Caution by Sofia Palma – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

$With a look of glee, the first person says, “we can REBUILD it, together!” Looking unconvinced, the other says, “How?” Penciling leaves on fractured pieces of the house, the first says, “See, now they look like trees.” They sit and look concerned at their companion, who has tears streaming down their cheeks. They look devastated as they say, “I’m scared. I don’t like it. Sorry. I’m lost. I don’t feel well. I can’t do this. I’m confused. I need to lay down.” They lie down as the other looks on with worry.$ $The optimistic person crawls through fractures of the house, which form a mosaic to look like a realistic face, possibly their companion’s. They say, “look at all these cracks… I should have a look inside,” as they examine the cracks in the face/house.$

A sign by a lake reads “Caution” Two people are in a canoe. One says, “I can’t believe we’re finally back.” The other replies, “I know, it’s been a really long time. Everything seems to be in ruins.” The former: “…and the house?” The latter: “We will have to see. We are here!” One helps the other out of the canoe. The two enter a house that is partially flooded and in disarray. They look shocked. The second person says, “It’s horrible! Everything is destroyed!” The other says, “don’t be so negative. There can be beauty in destruction!”

They crawl through a tight space and jump through a narrow vertical passageway. Landing on the ground, they notice two small pieces of paper on the floor and say, “Oh…what’s all this?” Lots of small leaflets are flying out of a crack of something resembling both an anatomical heart and a furnace. They read things like, “Slow, Not good enough, Not strong enough, Weak.” The person exploring the space says, “I will grab a few.” They fold a large paper boat that they sail away on, full of the notes. They say, “I hope they feel a little lighter.” They return to the scene with their companion; they are cuddling with them. The companion wakes up, and the other says, “You woke up!” They embrace each other, smiling.

Published On: May 13, 2024

A man is surrounded by overlapping, uncontained speech bubbles with text like, “Devoid of technical skill lacks subject matter I don’t think your work will find interest here. Derivative. Pedestrian."

“Story of an Autumn Chicken by Jen Grisard Ludwig” A forest covered in autumn leaves, with the silhouette of an anthropomorphic chicken in the background.

"SAW & A.G. Moore Present: Instructions for Becoming! Comics as Spells, Recipes, & Equations, Fri June 14th 7pm Eastern on Zoom"

A cheery bear says, "Office, sweet office!" A pig cheers, "Yay!" They have arrived in front of a house carved out of a tree-topped hill.

“Couplet" A naked woman sits crouched on the ground, leaning forward so she is almost lying down. "We started as one"

"SAW Presents: Making an Empathy Comic with Andrew Kozlowski, Friday June 7th @ 7pm EST"

"B is Dying" written as branches of a tree

A young boy hugs the horns of a cow. He looks distressed.

"Friday Night Comics presents Georgia Webber: A Rant about Rectangles Friday May 31st 7pm on Zoom" Four Georgias are seen talking passionately or thinking deeply about rectangles

"Free online workshop: Icons Patterns and Textures with Fionn McCabe, Sequential Artists Workshop, Friday May 24 7pm EST"

"After Camp" A traced drawing of Adam as a boy standing with his Grandpa, whose hand rests on Adam's shoulder. Adam says, "Hi again, Grandpa."

"SAW Presents: Exploring Your Comfort Zone Using Comics with Dana Jeri Maier, Friday May 17 7pm ET 4pm PT" A map of a land mass divided in two by a dotted line and surrounded by water and sea monsters.

A hilly landscape with a black sky. Someone from off panel says, "Nelly?"

"SAW presents a virtual comics workshop: Your Celebrity Crush Is In Love With You, with Heather Loase, free and open to all, Friday May 10th, 7pm EST" The title of the workshop is in white block letters over a large red heart, surrounded by small red hearts decorating the graphic. Below the heart, one person is chasing another. The chasee says, "No Barry Keoghan, I will NOT be your date to the Oscars!" Barry Keoghan, holding a bouquet of roses, replies, "I beg ye' to reconsider darlin'"

Two people enter a house that is partially flooded and in disarray. They look shocked.

"Disabled activists fought for an elevator down to light rail but it was shuttered due to misuse. Foot traffic brings the challenges of humanity. For building owners, isolation saves money."

“The Way Above by Adrean Clark My librarian aunt has a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. As a kid, I climbed the loft high above my hearing family. A row of National Geographic’s formed a tunnel behind her bookshelves. My mind traveled the world without worrying about my Deafness." 3 panels who altogether depict a cityscape view of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Rachel looks at themself in the mirror. They have thick eyebrows, bangs, and wavy hair past their shoulders, rendered in soft blues. They are touching their cheeks with their hands as tears and makeup stream down their face. They look pained, brows furrowed, eyes wide, frowning.

Promo graphic reading “Drawing Sense Memory with Solomon Brager @jbbrager Free Virtual Workshop Friday 5/3 @7pm ET / 4pm PT” A human nose highlighted in pink is sniffing a yellow daffodil; they are composed of half-tone textures.

“When I was in the 5th grade my best friend and I used to name the pigeons in the schoolyard.” A brightly colored screenshot of a Google Maps street view image of a city street, with a cartoon pigeon imposed on it to be part of the scene.

"SAW Presents: Sketchbook Church with Walker Mettling Fri April 26 7pm EDT Sketchbook Games | Beginners Welcome Free Friday Night Comics Workshop"

A human figure is crouched down on the ground, back against a tree trunk. They are backed away from a pond, from which a huge splash of water rises with a “PLIIP!” The figure is frowning, looking a bit taken aback.

$Christa places her hands over her chest in mourning and cries quietly, tears streaming down her face, eyes closed and head tilted slightly. Two other versions of this image are refracted in the background along with a slight iridescent effect.$

An extreme close up of a human eye. The pupil and iris are completely reflecting a scene of frogs in the mud.

A view from below of wintry trees encircling a ball of light, perhaps the moon on a cloudy night. The title is contained in this orb, lettered in a curveless style in all caps. There are lots of crow-like bird silhouettes perched in the branches of the tree, and it is raining. The scene is rendered in layers of purple, blue, and brown watercolors/gouache, lined with a black brush pen.

Two vultures are perched atop a branch running horizontally across the image, above the bolded text, "A Note From the Creator"

Kim sits at her desk, facing away from the reader, working on a painting by the light of a desk lamp. A board is standing upright in front of her, with a photo taped to it; paints and a cup of water sit on the desk to her right. “December 26.”

Kim’s hand holds a little flower; in front of her is a sheet of paper covered with other little flowers of different types. Next to it is a pair of small shears. “December 21. Collected flowers for Mom’s gift. Cleaned, worked, readied, cooked.”

One thought on “Caution by Sofia Palma”

Martha Kuhlman
05/15/2024, 10:49 am
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Wow these page layouts are so inventive! The fractured face is amazing. There is so much emotion in your marks–it’s wonderful.

One thought on “Caution by Sofia Palma”

Martha Kuhlman

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