"Til Death Sets Me Free"

Sunday, April 21st, 2024

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Sunday, April 21st, 2024
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TODAY'S COMIC

I don’t always write a lot about a specific comic when it’s posted, but this comic took so much work to complete that I am going to indulge myself. If you want to skip right to the Victorian Customs and Superstitions just scroll on down.

TOPIC

“Death.” Let me first off be really clear about something: the personal effect of death and the reality of death as it affects us individually is not at all funny to me. However, for those of you who have followed Dear Inner Demons since the beginning, you will know that the core of it lies in the dark humour region, and purposefully (and thoughtfully) tackling the demons that haunt us. One of those is the concept of death. I am a believer in laughing at the things that scare us and using humour to tackle tough topics and process mental anguish when possible.

RESEARCH

I’m not sure how many of you know how much research I put into each and every comic, but I do. Sometimes to my own detriment, haha. I don’t always talk about it, but in this instance I’m actually going to share some of my research below for those that are interested. Just check out the section “Victorian Times.” I will confess that I really do love the research phase and find myself very interested in reading about many different topics. That’s one of the beauties of Dear Inner Demons: I can travel through time, and all over the world with the comic! Once again, for you long-time followers, you will know how much I like dipping into the Victorian/Edwardian times, and believe me, this won’t be the last time! There is just something about the aesthetic that really appeals to me. Anyway, I try to put a lot of attention to detail into each comic where possible and that usually results in a lot of research. The trick is to try not fall into what I call a “Research Rabbithole.” Speaking of rabbitholes…

PROCESS

The process for this comic took me down many-a-rabbit-hole I will admit. I tried a few different approaches with how best to come at the composition of the scene, as well as changing up a few ways in which I actually do the art. There were a lot of false starts, and a lot of paths I abandoned along the way (some of which you can see on my social media channels) which all amounted to a loss of a lot of time. For any artists out there who can relate to this idea: you gotta just shake it off and draw it again. And again. Until it feels right or you are satisfied with it. Sometimes there can be a “good enough” moment where you can move onward, but some details require many attempts. For the first time since the beginning of doing this comic I switched up the main inking brushes that I always use, and it unexpectedly threw a strange monkey wrench into the mix. In the end I am very happy with how the comic looks, but I will have to think about the inking brushes more.

STORY

Some of you may assume that I have the story behind each comic already figured out, or thought out, or whatever. The truth is, that for most of them, I let myself discover this in a natural way after imagining the moment of the scene, and the words being spoken. It’s like I step into a moment of time, and am left to wonder what preceded this moment or will follow it. Sounds strange maybe, but for me it’s natural and how I like to approach the process. For example, with this comic there are a few ways to interpret what is going on here. Even though I envisioned it, drew it, and wrote it, I personally am not settled on one particular determination of the situation! Okay let’s get to some Victorian deep-dive stuff now…

VICTORIAN TIMES

As mentioned above, I spent a lot of time researching for this comic, but the truth is it wasn’t JUST for this comic. I’ll speak more to this at the end. I could really go bananas in this section but for the sake of keeping things at least somewhat succinct I’ll just cover three interesting Victorian mourning customs and three superstitions surrounding death. Let’s go!

PREFACE

Queen Victoria

“Queen Victoria on Fyvie, with John Brown at Balmoral” Source: Photo by George Washington Wilson, 1863. Source: National Galleries of Scotland (Public Domain)

I think it’s probably important to first establish that a lot of the rituals and customs stemmed from the namesake of the era itself: Queen Victoria. After losing her beloved Alfred, she entered into a period of mourning which lasted the rest of her life. This included wearing black for the rest of her life. You can read more about her on the world wide web! Okay now onto a few customs:

TRADITIONS

ATTIRE
Mary Lincoln in mourning attire 1865

“Mary Lincoln in mourning attire, 1865. Source: Library of Congress (Public Domain)

Widows were expected to adhere to strict dress codes during periods of mourning, known as “widows' weeds” (“Weeds” in this case is likely referring to the older meaning of “weeds,” which referred to clothing or garments in general). Usually this was all-black clothing, including dresses, veils, and gloves. This symbolized the widow’s grief and her devotion to the deceased. Sidenote: No, Queen Victoria did not start the tradition of wearing all black, as some people think. How long a widow would wear this garb would vary depending on her relationship to the deceased. Some women (like the aforementioned Queen Victoria) wore all-black for years after their spouse’s death. Mourning attire wasn’t just a visual cue to others of grief, but was also a sort of social expectation at the time. Some women could not afford to purchase a new mourning ensemble and would have to resort to actually dyeing (eek) their favourite dress black.

KEEPSAKES
Victorian Hair Brooch

“Mourning Brooche Containing the hair of a deceased relative.” Source: Wikimedia Commons [CC 4.0]

As a compliment to the attire we just talked about, Victorian mourners would often commemorate the deceased through the creation of memorial keepsakes and jewellery specifically meant for the mourning period. This is where things get a smidge strange by our modern day standards perhaps: HAIR. Locks of hair were collected from the deceased and then fashioned into jewellery such as brooches, pendants, and even rings. These sentimental pieces served as tangible reminders of their dearly departed and were in fact cherished family heirlooms passed down through the generations! Imagine you are up in the attic with your grandma and she cracks open an ancient curio and hands you a brooch of hair and says “now it’s your burden to carry.” Eek. At least that’s how I imagine it would go.

