Blinded By The Light

This week’s new Dustinland comic is about something that actually does happen to me on occasion. I’ll wake up to a beam of light shining through the one-inch gap that the window shade doesn’t cover, only to see that somehow there is light blasting right into my eye from an ultra bright street light a block away. Seems intentional if you ask me.

Am I alone here?

Hot End to 2022

This week’s new Dustinland comic is a 100% true story about a minor fire that broke out in my house recently. Fortunately everything is okay, but it was scary, and it will continue to be a huge pain in the ass to get all this fixed.

I think the scariest part is seeing how fast a fire can spread. One little oops and really you can find yourself in a disaster — or worse — in minutes.

Aside from that, you know, it’s just stuff. It will take a while to replace and fix, and I did lose a few comics, but nothing too irreplaceable. I think the biggest inconvenience is that I use the basement as a home office and that’s not possible for the time being, so that should be interesting.

But yeah. Fire. It’s dangerous. Wheee 2023.

Crickets

This week’s new Dustinland comic is about crickets. It’s a short one because I was very busy this weekend, not only watching the Mets lose, but also ironically, attending Comic Con. I say ironically because it’s ironic that a comic convention kept me from drawing comics.

But yeah, crickets. Charming to hear, less charming to see. But in general, I am pro cricket. Except for those huge dinosaur looking ones you find in the basement sometimes. Gross.

I Fell Down The Stairs

This week’s new Dustinland comic is about the time I fell down a flight of icy stairs outside my house about a month ago. Funny, as I write this, I can hear the garbage truck outside, which is exactly what prompted me to race out of the house the day of the incident. I’m mostly fine now, although I do think I kinda broke my middle finger and it’s still a bit messed up.

In other news the entire world is focused on Will Smith right now, so figured I’d mention that here. Will Smith. See? I did it.

A Soft Bulletin

This week’s new Dustinland comic is super sexy. Now, you can stop there ad see for yourself or you can read the next paragraph.

And learn that it’s about slow-closing drawers. Me and the mrs. recently turned a tiny unused room into a sort of walk-in closet, and we got all this stuff from Ikea, and man… those slow-close drawers and doors are just a constant source of pleasure. Every time. It never gets old.

Unlike me.

I’m New Here 7

This week’s comic is my latest work for The River Journal. If you live in a suburban town, I think you’ll be able to relate — even if it’s not Westchester. That being said, there is a certain New Yorkness to this comic. This town always has had a bit of “if you’re not here, you’re nowhere” to it. One thing I don’t understand is why so many people can’t except other people’s choices. It always has to come back to a subconscious defense of their own lifestyle. Why? Why can’t we like different things?

I’m New Here 5 & 6

Here are my two latest comic strips for The River Journal, an excellent local newspaper up here in Westchester. Homeowners, you will appreciate the newest one.

I’m New Here

I’ve been drawing a new comic called I’m New Here for a local newspaper called The River Journal. They cover a bunch of towns up here in Westchester, including mine. I say up here because Westchester is north of NYC, and that’s sort of where everything is judged by around these parts. Anyway, you can see the first four strips here. There’s certainly a theme, as you can tell from the title. I grew up in an apartment in Queens so being new to the suburbs provides endless ideas. If you’re lucky enough to live in a Hudson river town, you get the printed version delivered right into your mailbox. Good times.

Livin The Dream?

This week’s Dustinland comic is basically a combination of all the discussions I’ve been having in the real world. I moved to the burbs about 5 months ago and so now everyone wants to hear my take on it. It’s like when you get married or have kids or get back from a big vacation. Everyone asks you the same things—for good reason. But it does get tiring having the same conversation over and over again. Although there are some subtle nuances that can be more interesting if you really dig into them. Like seeing skunks and fearing ticks. That’s when I enjoy the conversation more.

And man, I really did see a skunk this weekend, crossing the street in front of my house. A skunk! I live 40 minutes from NYC! Later I showed my kid a picture of a skunk and told him, hey, if you ever see this animal, STAY AWAY. And then a neighbor told me, oh boy, coming out in broad daylight, could be a rabid skunk. Man, that’s not cool. Skunks are bad enough. Now it’s a rabid skunk!

But yeah, I do like it out here.

Joining The Club

This week’s new Dustinland comic follows further into my homeownership voyage. Definitely more fun to write about than the election, that’s for sure. I wonder how people who don’t own homes will view this strip? Fear? Boredom? Excitement? Either way, the strips will continue as buying a house has consumed my existence, and all my inspiration is from this experience. Joining the club indeed.