (insert horror movie sound effects), and remorseful Adam. What do you do with that?" Young Adam now closes his eyes, still sucking his thumb. Next to him are three small panels showing his three souls: a creepy Adam smiling with bloodshot eyes and fuzzy eyebrows in front of an orange background; Adam drawn normally, still smiling and looking innocent, across a green background; and Adam, head in his hands in remorse, across a blue background. From off-panel, someone says to sleeping Adam, "Nighty night! Don't let the bedbugs bite!"

Over a black page, a panel that takes up about a third of the space shows silhouettes of Lorraine and Lynn's father dancing, reaching out to hold each other's hand as if to finish a spin. The background is blue and purple.

Published On: December 12, 2023

1. A close-up view of Kim holding a soursop in her hand. It is a fruit the size of a mango that looks similar to a pineapple, as if it’s covered in armor. Other fruits sit on the table. “June 26. Worked. It was busy. Tasted my first lil’ soursop.”

A cat stands on its hind legs and stretches with its front paws sticking into a large amp. Standing next to the amp and cat is a Japanese reissue of the Fender Mustang electric guitar. The image is in black and white.

Derek sits with his kid on the couch. His kid is putting their headphones on, not looking at him. Derek cocks his chin up and closes his eyes, gesturing snobbishly as he talks at his kid. He says, "I guess if you can afford to work for free you will get published. Hmph!"

Kim sits up straight at a desk, painting with an easel. She is wearing a sweater with the sleeves rolled up, and she has glasses on. The painting looks like the interior of a room. On the desk are tubes of paint, a glass of water with brushes, and a desk lamp. The wall in front of her has a painting or decoration of a tree, and to the right of Kim is a window. "June 20"

In black and white, adult Lynn stands in someone's doorway smiling wildly and holding an empty fishbowl in her hands. She is dressed for winter. She is speaking to someone in front of her.

A facebook post shows a picture of three people - Aman and two other men - standing at the Frew booth at a comics convention. They are all smiling with their arms crossed. Aman stands to the left and wears a blue sweater. The man in the middle is dressed up in full Phantom cosplay: purple cap, black eye mask, purple body suit, black striped underwear, and a belt with a skull in the center. The man on the right has curly red/brown hair and wears a blue and orange short-sleeve button-down. Above the picture is text that is slightly cut off: "Phans from across the country make an annual pilgrimage to the Frew comic publisher booth." Below the picture are the Facebook buttons, "Like Comment Share."

Four line drawings of the Phantom in different styles, over a brown watercolor wash. Each is labeled by the artist who drew him this way and the dates they were active: Wilson McCoy, 1943-1961; Bill Lignante, 1961-1969; Joan Boix, 1994-present; and Paul Ryan, 2001-2016.

Adult Lynn, in black and white, looks up above her, with a somber expression. Her hair and scarf blow in the wind. Snow is falling.

1. One of Kim’s dogs, with black fur, stretches in the backyard next to a garden plot. Inside the plot is what looks almost like a mini palm tree next to a larger tree with a short trunk and branches and leaves extending out to all sides. Next to the plot is a corner bench and in the background is a banana tree. “June 14. Worked. The tree we cut back has started growing back.”

1. A woman with long, dark hair worn down sits at a table. Her arms are rested on the table and she is using her phone. Next to her are a compact mirror and a pair of glasses. There is a mushroom poster on the wall behind her. “June 8. Class. Finished painting. Justin came by, then Ali for a hair trim.”

In a thought bubble, young Lynn makes a pancake using a Kenner Easy Bake Oven. She smiles sinisterly while pushing the tray in. Next to the batter bowl is an open box of Lucy's Rat Poison. In another thought bubble, Lynn serves the cooked pancake to Adam.

Adam as a boy throws several rounds of punches in quick succession. They are drawn as disembodied fists circling out of spiral motion lines. He bares his teeth and scowls, shouting, "Punching machine!"

In big block letters, the title: "Milk." Derek skips exuberantly while holding a leaking trash bag over his shoulder, on his way to the dumpster. Both of his feet are off the ground. Flies circle around the trash bag. He wears an apron over a t-shirt, pants, and loafers. His head is back, facing up towards the sky, and he smiles widely.

Enzo stands in the kitchen, working over a bowl in the sink. He is shirtless but wears an apron and joggers. There is a carton of eggs on the counter.

1. Someone with dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail climbs a tree. They are up in the branches, surrounded by rounded leaves. “May 27. Thursday. Forest class - we learned some irrigation, some pruning. Felt a little weird later, sickish.”

Lynn's brother Adam, as a boy, wears a red vest and black bowtie over a white button-down and black pants. He has on his signature thick, square glasses. He is attempting to tap dance. He looks off balance and awkward. He grimaces.

Sunny, Derek's acquaintance smiles while ringing a doorbell, "DING-DONG." The onomatopoeia is drawn in big block letters. Sunny wears a sweater over a turtleneck. His hair flows effortlessly.

Kim pets her dog on the back. The dog smiles widely at the viewer. "May 21. Did bills, homework in the morning. Worked, then picked mom up at the airport."

Lynn's mom Lorraine uses a handheld vintage film camera: "WRRRRRR."

In block letters, the title sits at the top of the page: "Priority." Derek sits on a stump outside. His knees are tucked close to his chest. He hunches over slightly. He holds his phone to his ear and hides part of his face with his other hand. He looks nervous as he talks to someone on a phone call.

From above, we see spread of fruits and vegetables - pomegranates, pea pods, a mango, a pepper, etc.

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