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So this took a long time to draw, mainly because I had to write two twenty-page papers over the last two months, so although this was sketched out as of the 5th of March, I finally finished coloring it…two days ago. Hopefully in the coming weeks I will be back to a more normal comic schedule, at least for the summer. That schedule will be Mondays. If I start getting really ambitious and post on Fridays too, I’ll let you all know.
This comic started when the Republicans started their little war on women in March because I was so angry about the increasingly negative atmosphere in which we are living here in the US. Then, before I finished, the movie “October Baby” came out. I feel a bit weird about that, though I think Master Bones in “All My Abortions” (also known as “Screaming Foetus Man”) is in fact more entertaining than the conceit for that film. He may actually be my favorite one-off character I’ve drawn for the strip, on par with the cussing teddy bear from #303. My dear aunt, who visited while the comic was in its final stages, mentioned the “old maid” should look like Miss Havisham. And of course she should, except I don’t know what Miss (Ms.) Havisham looks like, exactly, and also I wanted to do a TV show with a person of color in it, because seriously everyone on TV is white and it makes me want to die.
Anyway it struck me that people seem to think that women who have had abortions (or, per the Republicans, used birth control) should suffer for it in some way. Even a lot of people who say that they are pro-choice seem to think this at times, like sometimes they think it is okay to get an abortion but sometimes you should have to live with your mistakes. This is a very problematic viewpoint in a lot of ways, and maybe disingenuous, because it pretends that some abortions happen for convenience whilst others have “real” reasons, when in fact there are always “real” reasons–the woman in question cannot have the child (this could be anything from monetary considerations to the child having disabilities such that it couldn’t live past birth). So that’s what I was thinking while I did the first set of three…then the next two sets flowed from that. A number of people have said the third (“Trial by Ordeal”) is their favorite. Dear readers, which do you prefer?
Typically I hate the term “old maid” because I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being, you know, unmarried (and over thirty, perish the thought). But it seemed appropriate here somehow.
I think that’s about all I have to say about this. There are a few other references that my readers may recognize.
This one is filed under HE8689.7.P6 L86 2012, for Transportation and communication—Telecommunication industry. Telegraph—Broadcasting. Radio and television broadcasting—Special topics, A-Z—Political broadcasting.
I’m picturing “The power of Christ compels you” being announced before each activity in the same voice as “You are the weakest link…” but like the first one for the appropriateness of current politics and because it would make a really awful yet still likely popular soap opera.
That would be hilarious.
I used a photo you took of Tyson standing in front of a giant bee as the model for panel #7 by the way. 🙂