weird (part 1)

a diary comic about unhinged creatives

Update: This is Present Karen checking in. We did it. We finished all 3 parts. Proud of you. But mostly me. Check them out: Part 2 & Part 3

Hey friends,

How’s it hanging? Just wanted to add that preamble because it signals that we’re having a casual conversation. Unlike the stuffy, over-edited essays of yore, this newsletter’s just a couple of friends chatting. Look at us, so pleasant! So effortless!

Speaking of effortless, check out this smooth segue. So, this week’s newsletter (nailed ittttt) contains part 1 of probably 3 of a comic I’ve been thinking about for a long time.

The daunting part of making comics is the sheer amount of time it takes to make a few panels. Often I resort to making short ones to satisfy my desire to crank something out but that means I don’t get to address topics that require a little more time to make.

Enter the multi-parter.

I will now go ahead and explain serial comics as if I invented it. You see, the great thing about doing a series is you get to commit to telling the story the way you want to but with a more manageable deadline. Imagine if George R.R. Martin waited until he finished writing “Game of Thrones” before releasing it. It probably never would have made it out into the world, and everyone would be less traumatized by how the show ended. (Note: I can make this joke pain-free because I’ve never read the books nor watched the show. No stakes baby! My husband, however, is still waiting for good ol’ Georgey to finish the books. Reader, he’ll be waiting a long time. Again, no stakes. I am untouchable.)

Anyway! I like that I can break up this story into multiple parts because I get to satisfy my own personal deadline of releasing a newsletter every week while spending more time refining each comic.

A few process notes:

✍️ All the parts are written but as of today only this one’s drawn.

✍️ I drew this mostly by hand and cleaned it up in Photoshop. Added some details with the iPad.

✍️ This comic is based on a lifetime of working in offices with a bunch of creative weirdos. I love weirdos but sometimes they’re unpleasant AF to be around. Not surprisingly, creative people aren’t the… easiest types to work with?

✍️ Physical features of The Weirds have been changed to avoid lawsuits. If you encounter them in the wild, though, RUN.

✍️ I now realize The Weirds are kinda similar to The Wedding Industrial Complex from my first zine but maybe it’s developing into a style?

Without further ado, here’s part 1.

Part 2 coming soon.

Update: Again, Present Karen being a total Karen and making this about me. We finished this series and you may find Part 2 & Part 3 at those cutie links.