Today's comic dives into trending trauma, where even pain and heartbreak are judged by views, shares, and social reach. For Hailey, the real tragedy isn’t what happened — it’s that none of it is gaining traction online.
The Comic Scout
I’ve been using Toocheke to run my sites for years, so when Brian Leeto launched a brand-new comics discovery platform, I didn’t hesitate.
The Comic Scout launched last week, and it’s a fantastic way to:
Check it out here:
https://www.thecomicscout.com/
Transcript
Panel 1:
(caption): “Shortly in the kitchen…”
(Sound effect): “Bwaa”
Hailey: “Rose, I’m devastated.”
Rose: “I know, sweetie… but I think it’s for the best…”
Panel 2:
Hailey: “FOR THE BEST?! He didn’t even mention my hashtag once!”
Panel 3:
Hailey: “No ‘like and subscribe’… no username drop… Just ‘you’re a terrific person’ and ‘you deserve better’…”
Panel 4:
Hailey: “I’m a brand ambassador for Campbell’s soups… Would it have killed him to mention the chicken noodle dripping down his face?!”
Panel 5:
Rose: “He did say something about ‘scalding hot’ and ‘searing pain’…”
Cap (coming from a video playing on Rosie’s phone): “Gonna need another skin graft…”
Panel 6:
Hailey: “Omigosh… that’s horrible… how gruesome!”
Panel 7:
Hailey: “It’s not trending… Not even a little…”
Alt Text
Comic strip set in a diner kitchen with seven panels featuring two waitresses, Hailey (young, long hair) and Rose (older, hair in a bun). In the first panel, Rose hugs Hailey as Hailey cries dramatically, saying she’s devastated while Rose reassures her it’s for the best. In the next panel, Hailey angrily gestures while Rose looks upset, complaining Captain Heroic didn’t mention her hashtag. Hailey continues ranting about the lack of promotion — no “like and subscribe” or username mention — only sincere compliments. In silhouette, Hailey reveals she’s a brand ambassador for Campbell’s Soups and wanted attention drawn to the spilled soup incident. Rose checks her phone and notes he mentioned pain instead, joking about needing a skin graft. Hailey reacts with exaggerated horror. In the final panel, both women look at the phone disappointed as Hailey says it isn’t trending, adding, “not even a little.”
The Evil Inc Kickstarter campaign has begun! I’m really excited to announce the launch of the ninth Evil Inc graphic novel! If you already know the drill, head over to the Kickstarter page and check out the rewards. There are a couple of Early Bird rewards that offer free shipping to US addresses and reduced shipping prices worldwide — but those are limited, so act fast!
If you haven’t seen an Evil Inc graphic novels, you owe it to yourself to check them out. They’re not the usual comic-strip collections. Instead, I take the individual panels from the daily strip and I lay out graphic-novel pages. I add some panels that you haven’t seen before, and the result is it continuously narrative graphic novel that’s a completely new reading experience — and to be honest with you, a lot of fun
Evil Inc Kickstarter
- PDF of the book so you can read it on your tablet
- Print edition of the book — regular, signed, or Artist Edition (in which I draw something inside the book just for you)
- The original art from an Evil Inc comic strip
- Commissioned illustrations
- You can even get the earlier copies of the Evil Inc graphic novels 1 through 8 that you might not have in your collection yet
Thank you in advance for your pledge — and for your help in spreading the word on social media!
What’s in store
Artistically, this volume represents a period of time when I think I was starting to hit my stride as an illustrator. I’m really proud of the visual appeal of these pages.
And the stories? The book is peppered with short standalone story arcs — like these moments between Captain Heroic and his son…
…and stories about Cap and Miss Match when they were a young couple…
Plus… longer storylines with driving plots like the heist of the Ruby of Ragnoor
When the mystical Ruby winds up in Miss Match’s hands, a mis-worded wish has unintended results!
And, throughout the 112-page book, my dumb sense of humor.
