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Pandemic comics

Here are the first five Tomversation comics published this week which can be seen and followed at TomFalco.com. If you click on them here they will open larger.

All except one pandemic related, but I promise they aren’t all going to be pandemic related.

I originally had planned to post a bunch a once, you know, maybe run 12 comics at one time, so they could sort of be binge watched, like a tv show on Netflix or something, but the daily publishing seems to be working for now.

I’m enjoying being back in the game. I truly get giddy every time I complete a comic. Some of them I go back and rework but most go fast and I get my thoughts out as planned on the first go round.

Too enveloped in your work to know there is a quarantine going on?

Today’s comic, which you can see in larger format at TomFalco.com relates to how I feel. I work from home, so this shelter-in-place thing has not been too difficult since I’m doing what I usually do – stay at home and work – my regular work/job is not happening due to the shut down, but I have been drawing. And I’ll bet this is the same for so many people who work in a studio or even are addicted to things like games.

I have a cousin who is a gamer and has many followers and friends on YouTube, I don’t know his site or I would post it here, I’m not sure why I don’t know his site name, but every time I am was going to ask him, he was busy gaming and a lot of the time he was live online and I didn’t want to interrupt. But anyway, he could be gaming for hours and not really notice being quarantined. He makes a living at it. Yes, he makes money from playing games online!

A cartoonist, an artist, a cook, an architect, a writer, a designer, etc. Whomever is envelopes in their work and not really noticing the outside world is the guy in this cartoon today.

As for my gamer cousin, his brother is a performer in New York.

My cousin TJ Fox who is a musician, has been doing bi-monthly concerts from Long Island on Facebook. This Saturday, May 9, will be the third Saturday night he’s doing “Live from the Living Room.” It’s free at his Facebook page here: facebook.com/tjfoxmusic it starts at 8 pm (eastern time) and usually goes for two hours. You can request songs, he plays the guitar and sings.

If you go to the site now, you can see past concerts.

It’s become a thing with me now. I really look forward to it. I’m a create of habit, do something twice and it’s a thing from now on. What I enjoy aside from his talent is we all chat along as we listen and it’s broadcast from their Hamptons house which I sort of get homesick for since I spend some time there each summer. I’m hoping to be there this summer.

TJ is quite big up north. So many times I’m walking around NYC and I see his name on a sandwich board or marquee – “TJ Fox here tonight!” He performs in NYC and Long Island mostly. He’s also written and performs his own music as well as so many things you already know.

My new addiction

instacart

I’m getting addicted to Instacart. I’ve using them to order from Publix, but it does get expensive. I’ve noticed that the prices on Instacart are a bit higher than in the store and then you add the delivery charge and tip and it’s way up there.

The deliveries are happening fast now, usually within a few hours. At the beginning of the shelter-in-place order, they were taking up to three to four days to deliver. I felt like I was out in the wilderness, like those Alaska shows I like. There was no running out to grab something I needed, I had to plan ahead.

And at the beginning, I was tipping high, too. I read that if you tipped well you would get better and faster service. I’m a good tipper, but I was extraordinary. I’m back to being just a good tipper now.

As the days go on, I just add to the list, I shop at any time, you know, add this, add that and when I’m ready I place the order.

While I’m addicted I don’t see myself using the service after this pandemic is over because I like going to the store and seeing what’s around, what’s new, feeling the food, etc.

At first it was frustrating that I couldn’t get in touch with them if there was a question or issue. But the other day they gave me a lot of free things with my order – it must have been part of someone else’s order – so I got a couple of Taleneti Pistachio ice creams and beer battered fish and some other stuff. I tried to contact someone, but there was no way. I just figured I’d pay for it if they asked for it back – I have to now, I ate most of it already.

What about the face masks?

I noticed that the majority of my comics, let’s say all but a few of my comics, show people without facial coverings, you know, no masks. And the people are in groups and being just normal people. But what about the new normal? Will we ever gather in groups again? Will we sit next to each other in bars or at ball games, will we shake hands?

Here is a cartoon where the people have no masks because when I first drew it, getting hand sanitizer was the big thing, now wearing masks is the thing, so I added masks. Even the dog has one.

But showing people without masks, is this good? Is this bad? Is this keeping with the times? I noticed that even on tv news, the reporters out in the field always have masks on. Sometimes you can’t hear what they are saying correctly as they speak through the masks, but I assume they are wearing them just to prove a point and to be part of the movement since most are solo except for their camera man and in many cases they are filming themselves, so they aren’t near others.

If I add masks to my comic characters then all of the comics will have characters wearing protective masks, and when this pandemic is over, then what? Will I have a portfolio of comics where every person is wearing a mask?

It will document the times, but I’m not sure if that is how I want to be documented.

It would be funny if I went back and added masks to everyone and then when this pandemic is all over I go back and remove the masks and repost the comics mask-free.

Vanity before safety?

tom1 So I walked over to the hospital next door, usually once a week I go for a walk around their property/campus, it’s beautiful, big, wide open and on the bay. I went into Au Bon Pain which is there to get lunch. It’s usually empty, only me and the girl working there.

Well, yesterday there was a guy in scrubs, a doctor, tech, something like that. He told me I had my mask on wrong – even tough I looked at the video that a friend sent me on how to do it. Yes, I needed a video, and still got it wrong. He was a stranger getting lunch mind you, in line ahead of me. I didn’t know him.

He then proceeds to touch me! He took the mask off, fashioned it the way it’s supposed to be and then gave it back to me. Then he had the balls to Purell his hands, they had a Purell stand there. I Purelled too because it seemed like the thing to do.

