Fun_EscapeAgain

Sup, gangstas!

Aww, naw, we ain't done, son, whatchu think? Naw, playa--
Comics Club Presents ESCAPE!, Spring 2010, ya heard?
The hot new single drops soon, like I drop dimes, rhymes, and mad dope zip lines.

Look for all yo favorite G-thangs includin':
Slightly On Center
Zero Like Me
Small Talk
The Bear Truth
Generically Untitled
Dead Squirrel Shenanigans

Plus phat, original beats by the freshest MCs in tha game:
Jinjin
Annika
Sarno
Chika

And we rap wit da gran' master,
Kazu Kibuishi,
creator/editor of tha Flight Anthology

No snitchin'; but it's aight if you hype dis spit.

Peace easy,

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.Friend

This is the end, my only friend, the end.

Zero Like Me #111:
Friend
<- Previous Comic
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in bushes. "Question Yale" on hat. "Zero Ethos" on shirt. Radwimps (superlative weakling) on poster. The ending is a reference to The Courier and to a lesser extent, the Sopranos.

Fun Facts: Today's setting is just outside of JE-E. My final Herald was #22, and my final YDN is #111 (and not a zero to be seen), weird huh?

You know how sometimes shows have music that plays during crucial times? Well this comic has one of those soundtrack dealios (especially considering the Sopranos' wonderful music cue technique). So just set this on loop, and you'll know what it sounded like while drawing this: Zero's theme, Nyao's theme, the setting's intro theme, and then closing credits roll.

Zero Zetsubo, did you get what you deserve or just what you always wanted?

Baa: I don't know how other artists do it, but for me, I sort of involuntarily match whatever emotion I'm trying to convey, which is why it's usually fun drawing Nyao, cuz she's always so happy, but man, I felt trashed drawing those last two panels, and even Z writing his letter. So, yes, you jerk, I got choked up drawing this, partly out of that symbiotic sort of thing but also because this is the last comic I am ever guaranteed to see published or even viewed. It's sinking in that this is it. It's like losing your identity, you know? Not like credit cards and numbers on a sheet of paper, I mean like waking up naked, homeless, and with amnesia. That's it. Nothing left. That's it. I've lost my identity.

Special extended, grand finale edition of the End of Semester Thanks section:
D. Kato for getting me started in comics all those years ago. David for stoking my need to do this for Yale, and for inspiring this website. Charles for letting me use my artist name in the YDN and for getting me my first gig. Jordan, Phil, and Tom for inspiring this series. Claire for Nyao's hairstyle and for making my YDN debut oddly timely. Takeshi Obata for Zero's hairstyle. Cullen for hiring me back when it seemed a little more formal. Ruth for encouraging me literally from before the beginning. Andrew M. for ensuring I never trust too much and for avoiding eye contact with me on tap night or whenever he needed to be let in to JE. Thomas for inadvertently helping my traffic with your antics. Reed for being just distant enough to help toughen me up, but just close enough so that it felt like there was something on the line. Pete for pretty much always being in my corner. Harrison for helping bridge into this new board and being almost too supportive. Sarah N. for making me look good on page 2 with her keen script-selecting sense. Heeling night and the people I met for making me feel like a somewhat valuable cog in a gigantic machine. Nicolas and Jay for being ridiculously kind. And Paul, for making EICs seem human, and even...neat.

And of course sincere thanks to all the nice people who've ever emailed, spoke, or otherwise communicated with me over this run with the YDN, and even when I was just at the Herald. It's been such an honor and I will miss you, and entertaining you, severely. Oh, gosh...misty eyed right now, I'll be honest.

Ok, that's it...

I don't know what will happen to me or this site...I do not have plans to abandon it, but I'm going to be realistic: unless I go pro, I don't anticipate any reason for people to tune in (like the good ol' days). Fortunately, I always write (and draw) under the assumption that no one's going to see it, anyway--I've just been talking to myself this whole time (kinda like Z?). But I still have some art backlogged, waiting to post, as well as some new art still coming up (including my comics' collected edition--email to guarantee a reserved free copy or pick one up at the gallery show!--it will have tweaked and even fresh art, so Z and Nyao aren't done just yet!). But long term, we'll see what happens.

