Disclaimer: Before I even posted this comic, someone left this comment: “Gee, how awful that you were profoundly disappointed by the storm. Too bad your apartment wasn’t flooded and all your shit wasn’t ruined, like what happened to a lot of other people in Brooklyn. Maybe think twice about documenting it like a sulky teenager just because it didn’t affect you directly. Dick.”
Look, I am aware that the hurricane was indeed awful for many people, but please understand that this comic isn’t about any political/social/psychological commentary on people in crisis, it’s just about what I did during the hurricane. Misinterpretation of people’s hurricane comments and stories seems to cause a lot of upset on the internet so don’t get your panties in a twist about it please. Oh, and the blacked out parts are just a bit of censoring of private thoughts. I won’t censor it later in printed books though.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Great comic; definitely echoed all lot of the feelings of existential fear & confusion I felt before/after the hurricane. You’re certainly not the only one who felt “disappointed” by the end result of the hurricane in a lot of places. I think all of the media hype and fear that it brought on made people have to face up to a lot of things quickly (i.e. power of nature to take you out at will, losing all of your belongings, etc.) and then to be put through that emotional wringer without any real tribulation (just a moderate thunderstorm and some heavy winds) makes you feel pretty foolish for having gotten so worked up.
Then on top of that, being from Burlington, VT I got to feel extremely guilty about feeling this way shortly after, when I found out that entire towns about a 30 min. drive from me got completely wiped out….
You’re leaving New York?
Fuck ‘em if they can’t take a joke.
I am, but not for about a year. I’m not going to talk about it on the internet though beyond eluding to it here and there. I know that’s annoying but I dont want to jinx the move
I totally appreciate the way you captured the thoughts that so many of us New Yorkers had before, during and after the storm. Living in one of the mandatory evacuation areas, I can completely relate.
You really have a remarkable way of capturing a slice of life on paper. I recently lent my cousin “Drinking at the Movies” and she couldn’t put it down — she moved from Oregon to NY for several years and could really relate to your stories.
I’m sorry there are still shallow internet cretins who feel an unrelenting urge to troll for no valid reason other than anonymity (I’m going out on a limb and guessing that guy is not even from Brooklyn, just another fuming White Knight) but like Jay and Shana said, you’re not the only one that had these thoughts. The media was practically frothing at the mouth with every new damage report and death count that came in.
Keep up the awesome work. You’re inspirational!
I totally understand the self reflection. When Ike hit us here in Houston, we had power out for days in my area (weeks for the rest of the city). I thought about how little I had done in life and felt empowered by helping neighbors cut trees while cleaning up. I was revved up. Reday to conquer life. Then I got sick from tap water. Hurricanes make you think about yourself and then make you feel guilty about thinking about yourself. Fuck ‘em.
I love the “Kitten I’m home, kitten I’m home” song. Cats have a very similar effect on me.
my upstairs neighbors left town for the hurricane, but left me their keys in case the flood waters came and my dog and i needed to escape to higher ground, but — goddammit! — why didn’t i think to loot their place?!
Wilde said: “Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is not.”… also: “Fuck’em.
That Kitten song is totally brilliant and Knifey is an ego-maniac.
Not everyone realizes that when you post something from your own perspective, it’s not going to be Shakespeare f’r cryin’ out loud.
Everyone gets selfish and has their own thoughts during possible horrifying/life-changing experiences. The fellow that made that comment is, himself, a dick.
Best of luck to ya, and go date some cute guy! Enjoy it even if nothing happens!
The Hurricane Threating NY was a headline here in Mid-Europe too. It was set as if it erased all of the East Coast and ultimately it would eliminate NYC. However, it was as if some cheap disaster movie with Michael Biehn came to life.
In the comic you prepare PI for the storm. There are no posts on wordpress from PI since May: how come?
Best hurricane clean-up story ever:
http://gothamist.com/2011/09/02/skeleton_found_in_irene-flooded_sta.php
“horrible thoughts” and the panel after are so great. Isn’t mistrusting your cat the most horrible thought of all?
Also, wasn’t Collardey’s plywood fence/landfill comment about the Dinner Pants comic?
hey that was beautiful.
dude, I’m reading it late, but I thought this was awesome. It’s simply just straight honesty. I think there’s a lot of people that feel this way when a storm comes and they end up way over-prepared. So I happy you exist and write this stuff Julia, you’re the man, dog.
This was so fucking true for me, too, and I live in BKLYN. It was frickin’ a waste of mini-psychosis, y’know? All that happened was I ate pineapple out of a can and watched Doctor Who and read MAD’s and stuff. My cable didn’t even cut.
Your stuff is fucking hilarious! I wish I had a credit card/PayPal thing so I could get Great Pretenders! DAMN! Will it be on shelves?