Lord knows I wish I knew the answer...

(From College Roomies from Hell!!! Click on image to see full-sized image.)

April's fall from grace was surprising to many fans. For years, April just was there. She was the "normal" one of a group that ranged from panicky laser-eyed Dave to gun-nut survivalist Margaret to manga-eyed cute stalking Marsha. But the one thing that has remained constant throughout the series is that she's been alone.

This was what led to her fall, a fall that was heralded by a couple small stones clattering down before the entire cliffside of April's life just slid away into the gully. April fell in love... with Mike. And she fell hard and fast.

To be honest, I don't like the new April. I miss the old April who was quick to smile and loved to tease and joke around. But like the craftswoman Maritza is, there have been signs of April's inner darkness (for one thing, she's a surly drunk). All it took was Mike saying the wrong thing (in his eternal quest to find out everyone's secrets) when April tried wheedling information out of him to start her on a dark path of self-destruction.

And naturally, like any horror movie fan shouting "don't open that door!" or "don't go off alone!" at the screen, we Boardies shouted at April to stop, to let go of her anger and sense of betrayal. Several times she'd pause and we'd think that she'd finally had enough, realized that she'd hit bottom... and then she'd leap off the ledge and go further down.

Fortunately, that seems to be over. Through hook or by crook, April managed to get Mike to listen to her while she talked. And she knows there is no chance for her and Mike. She doesn't want to love him. But she can't help it.

I know what that's like. And there's little advice that Dave (or I, or anyone else) can give. Time heals these wounds. But it takes forever. The alternatives, rebounding to be with someone else or focusing all your attention on something else... these aren't cures. They're only stopgap measures.

Of course, the kicker is this: April's asking Dave how he stopped loving Margaret. But the truth is... he hasn't. He still loves Margaret. I suspect he always will. And while the ardor that he held for Margaret may have faded, now that Blue has wormed her way into his affections, it's still there. It's now embers, glowing under a blanket of ashes... needing but a little stirring to flare up again.

(Of course, one thing that Dave has done is grow up a little. The old Dave would leap at what Margaret said to him there. But now... he's showing spine, and maturity. He's not going to chase after Margaret. Instead... even though he loves her, and it shows, Margaret's going to have to earn his trust back.)

One thing that is interesting is the body language of both Dave and April here. After what April has done, he's naturally cautious around her. He doesn't want to get on Mike's bad side... and April is a bit of a loose cannon now. They sit, back to back, glancing at each other over their shoulders. It's an initial denial, pushing April away... preparing to run, if necessary.

And then we've April's question. Dave's naturally confused by it... but what's more, he turns toward her, and she toward him. But what's more... April's opening up again. She was inadvertently betrayed by Mike when she turned toward him, and that helped lead to her fall. And each of the others have, in turn, hurt her, one way or another, when she tries to talk to them. But Dave... he's another constant. Yes, he freaks out at the drop of a hat, and isn't the most mature of people... but he can still be relied upon.

So. How do you stop loving someone?

It'll be interesting to see what Dave's response is. No doubt we'll hear him admit he hasn't, that he's torn between Blue and Margaret... but maybe, just maybe, Dave and April will mend their own fences. You can't stop loving someone... but it helps when you have friends there to help you to your feet when you stumble, and lend an ear when you need to talk.

In the end... that's all any of us can hope to have.

Robert A. Howard
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Isn't Sloth one of the Seven Deadly Sins?

(From The Lazy Grind Contest. Click on image to go to their website.)

One of the things I dislike about the Ironman Daily Grind challenge is that the victory conditions are too vague. People in the Grind initially could post filler art or the like (which has been amended as of April 5, 2005, though they can still post a filler comic apparently), and just need to get their stuff up by midnight, PST (giving those people on the East Coast a 3 hour window to sneak through - David Wright of Todd and Penguin managed that trick once).

The other problem I had was that it was unfair to those people who were religiously updating on a MWF schedule. Nukees, for instance, has been religiously going MWF forever and ever. I mean, check the archives someday, it goes to the beginning of time itself and beyond, to the point that there are caveman sketches of the Nukees crew talking about how they're looking forward to Einstein's Theory of Relativity and other such research that will allow them to become Nuclear Engineers. (Okay, it's not quite that bad, but still!)

The Lazy Grind seems to be a nod to those cartoonists out there who tend to update on a MWF (or TuThSa) schedule. Some have troubles doing so, and others sometimes have filler art up to fill in that MWF schedule, but they try. Hell, I tried MWF and couldn't hack it. It's not as easy as it looks.

Instead of betting money, the bet is art. The last person standing gets the glory and also gets to tell those who didn't last to draw whatever he, she, or it tells them to draw. Oh, and second place gets a pat on the back. They still have to draw stuff for the winner of course...

The conditions of the comic is that they must update 3x a week, the comics must be either color or b&w to the best of their ability, no fillers, and updates must be by Midnight of their specific timezone. And a few other things as well.

I look forward to this contest. To be honest, I was interested in suggesting such a contest in the past... and I'm glad to see I'm not alone in thinking the MWF crowd deserves their own contest as well. Good luck, gang! (I'll have to read more of your strips and review them...)

The contestants are:
Angry D. Monkey
Darken
Burgundy Comics, Inc.
Twice Destined
The Gear
Operation TC
Digital War
Swords Are Cool
Gunmetal Annie
Pimpette and Associates
Pointless
Chat Rouge
Elvenbaath

(links will be forthcoming but I'm running late for class, so see ya!)

Robert A. Howard
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