If I never see you again, please know it's been the highlight of my life entertaining you through my artwork, and even through this site.

Thank you so much for everything,

Reuxben

Record_AnimalCover

 

This is the cover to The Animal Issue, the final issue of the year for the Yale Record, and my final one period.


Reuxben

YDN_zlm.ZeroLikeMe

The warmth from burning bridges feels so beautiful.

Zero Like Me #110:
Zero Like Me
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs:"Yale" and this dood in Panel 2, plus some presumably Sick Little Suicide action on "page" 2. Guest star's hairstyle based on a sketch of the Battle of the Bands girl in the killer jacket, plus a ref to Scene in panel 1.

Fun Facts: This is another example of taking an old script and plugging in a contemporary reference to make it "timely," utilizing this incredibly heartwarming shout-out by those right proper lads over at Scene. Although I've got to say, if I've ever embodied anything, I hope it's only ever been just your fears (at least that's been the goal), cuz if what I write about represents your hopes, you're in some bad shape, man! I gave my first sort of "interview" after my first major controversy, and my stance was/is I want to represent the people who aren't covered by the smile-laden admissions propaganda. There are people miserable here, and I want them to know they aren't alone. Ok, technically they are alone (zing!), but you know what I mean. I was so flattered to see one of the greats cover ZLM, but I couldn't help notice she made Zero smile. I think he's smiled maybe twice in 110 comics. This series isn't for kids who smile, it's for kids whose own imaginary friends won't even hang out with them.

Oh, hey, actually, you want to have some fun? Read the following sentence out loud:

This comic is called "Zero Like Me."
All right, for this to work you have to actually read it out loud, jerk, so go back and read it out loud (if you're in public, just start kissing the person closest to you so that your reading aloud will seem far less weird by comparison). Great, assuming you've read it aloud, now think about what you just said. I find that this is a bit of a Rorschach test: when I read it, it's Zero Like Me. But when I hear optimistic people pronounce it, I noticed they say Zero Like Me. Although how you pronounce it is up to you, I stress the second word because it's about being alone, not about being special. But to each his own, I guess, you smiling little hyena, you.

Baa: Ok, so the Scene shout-out's no Scroll and Key tap, but it really hit me and made me feel like less of a loser for wasting my Yale/life on comics, so I really do think the world of those Sceney-Bopper heartthrobs. I have difficulty expressing gratitude, but I do want to thank the Scenesters for their absolutely warm reception, and while we're at it, I also want to thank any fan who's ever come up to me: you people make this worth it.

I know I really suck at being approachable, but please know I didn't/don't mean to be rude or weird if I ever came off that way, I'm just awful at being off the cuff and I get nervous easily, especially in front of strangers and/or attractive people (and I am proud to say, from what I've seen, I've actually got some incredibly pleasant enthusiasts!). But I have this fear that if I allow myself friendship, it will weaken my ability to be creative or perhaps worse, it might permit an echo of something that happened a while ago that I would rather not re-experience.

Now that my college career is basically all over, I'm starting to wonder how badly I screwed myself in the long term...you know? To be honest, I wanted to accrue fans first so that I could develop friendships later, but perhaps I should have prioritized otherwise? The plan was Fans -> Friends -> Love. Seemed reasonable.

After he figured out I live a peculiar lifestyle due to my comics, one of my prefrosh asked me point blank why I "torture" myself. Surprisingly this guy--literally a kid, who's not even a college student yet--made me feel just as feeble and out of place as Freshman Year did. As I began to tell him before ninja-ing out of the subject, it's because I simply don't know how to do this, how to exist, otherwise; I am too scared to change my process. But this--everything--is getting harder to deal with, so it's like my own perfected system is now rebelling against me.

