Tuesday, July 7, 2009

A GUY NAMED BEN







Posted by John at 2:45 AM
Labels: ,

25 comments:

  1. King AdBeckJuly 7, 2009 at 3:27 AM

    Heartbreaking.

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  2. Bob DahlstromJuly 7, 2009 at 3:48 AM

    Wow, this one is really rough. Ouch.

    I wonder what was the reason behind the gloves...

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  3. JessJuly 7, 2009 at 4:45 AM

    That is unbelievably sad; I love the way you contrasted the narration with the images.

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  4. thismeanswaughJuly 7, 2009 at 6:14 AM

    Powerful strip, man.

    It totally takes you by surprise - I was concentrating on the text and only half looking at the pictures to begin with - thinking it was just a jolly tale of someone you knew - then I sort of realised where it was going and had to go back and start again.

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  5. MattJuly 7, 2009 at 8:46 AM

    John, seriously man, I'm absolutely in awe of your talent. This is such a tremendously tender (and sad) comic and your execution is flawless. I'm especially blown away by the fourth page and how you handled Ben slipping beneath the morning water. Your pacing and mood are perfectly suited to the subject matter and the details you chose to share surrounding the suicide go a long way towards humanizing what could have just been a tragic statistic. Even in the more mundane moments, Ben's loneliness and sadness are clear.

    You've crafted a beautiful tribute to a fascinating man who obviously meant a lot to you, both as a person and as an artist. For all the journal cartoonists lurking around the Internet, we can officially consider the bar raised.

    Well done!

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  6. LauraJuly 7, 2009 at 9:49 AM

    I agree, a very moving story told well.

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  7. Anthony WoodwardJuly 7, 2009 at 10:26 AM

    Wow, this is an amazing comic!

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  8. MaDCoWJuly 7, 2009 at 2:49 PM

    Susquehanna River?! I live near there!

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  9. AnonymousJuly 7, 2009 at 2:52 PM

    Awful last panel.

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  10. Grimalkin PressJuly 7, 2009 at 3:25 PM

    Wow, great pacing of the story man. I think this may be my favorite yet. I'm always fascinated by missed chances and things left unsaid.

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  11. JeffJuly 7, 2009 at 3:52 PM

    Reminds me of Joe Matt's stuff. Awesome - keeep it up.

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  12. AnonymousJuly 7, 2009 at 4:35 PM

    i agree. last panel was almost shockinly meaningless visually. but only because the previous story was so evocatively told. beautiful work.

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  13. AnonymousJuly 7, 2009 at 4:37 PM

    My Grandfather was in the hospital 35 years ago. Before he went in, we had a fight. Just before he went into surgery, he held out his hand to offer me forgiveness for our fight. I wasn't ready for him to forgive me, or for me to forgive him. He died, I still haven't forgiven myself.

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  14. zero hourJuly 7, 2009 at 5:15 PM

    Hey John,
    that was wonderfully done!

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  15. UnknownJuly 7, 2009 at 7:41 PM

    Ben murdered people. He murdered them and sunk them out in that lake. He wore gloves to keep his fingerprints in tact for the police to use to tie him to crimes. The letters are to the family of his victims, and there is no letter for the kid because, well, he was spared.

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  16. AnonymousJuly 7, 2009 at 8:27 PM

    Meh, be glad he didn't rape you. There's always an upside.

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  17. SarahJuly 8, 2009 at 1:10 AM

    Wow John, this is beautiful! I get so much inspiration from your work; it makes me want to get going again with Consolation but it's so hard to focus here, I just want to get up and run around and do physical things.

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  18. Mutually Assured DistractionJuly 8, 2009 at 4:13 AM

    Your strips reminds me of Jeffrey Brown's work. That's not a bad thing obviously. Unless you really hate his comic books.. then, uh, LOOK OVER THERE!

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  19. CadwellJuly 8, 2009 at 6:43 AM

    Hello John,

    I have just recently discovered your comic and what can I say, I've been enjoying them? Perhaps enjoying isn't the right word, particularly for this latest comic, but I have been appreciating very much your observations, your handling of emotion and depiction, the choice of shades of blue and your honesty in telling stories so obviously personal.
    I'm also shocked at how some people have left hideous comments on a comic about such a sad and tricky subject. I wouldn't listen to anyone who hasn't the guts to put their name to what they say.
    Keep up the excellent and thoughtful work, John.

    Your new fan,
    Adam Cadwell.

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  20. RiDoodleJuly 8, 2009 at 1:18 PM

    Incredibly sad.

    Well done.

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  21. Box BrownJuly 8, 2009 at 3:59 PM

    Great comic! Looking forward to more!

    Stay sorry!

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  22. DemophonJuly 11, 2009 at 3:10 PM

    Super comic. I'm very happy to have found your site! Great work.

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  23. mr.frivolousAugust 12, 2009 at 8:44 AM

    Wow! I dont even know what to say!

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  24. StephenJanuary 2, 2011 at 1:05 PM

    John later posted:
    http://sorrycomics.blogspot.com/2011/01/hell.html

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  25. AnonymousJune 4, 2013 at 7:28 PM

    holy shit Am I a retarded? I don't understand the real meaning of the story!

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