One of my daily Internet excursions (and I have surprisingly few of those) is to Drew Weing's web site. His daily strip The Journal Comic, sardonic, ironic, bitter and hilarious, always makes me chuckle and sometimes makes me bust a gut laughing.
Drew leads a life of utter tedium, which he attempts to derail with TV, video games, hanging out with friends, and surfing the web ("Apparently the whole fucking world hates me," he notes). He was inspired to record his life in daily comic strip form by James Kochalka's Sketchbook Diaries, but where Kochalka is neurotic, Drew is bitter. Where Kochalka is whimsical, Drew is pissed off. Although I've read much more Kochalka than Weing (simply because there's more of it out there), I enjoy their work equally, and it has to be said, the cynicism and bitter, blunt observations Drew delivers actually give him a slight edge in my estimation. He may just be getting started, but already he is a formidable talent.
Speaking of talent, it has to be said that Weing's cartooning is really already light-years beyond that found in most mini-comics or free online strips. His line is confident and mature (and, amazingly, bitter), his characters expressive and, uh, bitter, and his design sense on display in these mini-comics is extremely appealing.
But, you know, fuck the line and the characters and the design. The goddamned comics are hilarious, insightful little gems, spare and to the point, perfectly capturing not only Drew Weing's essential dissatisfaction with his existence, but delivering a powerful glimpse of his tired, rage-fueled soul. I'm sorry, but I can't help but relate to a guy who, while training a new co-worker and worrying about his continued employment, thinks to himself "I should train you wrong so you'll get fired." Who desperately decides to seize the day after its best hours have drifted away, only to find himself helplessly glued to his videogame console wasting even more of his life. My mom used to say people "live in hope and die in despair," and damn if she wasn't right. Damn if Drew Weing isn't living proof.
I love The Journal Comic more than is probably healthy. Yes, you can read all these for free on Drew's web site. But damn it, they're cheap, they're printed well, and you'll be able to show them to friends without wasting even more time on the goddamned Internet. But at the least, check out Weing's site. Support good comics and send him some money. The May issue was just released, so there are three issues of delightful bitterness for you to bask in. Drew's life might be boring, and he might be bitter, but in this particular case those are the ingredients for some great comics. Get 'em now before he gets really famous and turns out the great graphic novel I guarantee you he someday will. Grade: 5/5