I've been trying to figure out how to handle the finale, which angle to take...I think I had a breakthrough Sunday night after fleeing a birthday.

So, yeah...the big finale is this Thursday. Where will you be...when it happens?

...

Answer: taking a dump.

Reuxben

Herald_zlm.Lame

 

You get what you pay for, I guess.

[Update: Final art up top.]
Zero Like Me #109:
Zero Romance #22:
Lame
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: Romance 22 on sleeve.

Fun Facts: More than being extremely exhausted from marathoning these YDN assignments plus the regular one over the previous 48 hours, I was also in a huge amount of pain. My arm was absolutely shot. I've even got a blister, so I was drawing literally at blistering speed! So I understood there was no way to get this comic to its full completion in time for press, so I tried to think of creative alternatives, including just having the dialogue bubbles, but no pictures...anyway, this is the result, the final Herald comic of my life.

Baa: I really wanted to feel something turning in this final comic, but I didn't and that weirds me the poop out. I remember really feeling it when I turned in the final installment of Darling Find. But this one's a special case for a couple reasons. First I was physically and mentally exhausted from being up for a couple days drawing, so my capacity to really be conscious of myself was a bit deprived (I don't drink but I get "drunk" when I'm short on sleep, so I relax out considerably). Second, the series isn't done, still got Monday and Thursday. The third reason, I believe might be because the comic doesn't feel finished since it's basically still a thumbnail sketch. But I know I will start feeling it Thursday when I realize that the screaming voice in my head is gone forever, never again to shout "It's Herald Day, get moving!"

Anyway, you didn't hear it from me, but jack kelly got a little choked up (only briefly) doing his finale, a two parter(!) called "representation," found here:

And "thanks," which looks like this:

So there you have it. Herald's done forever. (Final Art Coming Soon, though...?)

Finally, this semester's Thanks section: Emily and Jinjin, for their tolerance and/or help.
And then Special Thanks across the years: Mr. Kato, Mr. Chittenden, Mr. Kanter, Laura Y., Laura B., Cassandra, A. Kaufman, Bonner, Kirk, Joe, the random people who talk to me in the streets who's names I don't even know, and all the people I've inconvenienced at 305 Crown.

In other news...I'm Sudlering a book collection of my comics. They're only printing 50, and about 25+ are already reserved, so if you want one for sure, Ishmael me or get to the JE gallery show they're making me do. If you don't know what I look like, I will be the only one there, and I will be trying to avoid eye contact with my reflection by staring at things on the ground. Further details coming extremely soon.

My dining hall bucket list is about to conclude Saturday: Trumbull dinner/drawing sesh. What an achievement!

Reuxben

YDN_Scene.WPSIATWIN

And now the big coming out announcement: I am a hipster.

Sigh.

You see, I did a three piece gig for Scene. Yes, Scene. I feel like I should feel guilty...I am the enemy of all things hipster, right? Yet here I am not only contributing, but doing the cover, right in the thick of enemy territory! AND as a result I couldn't bring the final Herald comic of my life to its full potential for print. Sounds all around horrific, but turns out this was a highlight of my Yale/life and a heck of a way to wind my year down (not that we're done yet!)

It was a lot of fun, the early reviews were quite positive, and the Scene crew is comprised of some of the best people at Yale, and thus by extension, on Earth. So everything's coming up Milhouse. The only real downside is that I was/am exhausted from squeezing this cover plus two interiors into my regular schedule...more on why being exhausted is bad when the Herald Comic post pops up later today...

So the cover is the Woolsey-esque Radcliffe Camera at Oxford. I got into this foreign entanglement after a couple of the Scene editors stopped me in the YDN office and tag-team proposed I do a cover. They mentioned there was some sort of British one in the works, so I thought it would be good times since that first Scene editor is British...or Greek...or Switzerlandese...or something.

