Out There – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

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Out There

The page shows 6 panels enclosed by borders. There are no gutters separating the panels. The drawings are brightly colored with watercolor paint, or something resembling it. 1. "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. 2. "But pregnant and newly 40, I'm feeling pretty OUT THERE." A man shouts "HELLO!" at Vanessa, waving from his blue car. She pauses, alarmed. She is viewed from the side, where her pregnant belly is clearly visible. 3. "Because I've always written autobiography, people think I'm very open. But part of that is CONTROLLING what to include." A man tells Vanessa, "You're so honest!" She smiles, satisfied, with a halo shining above her head. 4. "Of course it happens constantly that a writer inadvertently exposes things." Vanessa lounges on a couch reading a book. She wears shorts and a t-shirt, and her hair is in a bun. 5. "I've also read complaints that my own work ISN'T open enough, doesn't reveal enough PAIN. As if pain makes a person legitimate. As if they're entitled to mine." A woman sits on the toilet, reading a book titled "Bougie Jewish Girl Comics by [REDACTED]." The woman looks critical, raising an eyebrow and hunching slightly to look at it closer. 6. "Before I tried to have a baby, nobody knew what I might want to do. I could have privacy. I could have pride." Vanessa dances in a crowd at what seems like a nice club.

Tags: Diary, Humor, memoir, non-fiction, slice of life

Published On: October 27, 2023

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?"

Three people sit at a round kitchen table on a checkered tile floor. They appear to be in conversation. Description reads: "March 14. Spent the night at moms place in Bradenton. Ann and Mariely are on the night shift so we visited with them when they got home in the morning. Afterwards we got takeout breakfast and walked in the woods. Drove home after and relaxed."

Derek dressed like Uncle Sam, in a triumphant pose

Kim stands at a threshold, looking into a room with tiled floors, a dresser, a large artwork of trees hanging on the wall, and a small waste bin. Description reads: "MARCH 7 SUNDAY"

Elsewhere part II thumbnail - Lynn as a girl, next to a telephone pole, with marks from hot nails on her cheek.

Hold Still Episode 11, Panel 1 Kim and another woman sitting a few feet apart at a bar-style counter, with arms crossed. Bottom left corner reads: "MONDAY, MARCH 1 THE PERMACULTURE GROUP ASSIGNMENT WAS DUE TODAY. TWO MEMBERS TEXTED IN THE LAST HOUR AFTER WEEKS OF NO WORK OR COMMUNICATION. I FEEL LUCKY TO HAVE ONE GOOD TEAMATE AT LEAST. ALI AND MOM CAME OVER IN THE AFTERNOON FOR A VISIT."

Cartoon Show Episode 10 Thumbnail

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