Cartoon: MALES Do That!

This cartoon is by me and Becky Hawkins, with an assist from Naomi Rubin, who suggested the kicker panel.

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Becky writes:

This is what I call the “making fun of jerks” genre of Barry-cartoon, which I enjoy drawing. This comic spoke to me in particular because I’m grumpy about gender. As a former cruise ship musician, I felt like my job was a balancing act of “being one of the guys” while performing femininity as “the girl in the band.” As an Elder Gay Millennial™, I also remember acquaintances asking me “Which one of you is the guy in the relationship?” and dissecting my wardrobe, actions and mannerisms to figure out the answer. So I was ready to lampoon the labeling of human activities as “man” things.

When I’m drawing a cartoon in the present day, sometimes I have an immediate mental image of who the characters are, and translating that to the page feels easy. However, I usually spend a little time flailing, scrolling social media for visual inspiration, and generally feeling like I forgot how to draw before I get going.

I wanted a slightly snappy counterculture look for the trans woman, so I “borrowed” an outfit from my former housemate and comics friend Mergo Petrichor. (Hi Mergo!) I looked up some group photos of JK Rowling with prominent TERFs for a cis woman to draw. To be honest, though, I’m one Dansko gift card away from owning that outfit.

I set this comic on a street corner so the women could switch positions between panel 1 and panel 2. Because English-language comics are read left-to-right, cartoonists usually place the character who speaks first on the left for maximum clarity. The cis woman is speaking first in panel 1 and second in panel 2.

Buildings like this one are popping up all over my city. I’ve heard that they’re relatively cheap to build, and that the combo of commercial/residential uses is capital-G Good for urban density/climate/affordability reasons. But I don’t find them exciting to look at. I did enjoy drawing the ambiguous window decals. Maybe it’s a Portland thing, but I’ve mistaken a pet food store for a butcher, a weed dispensary for a cafe, and a supplement shop for a weed dispensary in this city.

Lastly: Sometimes I take reference selfies to figure out what a pose should look like. Good thing I have a sense of humor.

Barry writes:

I really like the perspective drawing Becky did of the second story of the building, and felt a little bad about covering it up with word balloons.

But, you know, eggs and omelets.

TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON

This cartoon has four panels (plus a fifth “kicker” panel), all of them showing two women talking on a city street corner. The first woman has reddish-brown hair in a pixie cut, and is wearing a green shirt with blue capris. The second woman has dark hair in a bob cut, and is wearing a blue leather crop jacket over a maroon dress and combat boots.

PANEL 1

Capris points accusingly at Jacket. Jacket, annoyed, gives Capris the finger.

CAPRIS: You’re a male! All you trans women are male!

JACKET: You know what? Screw you.

PANEL 2

JACKET: Let’s be logical. Everyone gets angry sometimes.

CAPRIS: Taking refuge in “logic!” Implying that because i’m a woman I’m being irrational! That’s so male!

PANEL 3

Jacket crosses her arms and looks away, clearly annoyed. Capris is gloating.

CAPRIS: Look, now you’re sulking! Just like males do!

PANEL 4

Jacket has walked away. Capris jumps up and down, yelling at Jacket’s back.

CAPRIS: Walking away! Males do that! Wearing clothes! Breathing! Male male MALE!

KICKER PANEL BELOW BOTTOM OF THE COMIC

Jacket makes finger-quotes while Capris, looking very smug, shrugs.

JACKET: What about you? Isn’t that a “man’s haircut”?

CAPRIS: When I do it, it’s disrupting the patriarchy.

CHICKEN FAT WATCH

In the background is a store with a window display, slowly revealed as the comic progresses. From right to left: Close-ups of enormous fruit (berries, a banana, a kiwi) sitting or floating over a bed of ice, with water and juice splashing dynamically upwards.

A closely-cropped image of a woman’s face, so we just see one eye and the corner of her mouth. One hand is on her cheek. Her lips and nails are icy pink. The transom above the door has an exotic flower decal.

On the front door, in an artsy font treatment, it says: “Are we a smoothie shoppe? A NAIL salon? A DISPENSARY? YOU DON’T KNOW!”

MALES Do That! | Patreon