Anyway, both eds were ridiculously nice people and I had a lot of fun marathoning this after sprinting to get my Friday comic turned in a record 24 hours earlier and then immediately gunning the cover (huge thanks to Stavros for the insanely nice paper!!) and as a result, my entire arm was shot with piercing pain, and that was just after finishing the cover! I still had these two interiors to do as well and then my Herald finale, and I was already an hour behind the YDN deadline!

Anyway it all seemed to work out in the end, and I cannot believe I pulled off this YDN assignment! Unfortunately I had to rely on Monster, which is something I really, really, really don't like to do cuz it jacks up your sleep pattern.

Final Art Coming Soon. Also, Fun Facts: this is the biggest drawing I've ever done for publication--I had to scan it in pieces, but since it was just the pencils and time was of the ess, I rushed the stitching. And I also had to fight my OCD desires and not use a ruler...ugh. Well, ok, I used it on the guitar.

So huge thanks to Nicolas (Easter Egg'd "thx Stavros" in grass, plus random Britishisms), Jay, and Harrison for all their support and/or patience during this endeavor and thanks to the Paul for the hall pass from Wednesday's activities and the extension. And big bonus thanks to Scene for the absolutely heartwarming salute on page 2! Gosh...!

Baa: I'm trying to be more accessible before graduation, so if you'd like a drawing, please contact me and I would prolly be happy to do it. My Good-Will Slash Dining Hall Farewell World tour continues with Saybrook for dinner, where I will be drawing the final regular edition of Zero Like Me (the big finale is a bit specialer in format and will run Thursday).

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.Caroline

I'd hack that.

Zero Like Me #108:
Caroline
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 1.

Fun Facts: Today's setting is Trumbull, because some of my favorite humans are from there.

Baa: There actually is such a thing as a less than appealing British Yalie...but there's no such thing as a dumb-sounding one. And from an overheard conversation between two Texan Yalies, there's no way Southern accents can get around sounding like idiots. And I can't stand it when y'all write the word "y'all" out...please stop. Also stop saying "shoot me an email," I don't know why it's so ridiculously annoying hearing that phrase, but it is.

Anyway, almost time for the coming out party. Aren't you excited?

Also, if y'all are interested in a drawing after my schedule clears up, shoot me an email.

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.BillBurr

 

Maybe if it was from smoking, it would be easier on Mom.

Zero Like Me #107:
Bill Burr
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-

Easter Eggs: DF, "Yale" in panel 4.

Fun Facts: Today's setting is just outside of 'Nam. It's named for a comedian I admire who likes to do stuff just to annoy people and who can talk about suicide like nobody else can. I wrote this comic back in February, as a bit of a sequel to this comic, spurred by the unimaginative, concerned citizen here. I get the impression that people think I just write stuff on the fly (I at times do write close to press, but even when it's "timely," sometimes it's only because I update an old script, which I already had ready, with a contemporary reference. But I sometimes use scripts I literally wrote a full year ago. And even if I'm writing close to press, chances are the concept has been in storage a while.

Anyway, my editors wanted to kill this comic, thinking the worst after recent events (fun fact, the paper I drew this comic on had the beginnings of another, similarly themed comic that was given the editorial verdict "absolutely not" and thus that comic was abandoned in the middle of my drawing the Women's Center...). But in any case, today's comic's script hasn't been touched since February. So I'm not preemptively apologizing for this comic since I firmly believe in it, but I do want to acknowledge that people may misconstrue it (don't let me down, guyz!).

Baa: The takeaway here is to stop tolerating smoking. Like, now.

And as hinted earlier, Friday's gonna get freaky...and I just might blow your mind when I drop some fresh knowledge on you. Just sayin'.

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.Election

Be grateful you didn't make a Freudian slip, son.

Zero Like Me 106: Election

Super busy.

Final Art Coming Soon, plus update...?

I think I'm officially coming out on Friday. Cuz...y'know...why not, right? College is almost over.