So this hospital worker/doctor, who should know better is all Purelled up and I have his hands all over my face by putting the mask back on. I told him I had these flowery cloth masks at home that I was going to start using, too, but he said the one I had on was “safer.” I guess he means safer without his hand prints all over it.

I guess I was so embarrassed about having the mask on wrong and walking around like that that I didn’t care about the safety issue. Yet I did have the mask on for safety reasons. Go figure.

Tomversation comic panel starts today!

may-the-5th-4th-color-print

My daily Tomversation comic starts today!

This is my first comic. You can see it larger on the daily comics page at TomFalco.com

Hope you follow along there or if you prefer social media, the comics will be published here daily:
Instagram:
instagram.com/tomversation.toons
Facebook:
facebook.com/Tomversation.toons

The countdown begins

tomversation-may4 So I’m excited about the premier of Tomversation tomorrow, May 4th.

I did publish Tomversation years ago and I stopped because a few newspapers were interested in publishing the comic on their daily comics page, I wanted to hold all the fresh content back for them, but they gave me the run around for years. Is this how features editors behave – promise you the world and then string you along?

One editor eventually was fired for sexual harassment, so that ended that after being strung along for many years.

I see it as a good thing – I am not bound to anything and I’m on my own. I noticed that a lot of comics have millions of followers on Instagram. That’s my goal. I drew comics all weekend and the previous weeks – it helped that we are in self isolation, but I’ve been drawing comics over the years, too, so I have plenty of material.

Anyway, one more time, here are the locations for Tomversation:
Online at my website at TomFalco.com
Instagram: instagram.com/tomversation.toons
Facebook: facebook.com/Tomversation.toons

And I may add other locations in the future, I’ll let you know, but I hope you can choose one or all of these places to follow along.

Stephan Pastis – 10 With Tom

10 With Tom
10 questions in 10 minutes

I did this interview with Stephan Pastis a few years ago. For a long time I did a bunch of 10 With Tom interviews for the Huffington Post. I’m thinking of getting back into doing that. Anyway, here is Stephan.

I got the chance to ask Stephan Pastis, creator of the comic strip, Pearls Before Swine, my Ten With Tom questions. Stephan has one of the most popular comic strips around, his tipping point was when Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip, noticed his work and mentioned it in a blog post. The rest is history. His online readership went through the roof overnight.

He won the 2015 Reuben Award for best newspaper comic strip. I’m trying to follow in his footsteps with my comics, so it truly was an honor doing Ten With Tom with Stephan.

stephan2

Do people mistake you for Seth Macfarlane?

I’ve heard that before, but the one I hear more is Robert Downey, Jr. I even had a restaurant owner in Dublin, Ireland tell me what an honor it was to have Robert Downey, Jr. in her restaurant. I told her that I appreciated it, but that I didn’t like to be disturbed while dining.

Why do you create your comics 7 months in advance, why so far ahead?
I’m anal retentive. I need to relax.

Are you recognized on the street?
Almost never. Except as Robert Downey Jr. in Dublin.

What are a few of your favorite classic newspaper comics from your childhood?

Far Side
Calvin and Hobbes
Peanuts
Bloom County

Flintstones or Scooby Do?
Scooby. There’s always someone trying to scare away prospective house buyers by filling it with fake ghosts and/or monsters. Knowing that the ghost thing is a sham, I could probably get a great deal on real estate.

Which comic strip would you like to crawl into and spend the day?
Krazy Kat. Lots of peyote and throwing bricks at others.

Dick Tracy or Little Orphan Annie?
It wouldn’t be Annie. Her lack of pupils would be disturbing, particularly if you fell in love. You could never look into her eyes.

What section of the printed daily newspaper today should be eliminated to add more comics?
Many of the comics.

Without looking, what color is Olive Oyl’s dress?
Top half of her is red. Bottom half of her is black. Both halves are probably stained by spinach.

Do you think you’ll ever go digital in creating Pearls Before Swine? Why?
No. Too lazy to learn. Plus, it doesn’t seem like something Robert Downey Jr. would do.

Thank you Stephan!

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Christmas in July

I was watching Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries the other night and it was Christmas in July. The show takes place in Australia and it turns out that Australia has two Christmases. They have the regular one on December 25 and another in July.

You see, in December, it’s summer in the southern hemisphere, so to have a snowy and cold Christmas, they do it again in July, which is the coldest month. I never heard that before. Imagine having two Christmases. It’s hard enough having two!

She died during the 1918 pandemic

I called my aunt in New York to say hi, to check up on them, you know, to see how things are going. She has kids and grand kids and my uncle and I talk to my cousins all the time, but not my aunt. She’s going stir crazy, she’s one to be out and about all the time, we go on lots of day and weekend trips when I’m up there – back and forth to the Hamptons, Oktoberfest, Christmas festivals, shopping, museums, etc. So to be locked up in the house this long is not her thing. I hope I can get there this summer to see them all as I usually do.

Anyway, we were talking about the pandemic and she brought up her and my father’s aunt Lucy who died of the pandemic of 1918. I had never heard this before.

My whole life I never knew my grandmother had another sister. She had a very large family, I think 11 brothers and sisters, so I guess Lucy got lost in the mix. But she passed away at age 28 in 1918. That means she was born in 1890. My grandmother was born in 1911, she was one of the younger ones and I guess only 7 when her sister passed away.

I asked my father if he had a photo of Lucy, he says he doesn’t.

Sad, but I’m shocked that this is the first time I am hearing this. I guess I should do one of those Ancestry.com tests to find out more about the family.