Valentine's Day 2005

 These panels have to be read in numerical order, and are entitled "Valentine's Day". 

I just found this unpublished comic strip in an old sketch book about a relationship I had with a girl I was dating at BYU around 2005 who had a lot of issues about believing whether someone could truly love her.  If ever things seemed too good in our relationship she cut my head off and dumped me.  This seemed to be a cycle that happened over and over.  She also felt that she couldn't believe me when I said "I loved her" because I was an actor on the side.  My comics also disturbed her and she felt that they expressed a sub-conscience desire to kill people.  The streets and crosswalks between the panels of this strip represent the red light/green light relationship we had.

I'm so glad those days are over, it was a pretty hellish chapter of my life.  I remember how intense and dramatic relationships were before I lost most of my hormones and became physically numb from faulty medication given to me by doctors.  This ultimately led to the demise of our relationship.

I dropped out of school and became bedridden for 5 months or so without anyone really knowing about it, including my parents.  (A BYU professor wanted to kick me out of the animation program anyway, partially because I didn't want to draw like I had just worked on "The Little Mermaid" or "The Lion King", and he hated that I was obsessed with old black and white cartoons, which is evident in my comics.  I also see a little Linda Barry influence in this one.) 

After seeing 6 western medicine doctors who always repeated the same tests and having no idea what was wrong with me, one saying I had prostate problems, another saying I was an internal and chemical hermaphrodite, it took a homeopathic doctor to realize I was being eaten alive by parasites (a multitude of round worms and tape worms).  I saw at least one of them leave me, I usually tried not to look.

Anyway, I think I crossed out the date near the top so my girl friend wouldn't know this strip was about her.  It may have been a specific date when she had dumped me again.  I don't remember.

P.S. - Sorry I don't have a scanner.  My friend Davin told me to make this site by just taking photos of my art with my cell phone.