I organized a Master's Tea for TODAY, 4pm @Pierson. It's comedy writer/journalist Mike Sacks!

And if you're a 2014 here for Bulldog Days, esp. you are my pre-frosh, prepare for the most depressing 48 hours of your lives or your money back...I'm tellin' you right now...

Reuxben

Herald_zlm.FakeTales

And yeah,
I'd love to tell you
all my problem.

Zero Like Me #105:
Zero Romance #21:
Fake Tales of New Haven
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: Romance 21 in Tale 3. A wacky haircut and Motion City in Tale 1. A Wii and Triforce in Tale 2.

Fun Facts: Tale 1's setting is the OC. Tale 3's setting is based on Fair Haven Elementary School. Garry is proud to live in New Haven for some reason...

This comic came about because I have too many scripts but not enough time...so we are literally cramming it all in there, aren't we? Curtain closes forever next week, on the Herald theatre at least.
They say he changes when the sun goes down...

And I can't get it started on my own.
When are you arriving?
The Herald version actually came out pretty all right.

I wanted to do more with music in my comic. I had this musical character named Justin, but since I was running out of opportunities for comics, I didn't think I'd get to use him again.

But then I thought to do multiple comics in one, like that incredible episode of Avatar, "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," so I lifted that script and plugged it in as the headliner.

It also gave me a chance to say goodbye to my first supporting character, Garry McGruder, someone who I really wanted to use more...the worst part about comicsing during college is you can concretely see what you didn't accomplish in your "life."

Baa: I've been trying to revisit every dining hall for the full dinner shift before I bite the bullet, but I'm running out of time...

TD's Saturday night, SY next Friday night, TC next Saturday, and PC...squeezed in next Wednesday? Anything to complete the world tour, even endure...ugh...college dining halls...

Gosh.

In more upbeat news, that wise latino Gerardo Manera returns in his groundbreaking Herald series, Kill All Your Friends, to salsa and sombrero his way into your heart, with another avant garbage piece, arguably not even a comic, which he entitles, "River," for some strange reason:

Quite frankly...

That hombre really creeps me out.

Or for our Canadian visitors:

That guy really creeps me oot.

Eh?

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.Woulda

You know you ain't be gettin' any friend requests since fiff gray.

Zero Like Me #104:
Woulda
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-
Theeesizzle due in <17 hours! Let's poo this!
Hey, Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!

Update:
Homie got it did, and with an hour to boot. Even got one last slightly-uncomfortable encounter for the road with my favorite fellow dark-skinned lit major!

Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 4. Inside jokes for the OCD in panel 4...perhaps people will see why they are hilarious in a couple weeks. Should be obvious that Scene is for smokers, though. Facebox is a ref to a Conan monologue, where he kept saying "Facebox" rather than "Facebook" because he had "X-Box" on the brain from the previous joke.

Fun Facts: I use facebook as a really clunky Twitter to hype new comics, but other than that...meh kinda a glorified birthday-reminder service. Funny, cuz when Twitter starting storming Yale, I thought it was just a really lame Facebook. Still is, for the most part.

Baa: I don't get how people can spend so much time on Facebook...and why do people randomly add people? What is the point of a swelled number if you don't actually know those people? I'm going to go cut some people...

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.IdentityCrisis

Brace for lawsuits...
[Update: Final Art at top]
Zero Like Me #103:
Identity Crisis
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: Zach in panel 1, Jinjin and "Yale" in panel 2, jack kelly in panel 3. The Trudeau in panel 4. A tribute of sorts cuz I herd u liek yale comicz (I know I do).

Fun Facts: Lot of fun researching this one. Totally coincidentally, the homaged comicsers (minus the Trudeau, of course) all started at the Herald...Also, Doonesbury is frustratingly deadpan, man, you don't understand...and everybody looks like everybody...


Baa: In high school I was "the smart guy." In college I was "the comics guy." But...what next?

Final Art Coming Soon; this one deserves true color, but no time right now!

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.BSComics

Take that, Harold Bloom!

