The other day I was reading about absurdism. Actually, I take that back: I was reading a comic about absurdism. Close enough, right? Right.

Completely coincidentally, it’s apparently an idea that none other than Søren Kierkegaard is partially responsible for.

The fundamental idea behind absurdism is this: finding the meaning of the universe is impossible because no meaning exists (as in, the universe is cold, dark and unforgiving). Therefore, to attempt to find meaning is absurd, and the only ways to “win” (if you want to call it that) are:

• Commit suicide
• Adopt a set of religious beliefs (aka “philosophical suicide,” since religion requires faith, which is the opposite of pure logic, which is the foundation of philosophy)
• Accept the absurd

In other words, you can either give up or learn how to fake it.

Granted, this is all founded on the idea that the universe is meaningless, which is the point to argue here, and I would in some sense argue against it. But maybe that’s because I don’t want to wear a tutu and hand out hot dogs at a water polo game.

And so ends yet another pointless exploration into the world of philosophy by yours truly. I hope it has been sufficiently educational. And perhaps this will help make more sense of Albert Camus’s The Stranger, should you pick it up again (or for the first time) in the near future.

HEY. I’d like the record to show that I lasted until I was almost 23. Thank God I never was tempted beyond a 30-second whim to get a tattoo showing my ‘edge pride.

Of course, I was just afraid of alcohol and what it might do to me and “straight edge” was a nice way to cover that up. Especially as a listener of hardcore music.

I still have my straight edge friends, and I respect their choice, but sometimes I need a beer or a gin and tonic to tie up my evening.

Some things are just too beautiful to not repost. It continues to surprise me how often this comic manages to make me feel more alive.

Sometimes you see something that makes you slap your forehead, not because of the thing itself, but at how well it sends the message of how silly some people are.

Thanks, Al Franken, for your satire via The Gospel of Supply Side Jesus. If only everyone saw the issue so clearly. The best part is that Franken may not even be aware of the message he sends about how the kingdom we are meant to participate in is not the empire around us.

Time to read Jesus for President again. I keep saying that.

Today (err… yesterday now) I finished reading the Watchmen graphic novel (that’s a “really long comic book” to those of you with a social life) and then saw the movie a few hours later.

This was my first significant venture into the world of comics and superheroes aside from the blockbuster films most of us see. I have to admit that the graphic novel is something worth taking the time to read, though I still have my doubts about comic books in general; it would be hard to match what the creators of Watchmen did without stealing straight from them.

As for the film, I was impressed. Not only did it follow the book better than any movie I’ve ever seen, but it was actually a very compelling and well-produced piece of work. The intimidating near-three-hour runtime didn’t phase me and the few things I noticed that changed were completely understandable. In one case, even, a slight change in plot helped part of the story make more sense. My only concern is that this movie is probably going to be confusing for anyone who hasn’t read the book, so if you want to see it, read it first.

The question must be asked: does this mean I’m on my way down the path to becoming comic book guy? Doubtful, unless someone can show me something that is unarguably just as good, if not better, than Watchmen.

(P.S. Apologies for not talking about the plot at all here. Go read it yourself. I’ll even loan you my copy.)

I can never quite put my finger on how John Campbell’s comics can be both simple and complex. Whatever it is he’s doing, it’s the most compelling comic I’ve read in a long time. Or maybe ever.

Somehow his simple stick drawing characters take on the most subtle gestures. Somehow deadpan dialog with no inflection and rarely any punctuation expresses ideas and emotions better than most writers could hope to do in four times as many words. Somehow he can dig to the root of some ironic or ridiculous detail of humanity or culture with heartbreakingly hilarious accuracy (like starving artists or today’s music scene) in just a few frames. (I own a limited print of that second comic, by the way. Support your artists!)

So many comics I come across these days copy and clone each other so much that it’s hard to find a unique voice. But with Campbell, I feel like I know a lot about him through his work, in all its subtlety. It’s not just because I religiously refresh his hourly autobiographical comics every day in January. His entire body of work speaks of a jaded frustration with the world combined with the humility of knowing how small and insignificant we often feel we are. I think many identify with that combination of sentiments, myself included.

It sounds stupid to say, but I feel like I know more about myself thanks to his comics. (Yeah, I’m totally that guy.) Yet, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing that.

Campbell’s main comic, Pictures for Sad Children, takes on the most absurd story lines and, while there is no real regular cast of characters, if someone from one of his short story arcs were to return a year later, you’d know exactly who they were. (Hey, isn’t that the little girl with the pillowcase on her head from way back when?)

The strip is always clever, inventive, unique and a joy to read. I look forward to it every day. And yet, I wonder if maybe it’s not for everyone, if maybe it takes someone that can identify with Campbell to truly enjoy it.

This is art in its purest sense, in that it is the natural outpouring of an artist doing exactly what he was created to do. You go, John Campbell.

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted a song or drawing for a couple weeks. There is a reason for this. (Side note: I always talk to “you” as though I have an audience. Why do I do that?)

I’ve decided to put those two goals on pause for the time being because, one, they were taking up more time than I had available due to my poor prediction of how long it would take and how much free time I have; two, it only took about a month before it started feeling more like an obligation than something I wanted to do, and these goals are about me getting things done that I want; and three, other things have come into my peripheral that may be taking up more of my time in the near future. Those things will be announced if and when they start happening.

This isn’t giving up. It’s more that I learned that drawing and songwriting are not things I enjoy when I force myself to do them. That said, when the occasion calls, I’ll now look to those two things as more valid forms of expression to get things out of my head than I did before. If training myself to think that way was the intent (it partially was), it has been met. So you may still hear the occasional song from me when I need to say or emote something and you may still see the occasional comic when I have a funny tidbit of conversation from Amy to share or drawing when I see something beautiful in my head.

A fun comic that I identify all too well with. (Update: Err… looks like you’ll have to click it to see the whole thing. Hooray for inflexible Blogger profiles.)

CS3 does not a good designer make. Ask anyone that actually does it for a living.

The next song is in progress. I’m actually halfway enjoying how this one is turning out. We’ll see if the end product lives up to what I’m imagining in my head.

I get to be the funny one in this one. Weeee. Also, Amy said she didn’t want to wear a smock any more, and she wanted… uh… more evident lady parts.

(Click image for full size)

Other than the fact that I accidentally gave her black lipstick in the second frame and that I seemed to have trouble drawing myself consistently, I think it turned out decent enough.

I’m on a roll. Once again, this was an actual conversation, barely edited so it would fit into comic form, and clearly not censored whatsoever. That’s how I like it. And I’m posting it without running it by Amy first because she’s gone all weekend. Whoops.

(Click for full size)

I tried drawing it bigger this time, which meant it took two pages to get it done. It made the job easier, but this whole scanning, cropping, cutting, pasting thing isn’t very fun. Other than screwing up the proportions of Amy’s head on the third frame, I think I did a decent job. I’m finally starting to get comfortable drawing the characters, which helps a lot.