Villain Confusion
Hey, did you guys hear? Osama Bin Laden’s dead! All across the globe, former thralls of the “original” terrorist are waking up as if from a deep sleep. Somewhere in Pakistan a man wakes up in a desert cave and wonders aloud, “Where am I? Where are my wife and children?” He feels something in his pocket, a somewhat ragged and dirty photo he must have been carrying for some time. Pulling it out, he takes a closer look and immediately regrets it. Here is an image of himself standing with the Al Queda mastermind himself in front of a banner reading, “Death to America”. He cries out and throws the photo screaming, “What have I done!?”
The camera pans up to the sky.
This is a tough topic of discussion, one that I didn’t think I really had an angle on for a comic and one I wasn’t sure I wanted to write a blog post about, but it’s big news and I can’t help but try for humor even in difficult situations. The last few days have been strange for much of America now that their personal boogieman is dead. Reactions have ranged from stunned confusion to outright jubilation to not studying for finals (take that terrorists!). It’s all a bit bizarre from my perspective, but then again I wasn’t there when the shit went down, so to speak. I guess I can’t know how people that were directly impacted by the events that happened 10 years ago feel about the whole thing and I would never presume to tell people how they should feel. Let’s just leave it at that.
Either way, the world is certainly a better place for lacking a figure like Bin Laden, whatever his role was in the waning years of what passed for a life. Whether he was a figurehead or not is up for debate, but regardless, it’s nice to think that the world is free from the tentacles of a sociopath like him for at least a little while.
The media here in the States, however, would like to get us worried about the next villain (or villains) right away. There’s certainly no rest for the wicked, as they say.
History is full of terrible individuals out to ruin life for other people. It’s sad to think that this is a cycle that will, likely, continue into the future. While human beings continue to misunderstand one another and see their fellow humans as “other”, this shit will go on.
My hope (hey, I’m an idealist) is that sooner or later, we’ll get it through our heads that the divisions we create between ourselves and others are largely fictitious. We all share this world together and we’re all just trying to get by. Being cognizant of the strengths and flaws of the human spirit is invaluable if you’re trying to lead a sane and healthy life. It’s hard to maintain a positive outlook when faced with people that want to murder you simply for living in a different place under a different culture, but it’s one of the few things we have to hold on to. Demonizing other nations, other faiths, or other beliefs leads nowhere good.
We can disagree without starting a war or setting off bombs.
We can just sit down and have a discussion and solve our problems. It’s really that easy.
I propose that if we really need to compete for something, we should meet on the internet to duke it out, then at least no one would have to die. I hear Starcraft 2 is pretty great.
Unfortunately, the South Koreans would win every negotiation ever.
Move over China and the US. A new challenger approaches.
Oh I have a little gift for those of you interested in how I do the artwork for the strip! I livestreamed my work on the strip for today so if you want to watch it you can. It apparently was recording through my microphone so it has some ridiculous mix of music on there. Don’t judge me. It’s two hours long and I’m planning to compress it for youtube probably down to 10 minutes. If you’re an artist the slower version might be interesting to you! Check it out here.
EDIT: Here’s the 10 minute version! Youtube cut the second song I added which was “Satellite” by Guster. Apparently I can’t use that 🙁
damm, i was sure he was made with bits and pieces of dead muslim extremists and science……..
I haven’t been paying attention and didn’t know he was dead until a day ago… to which I responded, “what’s that have to do with the potatoes in Portal 2!? You know, she thinks I am fat, computer-bitch!”
And woo finals, 3 down, another 4 to go… and a paper v.v
You choice in music to listen to while making the strip was delightful.
I have to agree. And it’s also very cool to see how you painstakingly create a comic.
You share my exact musical tastes. You are now infinitely more awesome than you were before. Which was pretty awesome.
Dude, I’m serious we should become Grooveshark friends.
I wonder who we will choose next to waste money on instead of focusing on domestic issues. I hope its French Canada…
I miss the days of isolationism.
What I really hope is that his brainwashed maniacs don’t start blowing up more people excessively in an attempt to fill his place (under the spotlight). There is already a decade of damage to be fixed, at least until the western world’s wound becomes small enough to ignore. I still think its interesting how it coincided with the uprisings in the middle east, too convenient, and it was so quick I keep getting the feeling we all missed something.
if this comment didn’t make sense, blame it on the 1 AM insomnia syndrome..
ok, just clear it for me: people *celebrated* someone’s death. And found that reasonable, right? Is it only me who hits a difficulty in understanding this? Anyway, its a great PR for your president, I grant you that. If I may quote Sam Vimes “
How fortunate the heir to the throne appeared just as the dragon attacked the city.How fortunate FOR the heir that the dragon appeared just before him”My point is: of course those “brainwashed maniacs” will start blowing things up. That’s the idea. So long the nation has a common enemy, a common fear, someone outside the system they can cast blame on, the aforementioned system itself is safe from blame.
The world gets awfully bugged. Commercial art, commercial cars, commercial commercials…. commercial politics. Screw it, I’d better go visit Sas…
the celebration of his death did bother me. I mean, I understand maybe being relieved.
However, the night it occurred I was walking around my campus, and a truck goes speeding by while a bunch of frat boys in the back scream and wave the american flag…
i dunno. it was really bothersome to see that kind of behavior.
As for the consequences that follow, I do think something drastic will happen in reaction to his death. I hope it will be stopped, but we can never know. the fact of the matter is bin Laden can easily become a martyr and something to inspire people to take his cause even further.
Nice comic and post.
In other news, random button!
While watching the video of how you do your art I noticed you play League of Legends too. =D
Loved the video by the way, keep up the good work ^^
All that happens….and then we start fighting aliens. Its bound to happen. Hell, even Star Trek, the positive side of science fiction has its villains.
But yeah, yay for getting this and getting out of Iraq. Just getting out of Afghanistan and hopefully we can just make scowly faces at everyone for a few decades.
Osama is DEAD?! NNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Sorry, I’ve been living in a cave under a rock for the last few years, I hadn’t heard until now.
But now my photo of us together is a collectors item! I will sell it on eBay to buy more guns and rocks and sticks to decorate my cave!