About March 2023

Apr07
by on April 7, 2023 at 10:00 am

A series of four panel comics, all rendered in magenta and green. The first comic, ON EMERGE: In the first panel, the silhouette of a tree is seen before outlines of buildings. Two birds tweet softly on its branches. The narration begins: "it still feels like winter." In the second panel, Emily lies on a couch, covered almost entirely by a blanket. She opens her eyes tentatively to the noise. The narration continues: "but this morning I can hear birds in the tree outside our front window." In the third panel, Emily sits up from the couch, stretching her arms and back, eyes closed. The narration continues: "I am going to walk down to the used bookstore this afternoon. Work on some comics. Maybe make something nice for dinner." In the fourth panel, we zoom in on her hand, reaching up toward the ceiling. The narration concludes: "I am through the hardest part of the season, and I'm ready to start flying again." The second comic, ON REFLECTION: In the first panel, we see a tight shot of Emily sitting on a couch, holding a beer, surrounded by friends happily chatting. She laughs. The narration begins “lately I’ve wished I could have a moment to view myself from the outside.” In the second panel, Emily is seen from the chest up, facing the camera. There are silhouettes of her behind her, growing smaller as they fade into the distance. The narration continues: “see the version of myself that everyone else does.” In the third panel, a single hand reaches out from the right side of the panel. Three other hands reach out from the left to meet it. The narration continues: “would I see that she is deserving of the love so freely given?” In the fourth and final panel, Emily is clutching both of her hands together in front of her chest. Light pours from them, seeping through her fingers. The narration concludes: “that I am, that I am.” The third comic, ON FURTHER EXPLORATION: In the first panel, Emily sits up on the couch, legs covered by a blanket, looking at her phone with her glasses off. Her expression is tired and concerned. The narration begins: "Is this just a self-esteem problem or does it all run deeper." In the second panel, we zoom in on her phone screen, showing a search for "treatments for depression." The narration continues: "Something with my brain that I just can't think myself out of." In the third panel, we zoom in on her phone screen even more as she scrolls through a page. The narration takes up most of the space, but under her thumb, we see an article talking about the use of medication in depression treatment. The narration continues: "Or is this all simply learned, and the process of unlearning is THIS slow and painful and winding." In the fourth panel, Emily rubs her eye, still sitting on the couch. Her narration concludes: "I don't even know how to begin to figure that out."

Thanks as always for reading. If you’d like to support the comic directly, you can do so over on my Patreon page.