Zero Like Me #102:
Stella Theory Pt.2: B.S. Comics [Pt.1 here]
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" and "Go Jeff!" in panel 1. "FB01" in Panel 3. "Choose Science at Yale" is an inside joke with my editor(s) re: a comic they aborted. Title's a ref to someone perhaps even more passive-aggressive than me. ...Moving on!

Fun Facts: Today's setting is the Comp Lit Department, where I must go on Friday to drop off my stupid, stupid theeesizzle.

Quick Note: Removal Rule Numbah One is we don't name names, but exception's made for today cuz first: only losers read the text on this site, and second: kinda need to for today's stories to make sense, and besides they're all public figures. Back to euphemisms and pronounage mode starting Wednesday.

In a Lit300 lecture last year, Professor Fry commented on one of the critics were were supposed to have read--skimmed it--and in regards to the critic's over the top, belligerent diction, Professor Fry chuckled to the class about how unnecessarily violent the guy's tone was, noting that the critic should have relaxed because literary criticism "doesn't really matter." BAM! Straight from the man himself.

Baa: This comic goes out to all them gangstas at 451 College Street, holdin' it down and keepin' it as far from real as possible. To be fair, Science Hillians will someday be learning how to augment humans so they can do things they naturally should have stopped doing a long time ago, and then innovating fun and tastier ways to abort babies. Which is the greater evil--not helping your fellow human, or helping too much?

But seriously...people are suffering, dying, etc. out there, and we're studying words? I feel like scum for being a literature major and having to sit through so much garbage with a straight face. I wouldn't have a problem with it if they were all as up front as Professor Fry about how literally meaningless and immaterial literary theory is, but so many of them try to act like this stuff matters. NOBODY is concretely benefiting from it. Period. Stop deluding yourself. It's a self-congratulatory mechanism devised by humans to admire their own stupid little human creations. It's studying entertainment. You are not saving somebody's life by teaching about signs and signifiers. It's a luxury. Granted, I enjoy fiction and hate reality, but still, at least share some guilt about your field and admit that when someone faints and they ask "Is there a doctor in the house?!" you keep your PhD on the DL.

I couldn't stand being in Lit300. Credit/D'd that spit. Literally fell asleep in nearly every single lecture. I avoid Professor Fry cuz he must surely remember the non-white guy who fell asleep every lecture (there were never more than like two dark-skinned people in the entire lecture hall at a time--where you at, Theo?).

So anyway, for those keeping score at home, my self-hatred exists socially, racially, institutionally, and now even academically, just to name a few.

Special Note on the YCC Election:

I despise the YCC, especially after working directly with them on this past Fall/Winter Show and seeing their cliquish, selfish, phony, uninformed, and lazy work style. But looking at the debate videos, and assuming the Presidency can actually execute as hyped, I'd have to say 8:00 of Part 3 (plus 2:47 of Part 4) kinda seals it that this guy knows what he's doing and has concrete, practical aims. He also comes off as having just enough insider knowledge of the YCC to know how to deal with them effectively, but balanced with a clear degree of cut-the-cute-talk mentality.

The other two either stumble over their words or aren't as set in concrete plans...they literally just want to "talk about" or "approach" stuff. I have nothing against the YDNer running aside from her lack luster performance in the debate, but I do know I'm sure as heck not voting for a guy who pats himself on the back for this, citing MGMT as a "great band that appeals to a lot of different types of people," or this, claiming in effect that the Ying Yang Twins, who "should get that late-night push," are not “particularly alienating," and contribute a "happy, upbeat feel." Yeah. Right.

My name is Reuxben, and I approve of abstaining from voting. But if you have to vote for someone, make it the guy who actually seems like he's not putting on a show. From personal experience, the least electrifying personality can be the most capable, especially when personality doesn't matter for the job. This isn't about personalities, this is about who can get stuff done, so don't be afraid to vote for the guy who isn't a caricature.

