Another busy couple of weeks here resulted in more delays, but we’re caught up (again) and I’m working on this week’s stuff now. I was thinking I should just bank the last six strips for this week and next but who wants to read Halloween and municipal election gags in the middle of November?
October was a good month. It’s rare that Promises Promises will turn political, but with all the fuss over the electronic voting machines and the municipal he-said-she-said, I just couldn’t help myself. I went through a political-cartoonist phase back in college, I think I could have been pretty good at it…if it weren’t a dying art and if the research didn’t make me boil with outrage. Writing angry letters to your MP twice a week really takes a bite out of joke-writing time. (Pardon my ego, but I actually kind of want a Survivor Parliament T-shirt now.)
The pink comic was a lot of fun. Since I dug out my design markers I’ve been looking for an excuse to use them again so I thought I’d look up what (if any), awareness-days were on for November – Holey Cow! Lung Cancer, Diabetes, Huntington’s, CPR, Colitis, Hemophilia, Osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, and Epilepsy (just to name a few). I’m sure there are more but that’s as far as I got, before going to check out some of the corresponding ribbons and colours. It’s astonishing how many freakin’ ribbons there are out there, and most share multiple causes. Everybody knows red is for AIDS awareness, but did you know it’s also Eczema awareness? Not to be insensitive, but there’s a pretty big gap between AIDS and Eczema. As far as I know, AIDS can’t be treated with a little vitamin E.
Going down the lists, lists and more lists of causes, ribbons, colours and combinations of colours does eventually lead to insensitivity and inevitably finding humour in vastly inappropriate ways. For instance, the pink and blue ribbon is worn in support of the pro-life movement OR “genital integrity” awareness…Now, it’s my understanding that childbirth is pretty much directly responsible for (at least female) genital trauma. The green ribbon supports Lyme disease awareness and Environmental protection! Are the ticks carrying the Lyme disease protected?
Since Promises Promises is mostly about fitness and it would tie-in nicely, I was thinking I’d back Diabetes for November. However, it turns out that the support colour for Diabetes awareness is white… Okay, without further ado, here is the Diabetes awareness comic for November:
It’s pretty deep, you may have to read it twice.
