6. Mom before me: an album (Part VII) – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

6. Mom before me: an album (Part VII)

A ribbon banner tops the page, decorated with forget-me-nots and a bloody bandage. It reads: “Gruesome Tales from THE FAMILY LORE. CW: BARF.” Lynn writes, “Do all moms rake themselves over the coals for every misfortune that befalls their children? As if they should have a magic inner crystal ball of motherhood that foresees all disasters? And then repeat these tales of woe for decades with no conclusion, only remorse and head-scratching? Just curious.” In gray and white, someone holds a postcard of Mount Rushmore. From off-panel, someone asks, “Remember this?” Someone replies, “How could I forget?” Lynn continues, “We took a lot of road trips when I was a kid. Mostly out to New Jersey to see Dad’s side of the family. But one summer we went to Mount Rushmore. It was hot and our ’66 Mercury had no AC. The rear window opened though and I loved that breeze.” Lynn’s dad is unlocking his brown Mercury sedan. He is wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and sunglasses.

The Mercury is driving up a road past rolling farmlands. A green field stretches out in the background, dotted by barrels of hay, a red barn with a silo attached to it, and evergreen trees. The sun is setting on the horizon. Lynn’s dad drives with one hand on the wheel. The road now curves by jagged, reddish rock formations to the right. Lynn writes, “Heading west, the flat farm land of southwestern Minnesota gives way to more hilly terrain in South Dakota.” Lorraine is buckled up in the car wearing a blue sleeveless dress and sunglasses, hair down to her nape. She is reading from a 1966 Road Atlas. Lynn continues, “Through the Badlands and into the Black Hills we drove. The distance between Minneapolis and Mount Rushmore is around 600 miles. That made for a long day with just the scratchy AM radio stations to distract us from the country smells and also…”

Back in the present day, in gray and white, older Lorraine and Lynn sit at a table sipping on dirty martinis. They both have straight, gray/white hair down to their shoulders, so they look almost biologically related. Lorraine is holding the postcard in her hand. They both have serious expressions on their faces. Lorraine says, “Adam vomited the whole way. Poor kid.” Lynn responds, “Yeah,” while thinking to herself, “Here we go.” Lorraine goes on, “HIs eyes were so bad. He had no depth perception. I should have known the Black Hills would make him nauseous. A mother should know.” Back in the flashback in full color, Adam as a kid rests his head in his hand against the car window, elbow sitting on a pink pillow. He begins to look sick, growing yellow in the face and cheeks puffing out like he is holding back vomit. He opens his eyes wide in alarm, face growing even more yellow and clamping his hand to his mouth. He begins to stick his face out the window, which is now rolling down. He is still covering his mouth, squinting his eyes shut. In white text over a black background, from off panel Lynn shouts, “DAD! PULL OVER! NOW!”

Published On: February 15, 2024

A smiling cartoon cockatiel is wearing a red artist's apron, holding a palette, and painting a dog in fancy clothing on a canvas. Over a light blue background, text reads: "Draw your pet as a character, Free online workshop with Sara Varon, Friday, Feb 9, 7 p.m. EST, 4 p.m. PST, Presented by SAW"

A solid black background with white text reading: "SAW Presents: SPACE MUSIC, A just-for-fun comic workshop with Erika Pascual, Friday, Feb 2nd, 7 p.m. EST" Little doodles of stars, aliens, planets, UFOs, and music notes decorate the rest of the image, also in white.

An illustration drawn in colored pencil of a witch with spectral limbs performing several tasks at once. Main text reads: "Let's Make a Witchsona! This Friday, Jan 26th @ 7 p.m."

A large cuddly bear hugs a human who barely reaches the bear's chin. The human smiles lovingly up at the bear. They are both colorless and rendered with detailed, thin black line work. The background is a wash of oranges of different hues. The text reads: "Meet Your Sleep - Free Comics Workshop! Presented by SAW, January 19, 7 p.m. EST, Maureen Burdock"

The background is a navy blue sky dotted with yellow stars. All of the coloring is splotchy, as if done with a dying marker. An anthropomorphic dog person wearing a tawny sweater and light green pants stands near the edge of a cliff. They are cupping their hands near their mouth and shouting out. Their voice shows up in almost a beam of white light, with their words written in large, all caps yellow uneven block letters: "CALLING IN OUR ANCESTORS." The rest of the text of the image (alternating between this yellow text and a thin script-like font) reads: "SAW presents: [Calling in our ancestors] - a FREE comics workshop with Ellen O'Grady, January 5, 7 P.M. E.T., no experience necessary."

