So here’s Pg2 of the comic – which unashamedly takes a lot of references from Erika Moen’s Comics whose art seriously influenced me when I was spending way too much time angsting over my sexuality.
Panel 1:
(There is a caption that fills roughly half of the panel, which reads:) It was weird because my love for her grew slowly and silently over time.
(Filling the other half of the panel is a black love heart shape within a white love heart shape, within another black love heart shape, within another white love heart shape.)
Panel 2:
(This panel is drawn entirely in black and white.)
(There are 2 Younger Sams drawn in this panel, with a caption alongside each. The first caption reads:) dodee dodo deedo.
Younger Sam 1: (A person wearing a white singlet, white trousers and white shoes, who is facing the viewer semi side-on, and looking straight ahead. Eyebrows are raised and mouth is open, with slightly upturned edges. One arm is bent forward from the shoulder and the other bent back, and one leg is bent forward from the hip and the other bent back.)
(The second caption reads:) I had no idea it was there until one day I was walking and it struck me.
Younger Sam 2: (A person wearing the same as Younger Sam 1, who is facing the viewer, but looking slightly to the side. Eyebrows are raised high and mouth is open wide. Arms are raised at the shoulders, each at a 45 degree angle from Younger Sam 2’s sides. There is one big lightning bolt hitting Younger Sam 2’s chest, and five more surrounding it. Younger Sam 2’s whole body is tilted back somewhat.)
(Both Younger Sam 1 & 2 are atop a winding path, which is surrounded by grass and a couple of big trees.)
Panel 3:
(A caption fills most of this panel, it reads:) like a shot through my heart.
(There are two big lightning bolts to either side of the caption, one to the upper right and the other to the lower left. There are a number of small lightning bolts surrounding the caption.)
Panel 4:
(There is a caption at the top of the panel, which reads:) It was as though my feeling had decided to pop into my consciousness…
Younger Sam: (A person who is facing the viewer but looking down and to the side, with raised eyebrows and an open mouth. The top of Younger Sam’s head is flipped open, like a flip-top cell phone. One arm is raised slightly at the shoulder and bent up at the elbow, hand holding Younger Sam’s brain. There is a love heart shape on Younger Sam’s chest, from which a couple of parallel lines, which indicate movement, are drawn. The lines stretch to just above Younger Sam’s brain, where a personified rainbow stands.)
Rainbow: (A colourful being, who has raised eyebrows and an open mouth with upturned edges. Arms are pointing straight up and hand are open, palms facing the viewer.)
Panel 5:
(There is a caption at the top of the panel, which reads:) …that it was tired of being buried…
Rainbow: (A colourful being, who has raised eyebrows and an open mouth with very upturned edges. Arms are pointing straight up and hand are open, palms facing the viewer. Rainbow is still standing atop Younger Sam’s brain.) hi!
Easily my favorite comic representation of feelings ever. I’ve read it three times already because it makes me super happy. Well done! ^_^
OH woah! Thanks so much!
There’s no shame in referencing Erika Moen’s stuff, she’s a wonderful cartoonist! I didn’t notice the resemblance firsthand though, I just thought the rhythm on this one was really good 🙂
Oh cheers! I really really like changing up the pacing of the panels
Thanks Sam! I can remember so vividly the moment my feelings hit me too! Incidentally I was walking through the gardens…
Ooooh weird, maybe I was channeling you! My thoughts actually hit halfway down some stairs in my old house, but I really wanted to draw it outside for the comic for some reason…
Wow, this hits close to home. I was on the bus going home 🙂 Still can’t believe how long it took me to realise that I was ALLOWED and ABLE to be in queer love. I blame the patriarchy 😉
That darn patriarchy!! It’ll be so nice to do away with it completely…
This is totally reminding me of my intense girlcrush. It was a strange tradition in my all-girls school for lower school girls to have an upper school “crush” – You carried her books and cheered for her in her sport. So I didn’t feel too weird following her around. But wow, I would have done ANYTHING for her…
Crushes are weird like that. They silently grow then suddenly POOF you’re queer. This happened to me too.