Cartoonshow Episode 17 – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

Cartoonshow Episode 17

Titled, in bright red block letters, "A Softly Crying Call of Duty Pig Boy" There are no clearly defined panels. The page has a chaotic feel to it. Following the page from top to bottom and left to right: "BAM!" Derek leans against a post with nails sticking out of it. He is looking over his shoulder and smiling cheekily at the reader. He says, "Oh, hey. I didn't see u there." In the background is a car on fire. Near Derek's feet are some matches and a can of gasoline. "BAM" A young man is firing a machine gun behind a brick fort wall. He appears to be screaming. Derek wears a blue t-shirt. He says, "Just in time for a new comic--" RINGGGG "--oh, one second..." He answers the phone and says, "Hello? Uh-huh. Ok. Yes. I'll say that." 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." "BAM" "BAM" "FZZZZZ" Derek looks grave, concentrating hard. He is wearing his blue t-shirt again. He holds a pencil above his head, which is smoking and guiding the reader to his speech bubble: "So, for the greater good I'm not going to name names. Instead I've been 'mega-voting' for 24 hours straight." A bunch of ballots are scattered below the bubble. "BAM" "BAM" Derek, in the blue t-shirt and brown pants, is sitting on a downward slope and stopping a huge boulder with his back, a la Sisyphus. He says, "Can't be like them. Hmm. Is our civility holding back the chaos? Or are we enabling it with our reliable 'civility'?" RUMBLE BAM Derek, same dress, stands over a presumably dead body, surrounded by spots of blood. A machine gun lies by Derek's feet and the body. Derek's hands are bloody. In bright red block letters, the words "Can't do this" frame the scene. Derek says, "But I wanna." To Derek's right is a blue brick wall like the one from earlier. It is lit up by a lamp post. Derek is dressed like the Energizer bunny - in a pink bunny suit with pink sunglasses, a wind-up on his back, and a drum on his chest. He is banging on the drum. "BAM" He says, "Don't react. Be better. Do the right thing. For infinity." "BAM" Derek's head is covered in blood, which obscures most of his face. He has a deranged smile. "Can't do that," he says. "Other ones can, tho." "HAHA HA AH HA" Derek sits with his legs crossed and his arms stretched out above his head at a forward angle. His eyes are closed and he is smiling. He says, "Kinda seems like an excuse to do nothin'. IDK." "BAM" "BAM" A young man is squatting while firing a machine gun. He cries and screams, "I'M SCARED." "BAM" "BAM" Derek says, "Hey. Plz don't be scared soft pig boy." "BRAKA-BRAKA" Someone off-panel yells, "Help!' The pig boy farts "poot." "AAAAAA" Derek says, "This is what I'm supposed to do, right??" End.

Published On: November 6, 2023

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..."

A man, likely Tony, stands on a ladder against the roof of a house, positioned right by a satellite dish. The house door is open. Reeds in the corner add a sense of balance to the panel. Description reads: "March 20. Saturday. Worked. Two summer permaculture practicums are now being offered. It will focus on the installations of food forests. Might have to quit my job in order to take'm. Anxious about the financial hit but I'd have more time for art/comics."

A black and white image of a house, with trees in the front and back and a speech bubble that reads, "What's new?"

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.