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.

A young Lorraine is wearing a blue leotard with matching blue tights. She is holding an exercise pose where she stands with feet shoulder width apart, arms raised to form an oval around her head, and stretching her torso to the side so she is almost at a right angle. Her mouth is open as she lets out a “Uff da…”

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.

Kim is turned away from the reader, sitting on the floor with legs stretched out and working in front of an empty mushroom monotub. She is drilling a large hole in the side of the tub. This panel is much more minimal than most in the series, with just a white background. “October 15. Set up mushroom monotubs before work. Mixed oyster and wine cap spawn grain into substrate (separately). Worked until 6 p.m.”

In gray and white, a medium shot shows Lynn staring into the distance, clutching a travel coffee mug and looking solemnly nostalgic. She thinks to herself, “I miss those days so hard!”

Tony is standing out his house in a large pot meant for a planted tree. He is shoveling soil from a wheel barrow into the pot. There is a pile of dirt behind him, and an already potted tree off to his side. “October 9. Worked. Planted the Venus mango tree.”

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

In the gray and white of Lynn's near-present day, Lorraine holds onto James's arm as they walk on a path from a house blanketed in snow. They are dressed in hats, scarves, and winter coats.

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.

Enzo is standing next to a bed and bending down to reach something on the ground. “October 3, Sunday.”

Young Adam is hunched over, hands on knees, throwing up: "BLEH"

Kim is standing outside, using a fire extinguisher on what looks to be a bush in front of her. She looks calm. “September 26.”

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

Guy is relaxing on the couch watching TV with a pink-haired woman. His hand is resting on the woman’s thigh. They are both sitting in the same position, right leg crossed over left.

A view of a classroom from Kim’s perspective. A man with a goatee wearing a button down shirt stands behind a podium with a desktop computer, speaking to the glass. There is a projector on a stool in front of him, displaying an image of a rocky formation and body of water on the screen on the back wall. Two men sit in the desks in front of Kim, leaning in and listening. “September 20. Our group had its first presentation today. I had dreaded it, but we did well and now it’s over with.”

Enzo is standing in the kitchen, holding Tonks the cat in his arms like a baby in a front-facing carrier. He is smiling softly. “September 14. Made turkey meatballs before work. Crappy work day. Class after with quiz.”

Stylistically rendered with bright, flat colors, simplified shapes, and no line work: a man faces the reader across a cyan background with pink buildings and peach clouds. He stands on a pink road between cyan sidewalks. He is wearing aviator sunglasses and has a thick mustache with a stubbly chin. He wears a blue and black coat over a white Armani t-shirt; his hands are in his jacket pockets, to his side. We see down to his knees before the image cuts off. He is rendered with blue hair, peach skin, and a pink nose. He has an air of intimidating confidence.

Lorraine sits next to Lynn’s dad, both looking like young twenty-somethings. They are both dressed in formal wear - Lorraine in a floral print dress, Lynn’s dad in a suit and tie - and they smile for the camera.

Kim is reading from a book opened to a page full of pictures of different kinds of mushrooms. She is lounging, wearing comfy pants and sitting with her knees up. “September 8. Ordered mushroom cultivating supplies after doing some research. Worked until 7 p.m.”

Kim tends to a rack of bananas hanging from a rod in her house. “September 7. Felt crappy again. Made a big wall calendar to help manage time. Had class today.”

A zoomed in view of hands holding a plant’s steam with a leaf attached. In the background are more leaves and plants. “August 27.”

A sepia-toned family photograph, showing five people in formal wear posing stiffly for the camera.

Kim stands among banana trees outside. She is looking down, where a rack of bananas lies at her feet. “August 21. Worked. Blue java rack fell prematurely.”

From behind, we see Kim bend over as she steps into her bathtub. She is naked. “August 15. Sunday. Painted. Bath.”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.