comics – audra mcnamee https://audmcname.com Made with my good left hand. Wed, 30 Jul 2025 04:30:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://audmcname.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/favicon-150x150.png comics – audra mcnamee https://audmcname.com 32 32 Consumer Confidence Comics #2 https://audmcname.com/comics/consumer-confidence-comics-2/ https://audmcname.com/comics/consumer-confidence-comics-2/#comments Sat, 21 Dec 2024 22:19:55 +0000 https://audmcname.com/?p=941 “Dealing with Debt Collections”, another comic for Oregon Consumer Justice. It’s the first of two comics about debt; lawyers Kelly Donovan Jones and Michael Fuller wrote the text, I did the pictures, you can read the whole thing on the Oregon Consumer Justice website in Spanish and English and order copies of the comic for free. It sounds like a couple thousand copies of the first comic have been distributed, and around 700 copies of this comic were preordered before its release!

Cover of comic "Dealing with Debt Collections," featuring a grandfather, mother, and daughter sitting around a kitchen table looking at a debt collection letter with worried but determined expressions.
Comics page titled "the collection call."
A comics page in which a woman pays off her debt over many months, and her family celebrates her.

Note the new (and improved?) font that’s handling the Spanish and English language versions with ease. (Made through Calligraphr again; desperately want to go in with a higher power program to fix the kerning between individual letter combos; the fact that Calligrapher doesn’t do this is my biggest complaint with the program).

Also, I have a newsletter now! It’s this blog, but it arrives in your inbox if you like that kind of thing (I would hate it but respect your different preferences). It’s powered by Buttondown. Based on cadence of past posts I expect to be sending you an email, like, quarterly.

I feel obligated to mention that if you’re getting this as an email, you could pop my URL into your favorite RSS reader instead. I recommend the reader NetNewsWire if you exist in the Apple family of products. The next solo comic I hope to release is a vision for the internet as a useful information ecosystem for me, specifically (my system relies heavily on RSS feeds and having friends who tell me about the cool stuff they find). Look out for that in the new year.

Bonus: excerpts from my house New Years card, printed at the IPRC:

Riso printed New Years cards on blue and yellow paper in purple ink.
The back of a New Years card with the heading "Ends of Eras;" "Audra has a real desk chair now," "Allia's rusty bike rack is finally retired," "On to 2025!"

And with that, on to 2025!

Three people pose in front of a large letter.

]]> https://audmcname.com/comics/consumer-confidence-comics-2/feed/ 2 Stop as Yield https://audmcname.com/comics/stop-as-yield/ Tue, 15 Oct 2024 18:45:42 +0000 https://audmcname.com/?p=908 Another Allia x Audra creation. Pulled together semi-feverishly for this year’s Portland Zine Symposium (as is traditional).

A stop sign, with a sticker reading 'as yield' at the bottom.
'Pre-2020 Oregon:' a cyclist approaches a stop sign, comes to a full stop putting down their leg, looks both ways, and then continues onward. 'