Dance of the Tipsy Parents

An Education

Two years ago this month, I began drawing a weekly comic strip for my outstanding local newspaper, the Kansas City Star. I called the strip "Delayed Karma" - this was an obscure fusion of a John Lennon song and my mother's maiden name, and by no means an attempt to sound "all metaphysical." I'm not going to attempt to repost all of the early strips I drew. Most are painful for me to look at. The text is incoherent, the characters' heads are poorly proportioned, and I can't read them without finding dozens of things I would do differently if forced to redraw them. But I still enjoy a handful of these comics, so I'm going to start posting one a week in addition to my new work. In doing so, I may save a few brave souls the trouble of wading through the Incidental Comics archives in search of sketchy sustenance, or I may just boost my creative ego. Either way, enjoy the new old drawings, at least until the decent ones run out.

An Instant Bestseller

Diploma

Graduation is fast approaching, a day that will bring this cartoonist much joy and this blog many commencement-related posts. 

Follow this link if you'd like to order a print for your own Class of 2011 warrior-poet.

Track and Field

It's been seven years since I last competed in the 400 meter dash, but even today the thought of the event sends pangs of anxiety through me. Still, I miss that unique combination of euphoria and physical pain that can only be achieved by 50.7 seconds of all-out sprinting.

Why I Draw

Special thanks to sculptor Tom Otterness (a fellow Wichita, KS native), Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, and anyone who's managed to snap a photo of the elusive Bigfoot. 

Is this why you draw? You can pick up a print in my new and improved poster shop.

Twinning

Burning the Midnight Caffeine

I sketched this comic away from the comfort of my subterranean apartment, working instead at my parents' house in my youngest brother's room. This was a good excuse to draw the objects that litter the living space of a high school freshman: cheap keyboard, out-of-tune ukulele, assorted athletic gear, Skype equipment, and sweet band posters. I think the comic captures this environment of disorder - maybe at its own expense. Local shout out: the poster with the flaming orange spectacled head is by Kansas City's storied Vahalla Studios for one of my favorite bands, The Hold Steady.

Fake Irish Blessing

Literal Concert Flyers

Caution: do not try to attend any of these shows. The venues are real (some of the finest drinking establishments in Kansas City, MO and Lawrence, KS), but the dates are fictional. As for the bands, well... I think you may have seen many of them in concert yourself. 

Soundtrack for Living

Want to purchase this as a poster? Details here, or email gsnider11@gmail.com. I will include the actual soundtrack in CD-R form. Tracklist still to-be-determined, but it will likely include John Coltrane, Keith Sweat, The Beatles, and The Wu-Tang Clan. 

Parade of Horrors

Seize the Coloring Book

The Insecure Chess Set

Productive Snow Day

The Library

I spend an inordinate amount of time browsing the shelves of Kansas City's downtown public library. To the staff there, I'm probably known as the weird guy in scrubs who lurks about the children's section and always leaves with more novels and compact discs than any one person could hope to consume. I've accepted the fact that I have a book problem.

A Cure for Social Anxiety

Kansas: Land of Zen

This comic was drawn in anticipation of a long drive I made this week from Kansas City to Denver. I think Kansas was mad at me, because I had to navigate my Honda through a snow and ice storm that spanned the entire state. However, the terrible weather did make the trip anything but boring.

Enormous Glasses

Special thanks to my elementary school classmates who unknowingly lent their yearbook pictures for the first set of panels in this comic. Here's some of the painful reference material...

Scenes from the Dinner Table