I spent the weekend in Arizona hanging out with my ailing father in law who is a WWII vet, retired judge and a rabbi. When I asked him about his favorite life memories he got a twinkle in his eye and told me about going to clubs in the 1950s and seeing legends like Charlie “bird” Parker. Anyone could walk into a club and see these famous jazz musicians play every night. He’s 85 years old, that means he’s seen a lot, experienced a lot of days and all of these stories are carried in his person.
The elderly have an important role of being the historians of any society. They pass on traditions, keep ancient languages alive and are a wealth of wisdom to guide a generation of youth, perhaps so we don’t have to repeat all of their mistakes.
Sayer Nok is the historian of the Nnewts, so I wanted to give him the respect he deserves. He is our guide into a world that may never have existed. For all I care, it might as well have existed. Either way, Sayer Nok is the keeper of the past, it’s likely that if he didn’t keep these stories they would never have been discovered and posted on this web comic. Like most of the elderly, he doesn’t exist for his own agenda any more, but is an advocate of the past that is always in danger of going away forever.
I drew pages 14-16 on my father in law’s bed while he slept in a chair next to me. He is in such excruciating pain that he can’t lay down to sleep any more. We watched old westerns to distract his mind, and I would show him my work in progress that was all pretty strange in his view.
14-16? Wow, quite impressed by the buffer you’ve given yourself, Doug, especially considering this comic has weekly updates. I wish I could let myself build up a buffer like that.
Agreed though with how easily the past can be lost – Heck, I’ve seen arguments that digital media has actually made it EASIER to lose it all than it was 100 years ago. Things that were once stored on, say, wax cylinders and paper that can last for decades upon decades are now stored on discs and removable media that has a short half-life and may not be readable 20 years from now due to obsolescence.
“… he doesn’t exist for his own agenda any more, but is an advocate of the past that is always in danger of going away forever.” That gave me chills. It’s scary how quickly the past can be forgotten. I loved listening to my grandmother and father tell me stories about their lives and my parents lives. I could probably learn a lot of what they tell me by browsing the internet, but there’s something about the passing on of life’s tales through story that just gives it heart. I love it!
Very excited to follow this story!
It’s sad when I hear kids say things like, “I don’t want to talk to them, they’re old,” or “The last thing I want to do is be stuck talking to an old person.”
We need the elderly in our lives as a constant reminder that there was life before us, and there will be life after us. Their stories aren’t just stories, they’re life experiences that we can always, always learn from.
If we didn’t have the elderly, we would probably still have history books, but we wouldn’t have the first hand personal life stories of those who lived through the history in those books.
I’ve found that you never really understand history, until you hear from someone who lived through it.
Sorry for the rant, but I’m loving where this story is going. Keep it up!
Sounds like a remarkable man, not unlike my own father, now gone these seven years. Does he find all your work strange or this Nnewt story in particular?
Glad you’re taking on the subject of “valuing the elderly” – it’s an odd thing to live through the Who singing, “Hope I die before I get old,” and then look at them, rapidly approaching old age. Mick Jagger turns 70 next year… yikes!
Good stuff. I spent Saturday at my dad’s parents’ house, and had the chance to ask my grandmother some more about her childhood. She’s got a lot of good stories. Fortunately, she and my grandfather both are writing their autobiographies right now! But there’s nothing like hearing them tell it.
She does a nice job coloring. Has a nice look to the surfaces.
It’s nice to have Tennapel back on my greader!
just tonight in Bible study we read Jeremiah 6:16, whic I findh is relevant to this discussion, as seen in this excerpt:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
We can find great wisdom from seeking out the advise of those who have gone before us- old people got where they are because they know the ropes- and their knowledge of the “paths of life,” when shared with us can be useful guidance for us as we travel those roads.
I love how your experiences in life are reflected in your stories. I’m glad that Nnewts will have a story that pays respects to elders :]
The elderly are sadly under appreciated and under respected in our current culture. They should be honored every day, but instead we tend to sweep them under the rug. Very sad.
A page a week is about all I’ve been writing of my music lately…
AWESOME! ratfist was great, looking forward to this!
I love your artwork style, Doug! I loved Ratfist, can’t wait to see how this new story unfolds!
One page a week is just fine. We’ll still love you Doug!
You and kath make such a great team. This page is absolutely beautiful.
Beautiful tribute to the elderly ya wrote there. And great second page! P.S. I live in Arizona! I knew I felt a strange increase of talent in the air.
Thanks for the feedback and kind words everyone. I recognize a lot of you as both good friends of mine and past readers of my work.
I just finished lettering page 16, and my only apologies on Nnewts is the slow update sched. Still, there’s nothing better than being able to kick back on Nnewts which we were never able to do with Ratfist! That was a back breaking schedule, particularly for Katherine.
These pages are a great deal of work, but it’s the BEST kind of work! There isn’t money in webcomics for me…we’d have to get well over 100k uniques a day and there are just a handful of those out there. So I’ll go for the personal satisfaction of a story and character I’m really interested in.
They say in production you can pick any 2 of these 3: quality, on time, or cheap. In web comics you can pick an 1 of these 3: what you love, what makes you money or high volume.
I’m going with what I love this time. Feel the love.
Already in love with Sayer Nok! Thanks for doing this series, and to Ethan for pushing you. I look forward to seeing where this goes.
Thanks for all the kind words – I don’t think I’ve commented yet…I’ve been a bit busy making the website work and colouring in. It’s very much appreciated, and I’m glad you like it.
I am so very excited. I feel like people are very quick to discount the people that they don’t perceive as actively “doing” things for society. It’s sort of utilitarian thinking?
So glad to see you doing another webcomic!! I was so disappointed when that bigfoot thing fell through. Can’t wait to see where this goes!!
You’ve pulled me into this crazy webcomic world, Doug. Thanks!
I absolutely love the personal experiences you are sharing on each page. Gives the story more background and depth…imo.
That’s quite a shaleighleigh.
Wow! Love the subtle color work on this – Great job, Kathrine!
I think it would help draw interest if you wrote up a little spoilerless “about” and posted it here.
Just two cents; was sent here by Nicolle.
With these stories in the comment box every page is a tale by itself. Thanks for the experience.
Looking forward to the seeing where this story goes. Also intrigued by the full splash pages in a row, and curious about how this book ends up being presented vs. the way Ratfist was presented – that is, I felt like every page in Ratfist was almost standalone – either a joke or a piece of exposition – I dunno. Feeling analytical this morning. I’ll just roll with it.
I enjoyed Ratfist, and I’m looking forward to seeing where this story goes.
One thing that’s definitely different about Nnewts is that I’m not doing stand alone pages…at least no more than I usually do for a book. I’m always looking for a good moment at the end of each page to keep them turning, but I don’t feel the need to make every page have a punchline at the end like I tried doing with Ratfist.
It’s a completely different genre so it will produce a completely different story.
I love the art but i love your thoughts on history and the elderly more. You’re one of the few people that view them in the proper light. Thank you for sharing both your art and your thoughts. They have brightened my day very much.