Good bye, Alexis Blight, you finally got your Revenge.

Reuxben

Herald_zlm.HisWords

Based on a true story.
Zero Like Me #101:
Zero Romance #20:
His Words Destroyed My Planet
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: Romance 20 on shirt. jack kelly is even worse than Jack Wills.

Fun Facts: Today's setting is jolly old JE, where many tragedies occur. Today's target is based on a composite of people.

Baa: In commemoration of the event that triggered this comic, every year around this time I update my status to say I'm "Cute Without the E," which is an obvious reference to being Cut From the Team. So this comic goes out not to any one person in particular.

Man, the Herald version isn't too flashy (I knew from the get go I was going to be pressed for time...)

Anyway, back to behind the scenes stuff... I was so thrilled when Motion City Soundtrack did a song called "Her Words Destroyed My Planet." I think I was in WLH waiting for Harold Bloom's class to start when they unveiled it on their website, actually. The reason I love that song is because it perfectly articulated what I've been struggling with for the past few years. So I was determined to do a comic after finally, clearly understanding the concept beyond an instinctual level.

If it weren't for certain happenings, I would not have had this push to do comics, and I have no idea what would have happened to me if I didn't have this outlet in the thick of it.

So although I may come off as a cynical turd, I'm actually pretty optimistic, and can see the bright side (and dark side) of most situations. For creative reasons I dwell on the parenthetical latter, but at heart I'm all about the former.

Anyway, to help celebrate the 100th/101st Zero Like Mes, I rallied up a lily-livered little fart named jack kelly to bust out some Herald action.

Hilariously, the little dork got cut because we needed another ad in the paper, but what makes me more furious than seeing him in print is seeing him online against his will.

So despite jack kelly's insistence that I not publish his comic on my site, just to tick him off, here is his comic, a Removal online exclusive called "conan twins," which looks like this:

Wow, wasn't that hilarious?

I didn't think so. Now beat it, kid, you bother me.

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.YouKnowHowIDo

Not to be confused with this.

Zero Like Me Number One Hundred:
You Know How I Do
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 1.

Fun Facts: Today's setting is not SML after hours, inside a secret society's tomb, nor a naked party, it is the YDN's 2room (same diff, amirite?). Man, I kept smiling after I turned this one (hundredth) in. 100. Kind of ridiculous. I had no idea when I started this I'd hit anywhere near 100! I'm so incredulous right now. One hundred...that's at LEAST around 800 hours of my Yale/life! I only wish it could be a purely happy moment, but it's shadowed by something quite grim.

Baa: I'm actually starting to get a little emotional while working on these comics now...I've defined my Yale life with comics, and this series in particular has become a part of me, my very identity, especially to strangers--the other day someone spotted me working on this in the JE dining hall (how appropriate a studio site for the 100th gig) and immediately asked if it was for the next day's paper. This series is just so close to me. And it really disturbs me that it's all going to end soon, which then means Yale will end by extension, of course.

I was in the YDN building earlier Thursday and I found myself angry at the idea of soon never coming back in for work, being forever off the beat, meanwhile everyone I work for gets at least a couple more months of action next year before the board swaps again, as it invariably does. Even all my fellow practicing comicsers are all coming back--I'm the only senior still comicsing. So it's with sadness that I must quit but also with a hint of jealousy that everybody else still gets to throw down. They get to go back into battle.

It's like in Major Payne, where they take the guy out of the military, but he's just the same psycho in the cadet academy minus proper outlets for his way of life.

Anyway, to celebrate Zero Like Me's centennial (-_-) please enjoy some Root Beer I loaded up on from Uncommon (two varieties), which I will leave just outside of the JE dining hall on the nagging table before dinner starts (please try to limit yourself to just one). If the table's in use, plan B is the staircase leading to Branford's dining hall.

Stay tuned later today for a very unspecial guest from today's Herald post. Plus some bonus sketches this weekend as we party my dinosaur life away.

Reuxben