Matter by Emily Zilber – Episode 4 – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

Matter by Emily Zilber – Episode 4

1. Emily is using her laptop, with heavy eyebags and looking exhausted and dejected. She narrates, â€œThat potent house museum magic first started receding for me during that time. I spent the weekends catching up on work, my thoughts interrupted by guided tours. I felt ungrateful feeling this way, even as I was struggling without savings or health insurance. It reinforced my internal narrative that my life was worth significantly less than those on the other side of the wall.â€ 2. In a panel that takes up more than half the page, Emily is crouched down, bearing on her back the weight of a giant ball ornament twice her size. She is grimacing from pain or exertion. She writes, â€œThis binary, black & white way of looking at my living situation confirmed the lie that my depressed & anxious brain had already decided on. That I didnâ€™t matter as much as other people. Across two decades of caring for the objects & stories of others from the past Iâ€™ve carried this with me as a truth. I still do, although having kids has helped me question its validity.â€

1. The inside of a houseâ€”presumably, Emilyâ€™s bedroom: a queen size bed, a wicker hamper, artwork on the wall and nightstand, a window mostly covered with blinds. Emily writes, â€œI wonder sometimes how my house might be interpreted after Iâ€™m gone. What objects vital, what histories worth mentioning? What memories would someoneâ€”my daughters, or their childrenâ€”find worth resharing?â€ 2. Another view of inside Emilyâ€™s house, though closer upâ€”a little table displaying vases and house plants and a framed picture, and a small circular end table with a plate of decorative stones. Emily continues, â€œIt might seem macabre, but I find this thought exercise comforting. It forces me to think of my story as one worth telling.â€ 3. From above, we see a small figureâ€”most likely one of Emilyâ€™s daughtersâ€”walking down the stairs. She has straight dark hair past her shoulders and is wearing a dress. An array of framed pictures hang from the wall. Emily concludes, iâ€œIâ€™m not â€˜great,â€™ but I do matter, intensely, to a small handful of people. There are objects, spaces, & stories that affirm that truth, right here, right now, every day.â€

Published On: March 9, 2024

"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.

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.

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.

A close-up of Maia's face with a neutral expression, looking directly at the reader. She has a brown bob and green eyes.

In three different strips of paper and different color markers, the title: “Max, Foster Dog.” In another, with hand-drawn serif lettering: “Excerpt of the graphic novel in progress.” “Pieces of Me” “by Maia Iotzova (same name, in Cyrillic alphabet)”

Emily is crouched down, bearing on her back the weight of a giant ball ornament twice her size. She is grimacing from pain or exertion.

Two people dressed in casual contemporary clothing are walking by in the background; in the foreground is a woman dressed in 18th century-style clothing. They are outside, tree branches hanging overhead.

First-grader Emily, wearing her skirt and hat, stands in the doorway of a museum room. To the left is a grandfather clock; to the right is a large piece of decorative pottery. The floor is a black and white checkered tile.

Jim sits up in his hospital bed. There is a book open in his lap, and a tray of food slightly raised above him. He is smiling.

Early Bird Episode 4 Thumbnail

A close-up of young Emil's face drawn with vampire fangs and a ravenous expression: mouth open, eyes wide, brows bent in a scowl.

A baby with glasses, smoking a pipe, wearing a violet bathrobe, and reading a Playboy magazine with an unimpressed expression. The background is pink.

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.

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