283. Gotta Free ‘Em All

Drawing this comic I got an epiphany. I realize why I will never be a popular comic maker. I bet that successful artists have an idea, massage it a bit in their brains and explore different venues or paths they could take. In my case, it seems that I just go with whatever intrusive thought came first. When I first wanted to draw a comic about the transaccional nature of morality in the United States, the first thing that came to my mind was “and do it Game Boy Pokémon style”, I bet good artists don’t just let that first idea stand there, blocking others. Perhaps they have a mass of neurons in the front of their brain, a ‘prefrontal cortex’ if you will, that allows ideas to grow and be nurtured. I seem to lack that, creatively. In fact I seem to take a page from improv artists, and “yes, and…” me to the death. That’s where Queen Vicoria as a Final Fantasy-style summon came about. Just a mish mash goulash of thoughts. But I digress…

The United States seems to only do the morally right thing to do when under duress or when it’s convenient. Many people believe that the Union was composed of strictly abolitionists, people who were there to ensure freedom for all enslaved. The fact is that the large majority of people in the Union were there to preserve the Union, not to abolish slavery. So for Lincoln it was still a gamble, but a strategic one to drop the Emancipation Proclaamation when he did. After that, no foreign power could possibly support the confederate rebels as they were rightfully equated with slavery.

I’m blanketing myself in the cozy warmth of history these days to remember that there have been worse times in United States history. An easy target for this goal is the Civil War. To me, the moment that came after Lincoln’s assassination is always going to be at the top few of bad presidential terms. Lincoln would definitely be considered a racist if we were to magically teleport him to today. His successor, however, was considered a racist IN HIS TIME. A time known for its over-the-top racism. So after 4 years of bloody conflict that eliminated their original sin of slavery, the United States had to deal with 4 years of a states-rights racist idiot Andrew Johnson. He delayed reconstruction and really messed with people’s mental wellbeing at a time in which strength was needed. He was our first impeached President for a reason. That presidential term was probably worse than what’s coming for us in 2025.