Atrophy, Page 6

Atrophy, Page 6

It didn’t help that I was super picky about who I wanted to be friends with. Later in life, when I got out among people more, making friends came easier to me. I had to learn a lot of social skills, too.

But at that time in my life, everyone neat I met was going places. I was going nowhere. That line in Nine Inch Nails’s Hurt, “Everyone I know goes away in the end,” always made me burst into tears. I believe I was listening to that song a lot while I was drawing this comic. (Thank goodness I hadn’t discovered Massive Attack yet.)

Interesting story about the photo in the background in the middle there. That’s taken from a promotional packet a college sent me. I thought nothing of using it as a background at the time, but just as I was going to print with 18 Revolutions, the graphic novel this was printed in, I thought, “Wait! Someone took that photo! I need to get their permission!” So I hunted down the photographer, told him I was a teenager self-publishing my own book, etc., and he thanked me for thinking about the people making the materials I was using. I believe he agreed to accept a token fee in return for printing rights. Nowadays I’d just snap a photo or raid morguefile.

  • Carol

    As odd as this sounds, that looks like my college. But I’m in India, so it can’t be. But.
    Anyway. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been. I was always the person who moved- I changed schools bout four times. It’s always by the time I’d found good friends that I’d have to move, and once you move, keeping in touch was very very hard. it takes an added effort, and sometimes that friendship proves to be just not worth it.

  • Falcon Whitaker

    My problem has always been the getting to know people in the first place bit. I’m autistic and I have problems with social anxiety and communicating with people, so I end up alone. I have online friends, which is great, but nobody in the immediate area. And I’m not saying I don’t -like- being alone sometimes, because it is nice and it’s peaceful, or that my online friends don’t count, because they do, but I wish I had somebody with whom I could go to a Chinese restaurant or visit the cinema or go ten-pin bowling.

    tl;dr: this comic gives me all the feels.

    • http://rachelnabors.com Rachel the Great

      Falcon, I’ve felt that way a lot. I just wanted someone to go adventuring with, to walk around a Walmart at 1am with, or play Wii games with. I’d probably still feel that way if I didn’t have my husband. Whenever I want an adventure, I have my best friend right there! Significant others are handy like that. I guess that’s why it’s so hard to lose them :(

  • http://www.hollyandsofya.com Holly

    This comic really helped me through my lonely teen years. I was homeschooled as well and lived in a place that wasn’t exactly bursting with people. It helped a lot just knowing I wasn’t alone. :)