No Deal – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

No Deal

The title panel reads, "No DEAL by Vanessa Davis." The text is laid over a splash of grayish-blue. Next to it is a floating red balloon. The whole comic has 12 borderless panels, 2 across in 6 rows (not including the title). 1. Vanessa begins narrating, "My father died the night my winter break started, which was very convenient. I had a month off school to go home and deal with it." Vanessa, colored entirely in blue, except for her brown hair, lies in bed with the blanket drawn up to her neck. Her hair is cut in an above-the-shoulder bob. She is frowning and her brows are furrowed. She says, "I wish we'd all died, like in a car accident or something." Someone lies in another bed across the room, also colored in blue except for their short brown hair. Their blanket is drawn far enough up to cover their chin. Their hand obscures part of their face. Their eyebrows are furrowed in concern. They reply, "Don't say that!" 2. Vanessa as narrator: "In grief I've felt betrayed by reality. It makes no sense. There's nothing to hold onto." Vanessa sits on a couch hugging her knees to her chest. Her hair is past shoulder length now. She is still colored entirely in blue except for her hair. She sits next to a man with short brown hair, also colored in blue - probably the person from before. They both look older. They have empty, solemn expressions. 3. "There is grief that divides you from the world. This one, though, is pervasive. There is no escape." A desert is dotted with rocks, scattered shrubs, and cacti. There is a mountain in the background. 4. "My family members all flew in for the funeral. I felt sure that once they left, my dad would return." Vanessa, in full color, is clearly young, perhaps in middle or high school. Her hair is in the above-the-shoulder bob. She wears a pink t-shirt and blue shorts. She reaches up and touches the beard of a man bending down to hug her. He wears glasses, a red t-shirt, and green pants. Vanessa asks, smiling, "Can I get you something to drink?" The man does not smile back.

5. "After my month at home, I returned to school. My mom feared that my life might be derailed or defined by my dad's death." Vanessa stands in front of a red-brick school building, wearing a red backpack, purple sweater, and jeans. She looks apprehensive. 6. "It's supposed to be for our own good, to let go of anger and sadness." Vanessa, with longer hair, sits across from her therapist, a woman with bangs and a short bob, glasses, and nice clothes. Vanessa wears a green long-sleeved shirt and blue pants. The therapist says, "'Forgiveness' is sort of a religious idea. What about acceptance instead? Can you accept it?" Vanessa, with a dull expression, replies, "No." 7. "I'm really distracted. I feel incoherent. Even talking with friends is hard." Vanessa as an adult talks to a man with blond cropped hair, glasses, and a baby in his arms. They are at a kid's birthday party - there are colorful balloons and red streamers in the background. A young child carries a ball. Vanessa frowns, looking devastated. The man says to her, "Well, we'll see!" 8. "Everyone's talking. No one is saying the right thing. Including me." Vanessa is running, looking distressed. Behind her is a scene of destruction and chaos - buildings are on fire, smoke fills the air, the ground looks like rubble. She shouts, "is there a rational adult anywhere!?"

9. "This isn't death, though. It's stupider." A man who has floppy blond hair wears a red baseball cap, bright yellow t-shirt, and orange pants. He is pointing and sneering, "Ha ha! Deal with it, LIBTARDS!" 10. "Life changes anyway. It's hard to keep a grasp on self-respect facing a cynical, self-hating regime. (While I do not see its wealth trickling down anytime soon, its divisive hostility already is.) Vanessa scowls at her laptop while typing. The laptop reads, "You're an idiot." 11. "We're told to focus on small, real things." Two people, not shown besides their hands and forearms, sit at a table drinking coffee. There is a palm tree in front of them, and they appear to be by the ocean, or at some water-front. 12. "Anger and sadness feel ok right now. And reality isn't going anywhere." Someone wearing jeans walks aside an unleashed dog, a golden retriever with their tongue out and tail wagging.

Published On: November 12, 2023

Adult Vanessa sits across from her therapist, a woman with a brown bob and bangs, glasses, and a blue suit. The therapist asks, "Is that a FEELING or a THOUGHT?" Vanessa crosses her arms and scowls. "Both!" she replies.

Young Vanessa, with short hair and glasses and a pink one piece swim suit, floats in a tube along a marshy spring. She is drifting into the marsh despite trying to steer with her hands flapping in the water. In a panic, she shouts out to her peers who have floated much farther past her, “Guys!! Wait!”

Outside on a winding sidewalk path, a man with floppy hair and a dark parted pencil mustache approaches Derek. The man wears a shirt with a large collar and three large buttons, and pinstriped pants. He snaps he fingers with one hand and holds his other up with a limp wrist. He shouts out, "There he is! [in big block letters:] World's Greatest Dad!" Derek looks over at the man, smiles, and replies, "Haha, Sunny!" He looks relaxed, shoulders back and hands in his jean pockets. He wears a tight-fitting t-shirt with a large number one in the center.

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.

One thought on “No Deal”

Jason
12/14/2023, 12:17 pm
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You are not alone!

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