Tuesday, July 7, 2009

A GUY NAMED BEN







25 comments:

  1. Wow, this one is really rough. Ouch.

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

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

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  3. 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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  4. 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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  5. I agree, a very moving story told well.

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  6. Susquehanna River?! I live near there!

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  7. Awful last panel.

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

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  10. 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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  11. 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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  12. Hey John,
    that was wonderfully done!

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

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  15. 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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  16. 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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  17. 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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  18. Great comic! Looking forward to more!

    Stay sorry!

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

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  20. Wow! I dont even know what to say!

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

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

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