Week 2

 


 
I was originally going to go for very exaggerated facial expressions ala Egoraptor but halfway through I erased everything and started again. For some reason, I wanted to relate more to something featureless. The lack of eyes, nose, and mouth make it feel more asphyxiating, at least it did while drawing. It's more to focus on the fact that this little person made of wax is melting away, akin to sweating or crying and breaking down. Despite this, we come out on top. That's sort of how I wanted the comic to feel. More universal. Shit happens. You go through it. And hopefully, you come out on top, never mind the effects of whatever it is. You're alive, and that's a hell of a lot more than most people get.

Regardless of whatever medium I choose to make wordless, one thing is for sure.

It taps into the more... ooga-booga aspects of my brain.

It elicits the desire to twist and turn and feel something, anything.

I'm sure this could've been more impactful if it expanded across more panels, each getting progressively worse, slowing down the time and space by adding more and more drawings, making it feel like a more intense experience. I didn't realize that while making it though. I realize now that these panels function more like keyframes, more so like a regular comic. Oh well! In all earnest, it made me want to produce more comics. Comics are something I’ve wanted to make for a long time but always feared they wouldn’t be a good career path. Funny when you realize that it can just be a hobby and not every single interest you have has to be monetized or some sort of “side-hustle” that will pay off one day.

You can just create for the sake of it.

Weird.

For a little bit of context, after reading Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, I went into a deep spiral and read Maus. The first and second book. I felt very ghostly after that. I messaged a close friend and urged him to read it. Two days later he told me he felt the same way. I could've swore I was dissociating.