The Shape of Comics to Come Episode 1 – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

The Shape of Comics to Come Episode 1

Comics in this series follow the same overall style as Cartoon Show. Black and white line drawings, generally unshaded, without panel borders. The series is broken up into short stories, which will usually span one episode. Derek's character is a tall, mostly bald man with a scruffy, close-clipped mustache and beard. Ballard's lines are lively, with strong gestures and often exaggerated anatomy. This 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. A long thin stream, probably smoke, stretches diagonally from the altar. Derek appears to be meditating; his eyes are closed and he rests his hands palms-up on his knees. He wears glasses and a jacket with a large decorative collar and other stylish elements. Derek begins his monologue, "Time is money. Space is a credit score." Onomatopoeia, drawn in large block letters, fill the background: "Pop! Blam! Crash!" Derek continues, "Hear that? That's the sound of collapse." The onomatopoeia continue: "Rumble! Wam! Pow!" Derek faces the reader, leaning towards the left at an angle. He says, "A bitter pill to swallow was that the luxury of makin' poetic, fanciful, colorful art just ain't realistic for someone like me. Homelessness and starvation are constant legitimate concerns." "Crash! Bam!" Derek turns to his side, still looking towards the reader. He smiles cheekily and continues, "I'm glad there's folks with generational wealth still doing lavish work. I'm no hater. Nowadays, if you get colorful work by me either a bill didn't get paid or my kids missed dinner." "Pow-pow! Wup! Slam! Booom!" "Color, inks, long narrative, metaphor—ain't no time for that! Gotta say it fast and straight."

Derek stands in a wide stance, knees more than shoulder-width apart and bent so he is squatting slightly. He holds his arms out at his side, each bent at a different angle, forming an "N" shape. His hands are balled into fists. He appears to be vibrating, or on (metaphorical) fire - his body is buzzing with energy: "Snap! Crackle! Zap! Fzz" Little stars punctuate the energy around him. Derek faces the reader square-on and says, "But there's power in vulnerability. Cartoons are meant to be quick! This is how I made it work for me. Just sayin'." Derek sits on a stool, hands resting on his thighs. He looks to the side with his chin up and sighs. "Ah, I miss metaphor, tho. I had to let it go. I mean, I'm already putting' my ideas into words, then I put the words into balloons in a panel with me and some props. Heck, the act of just drawin' myself as a cartoon is already a lotta metaphoric heavy liftin'. Ain't got the energy to mask it no more. What can you afford to lose to continue workin'?" "Bam! Pow! Splat!" Derek turns to his son, who munches on a sandwich. His kid is young and has wild messy hair. It looks like there's not a thought behind his eyes. Derek nervously asks him, "Um, hey. Can you do somethin' funny? I forgot to write a joke for the end of this comic." His kid, still chewing, responds, "You make comics??"

Published On: November 20, 2023

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.

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.

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