REMEMBRANCE
“Girls of Ann Smith Academy visiting Stonewall Jackson’s grave in Lexington Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, 1900. Source: National Parks Gallery (Public Domain)

“Girls of Ann Smith Academy visiting Stonewall Jackson’s grave in Lexington Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park, 1900. Source: National Parks Gallery (Public Domain)

As I’m sure is likely pretty clear by this point, Victorian mourning customs extended well beyond the immediate aftermath of the death. Another way in which the dead were honoured and remembered was with annual remembrance rituals. Families would gather on the anniversary of a loved one's death to visit gravesites, hold memorial services, and offer prayers or tributes in remembrance of the departed. These annual rituals provided an opportunity for families to reaffirm their bonds and to reflect on the enduring impact of loss on their lives. By commemorating the deceased through ongoing remembrance rituals, Victorian society was attempting to preserve their memory and ensure that they were never forgotten. Imagine a yearly picnic at Papa’s gravesite! Actually that could be quite nice. I love graveyards.

SUPERSTITIONS

BIRDS

In Victorian times, there were a lot of superstitions surrounding birds, both good and bad.

“Gymnorhina tibicen Bevalet”(Magpie), 1850. Source: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

“Gymnorhina tibicen Bevalet”(Magpie), 1850. Source: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

Magpies. The sight of a single magpie was believed to bring bad luck or even death. This superstition likely stemmed from the bird's black and white plumage, which was associated with darkness and light, symbolizing both death and life, much like the modern day Oreo cookie. Because of this, if you were to encounter a lone magpie out in the wild alone, you would likely be fairly freaked. So much so that then you would go on a rampage of insane precautions in order to try and avert the perceived misfortune the sighting foretold.

“The American Robin (Merula Migratoria), 1842-1843. Source: New York Public Library (CC0 1.0)

“The American Robin (Merula Migratoria), 1842-1843. Source: New York Public Library (CC0 1.0)

Robins. Unlike the ominous reputation of the magpie, the robin held a more positive connotation in Victorian superstition. It was believed that seeing a robin was a sign that a departed loved one was watching over you from the afterlife. Neat, eh? This belief likely originated from the robin's association with Christmas and its symbolic representation of renewal and hope. Encounters with robins were therefore embraced as comforting messages from beyond the grave, offering some peace to those grieving the loss of a loved one! Cute, right?

MIRRORS
“Mirror” from about 1855. Source: Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum (Public Domain)

“Mirror” from about 1855. Source: Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum (Public Domain)

Superstitions regarding mirrors were deeply ingrained in Victorian culture, especially in relation to death. It was believed that covering mirrors or turning them to face the wall upon the death of a household member prevented their spirit from becoming TRAPPED within the reflective surface. This superstition reflected a broader fear of the supernatural and the unknown, with mirrors serving as portals between the living and the dead. By veiling mirrors during times of mourning, Victorian society sought to protect against malevolent spirits and ensure the peaceful passage of the deceased. Scary, no?

UMBRELLAS
“Mrs C”, C.M. Bell Studio, Washington DC, 1873. Source: Library of Congress (Public Domain)

“Mrs C”, C.M. Bell Studio, Washington DC, 1873. Source: Library of Congress (Public Domain)

Lastly, let’s talk about a superstition that endures to this very day: the taboo surrounding opening umbrellas indoors. It was believed that doing so invited bad luck or even death into the household. Like many superstitions, this one likely came from a sort of practical problem, like people tripping over an umbrella that someone left open in the house, falling down a flight of stairs and right out the front door into the street where a flock of horses trampled them. Okay well, maybe not quite THAT extreme, but seriously it likely came from tripping and falling over the open umbrellas. However, over time, this superstition became intertwined with bigger, badder fears of inviting misfortune or supernatural forces into the home, reinforcing the taboo.

A FEW HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS

1/3: DYK? PAN N' SCAN

I’ve been trying a new thing with the comic for the vertical format of phone screens. Did you know that there is a sort of “mini video” version of each comic on TikTok and/or Youtube Shorts (or Meta/Facebook/Instagram Stories, if you prefer). It’s a sort of way to showcase the full comic in the vertical format of phone screens. Check it out if you haven’t! Speaking of …..

2/3: SOCIAL MEDIA

I have now updated the sidebar to show the various social media through which you can connect with Dear Inner Demons. TikTok and YouTube are the new ones obviously, and the classics are there as well. If there is a social media platform that you personally use that isn’t covered, please drop me a line and let me know! I am always open to new ways to share the comic with people. And finally …

3/3: NEWSLETTER

Have you signed up for the newsletter? There is a link to the right in the sidebar if you are on a widescreen or down below if you are on mobile. I am gonna be pushing for newsletter sign-ups more (sorry) just because my thought is that between the website and the newsletter those seem to be the most “concrete” ways to ensure long term connectivity in this ever-changing social media landscape.

SIDENOTE

If you have made it this far, I am impressed and thankful! As mentioned above all of this research wasn’t JUST for this comic. In fact I am working on a book! It will be a picture book, in the Dear Inner Demons style, and not for kids, per se. I don’t want to say TOO much about it at this point but let’s just say it is a self-contained linear story. Please subscribe to the newsletter or follow on social media if you want to keep informed on any progress or developments!