So, let me explain this comic. Today I started my class in creating graphic novels (comic books, essentially). I was running on fumes, and felt like I could barely speak when introducing myself to the class. But then, the teacher gave us a challenge: spend one hour creating a one-page comic with the topic of “time.” My mind blanked at first, but after five minutes or so I was sketching out the comic you see above, which surprised me, since I generally struggle to come up with ideas. But, given a tight deadline, I’m able to whip something out. I’ve made note of this in the past, but I rarely have enough discipline to force deadlines upon myself. Gotta work on that.

Given that this cartoon is essentially a first-draft, there are a few things I didn’t make totally clear, so I’ll lay out the basic premise. The guy in panel 2 is watching a YouTube video–one of those “watch people age” videos. But instead of being a time-lapse, the video is literally 15 years long. The video’s subject ages to 35, and the viewer into old age. The viewer is jolted into realizing that he’s wasted his life in front of the computer.

Like they say, write what you know!

My friend was kind enough to invite me to a rock concert, resulting in my only sketch of the day, on the iPhone.

So, this is a bad caricature, but at least half of you don’t know what Rochester looks like anyway. Like most people born in the (18)70s, I like to relax with a little Old Time Radio before bed. One of the best resources for this is the Old Time Radio Researchers Library, a completely free site that has an extensive collection of series, most of which I haven’t bothered to listen to, since I’m addicted to the Jack Benny show.

If you know anything about Rochester, it’s sort of become a cliche to mention that he was one of the rare black characters of his era to play against the cringe-worthy Stepin Fetchit sterotype. But it’s true, and I think it’s one of many reasons that the Benny program is still so listenable today. It wasn’t political correctness (a far-off concept in those days), but rather a killer dynamic where  the star, Jack, was treated as the show’s sole buffoon. Therefore, right off the bat, Rochester had to me more savvy than his boss, and it’s hard to imagine him lasting more than a season if he were just a crass…well, caricature.

Getting back to the brush pen at the bus stop. Yes, she had two purses.

When she couldn’t reach me by phone, my niece sent me a cute video message. This was my response.