This is a THREE-PART comic. Click < Back to see the other two parts.

Lyrics from Regina Spektor’s “Firewood”.

Hoof. Man. Ok. This comic.

I’ve been trying to make this comic for the better part of a year now, ever since I wrote that big ol’ thing over on my blog about MaxFunCon East last year. This version of the comic didn’t really come into fruition until the end of May, and I worked tirelessly on it until now in order to get it done.

I struggled with this comic in a lot of ways. It’s the most ambitious thing I’ve done under the umbrella of Steamed Veggies, maybe the most ambitious thing I’ve done up to this point period. I kept beating myself up over the fact it took me this long to really gather my thoughts and figure out how to encapsulate that weekend into one comic, even though those false starts were probably necessary in order to get to this point.

But on the other hand, I’m extremely proud of what it turned into. There’s so much more I could have added, so many other moments and people and conversations, but I feel like I was able to pull out the feeling of that weekend, what it meant to me, and put it into words and images. The whole moment and everyone who was a part of it continue to be a creative inspiration for me, even almost a year since. ❤️

Some thanks and shout-outs: to Alex Long and JPB, who gave me vital feedback and encouragement throughout making this; to my MFCE crew: Mandy, Kevin, Whitney, and Marco, who are all pictured in this comic (this weekend wouldn’t have been the same without you); to every single person I met at MFCE last year, and everyone who made that event possible (hopefully I’ll see some of you again soon!)

Anyway. Thanks for reading my comic. Keep doing good things.