After these past few weeks, I felt this comic needed to expand:
Kayla Chadwick’s article, I Don’t Know How To Explain To You That You Should Care About Other People, really resonated with me last week. Also, check out Shaun King’s series about why the struggle to end police brutality is failing and his recommendations for how that could change.
As I work on revising my previously posted comic, I’m excited to share that I (along with many, incredible Seattle artists) will be a part of this mini-comic published by Fantagraphics Bookstore in celebration of Independent Bookstore Day (April 29th!). Cover by Handa.
The deportation of the first DREAMer, passing a “healthcare” bill that would defund Planned Parenthood and create countless uninsured citizens, convicting a woman who dared laugh at Jeff Sessions, complete silence regarding the murder of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards . . . Every day it gets worse. It’s getting hard not to think of these men as pure evil.
This is a comic isn’t perfect, I know. But it’s a question that I’ve been asking myself a lot these days as I try to stay human.
Below are two articles that I’ve been thinking about like crazy as I try to figure out how to make work that focuses on the very real suffering caused by those in power, even when that suffering is not specifically my own. I admit that I’m unsure which imagery is ok for me (a white, straight, North American woman) to share. My answer in this comic was to reference images that have been widely circulated, have become a part of our collective consciousness and, for me, epitomize the calls to “not look away.” That said, I’m not sure that I got this right. Your thoughts are more than welcome.
Here are the articles:
Like so many of you, I’m absolutely heartbroken about the fire in Oakland. I met my husband almost exactly 14 years ago during a show at a similar warehouse in the same city. These spaces, though inadequate, are vital for musicians and artists trying to make and share art in a culture that does not value them (unless, of course, what they create can make a whole lot of money). For more, I highly recommend this article by Danielle Thys.
