Postcard - Longbranch, Washington

"Picturesque Puget Sound. While this view shows Longbranch, it is typical of the entire Puget Sound area. Hundreds of protected coves and bays provide haven for the thousands of boaters who navigate these waters every year. This view shows a few of the lucky skippers enjoying their favorite pastime. Mount Rainier stands guardian over all."

From the 1980s. You have to click on and enlarge the image to see Rainier. McNeil, Eagle, and Anderson islands are in the background. McNeil (on the left) is the home of a state prison. Anderson (on the right) was the epicenter point for our delightful 2001 earthquake.

2001 So Far

1 sheet, printed in May 2001. Number of copies unknown, but probably not many. Ten or less is my guess.

Yes, it was only May but we had already experienced a stolen presidential election and a massive earthquake. But yet to come, of course, was September 11. As an added bonus, Governor Gary Locke personally arrived at my place to employment to inform us we were being eliminated from the budget.

A throwaway work.

Phone photo 66

I was driving on Deschutes Parkway in Olympia this morning and thought I'd get a nice sunrise shot of the Washington State Legislative Building reflected in Capitol Lake. But then I remembered the so-called lake was really a dammed estuary now filled with invasive species such as nutria, some kind of tiny snail, and dangerous caimans-- this body of water is known as the Fetid Lake of Doom, or FLOD to those of us in-the-know. So I took a photo of the road instead.

Actually this is the third Deschutes Parkway. It was first constructed around 1949-1950 when the "lake" was formed. Then the 1965 earthquake, a 6.5 event which I recall was fun, made chunks of the parkway collapse into the water. So it was rebuilt. The 2001 quake (6.8, and not so fun) once again wrecked the road. So it was rebuilt.

Isn't that more interesting than a boring yet-again picture of our capitol dome reflected in the water? I think so.

Smorgasboard of Delight

The Smorgasboard of Delight was first published Mar. 1, 2001. It was the day after the worst earthquake I've ever experienced. As I recall, we couldn't go back to work on Mar. 1 because our building wasn't deemed safe at that point. So I stayed home and made this comic.

Could there be a connection between the quake and the content of this comic?

[And here SW whips off his glasses in a dramatic fashion, steps forward, deepens his voice, and with a stern expression says]

You decide!

This comic had an initial run of 15 copies. 3 each of blue, yellow, pink, red, green.

the 1st Danger Room reprint Ed. of June 2005 had 5 red copies.

Drawn with #1 lead pencil. I think the cover illustration is original size the remainder of the comic consists of the same image being enlarged.

Monkey Trap

My, my my, I sure didn't have big printruns in the early part of Century 21. A whopping 15 copies of Monkey Trap chugged out of my little copier on Feb. 20, 2001 (3 blue, 3 yellow, 3 pink, 3 red, 3 green).

The 1st Danger Room Reprint Ed. in June 2005 had 5 copies (4 blue, 1 yellow).

This was my last comic before the big earthquake on Feb. 28, 2001. Perhaps it was an omen?

The original art might still be hidden somewhere in my cluttered studio, but who knows? Perhaps I'll don a pith helmet and explore the place this year. Anyway, I think the comic was drawn with a mixture of #1 lead pencil and felt tip. I'm guessing all the printed images were enlarged from very tiny originals.

The idea of just starting right into the story, without a traditional comic cover, appealed to me. And having the title added as an afterthought made it almost seem like a punchline.

I still have wait several more years before I know what this comic is about. But I still like it.

6.8 Aftershocks

This blogging format is definitely not the way to read this minicomic. I used a word wraparound technique, where sentences ran from page to page, requiring the reader to flip the book at least 5 times to read the entire piece. The disorienting essay method was employed as a way to share how experiencing a massive earthquake can literally jolt you out of the familiar frames of reference.

6.8 Aftershocks was published Apr. 21, 2001, a couple months after the worst earthquake I've ever experienced. And being a long time Washington State native, I've been through a lot of them, including the 1965 6.5 quake. But the Feb. 2001 event was by far the scariest.

The first print run had a grand total of 15 copies (2 white, 2 pink, 2 red, 3 blue, 3 green, 3 yellow). In June 2005, 5 blue copies were printed as the 1st Danger Room Reprint Ed.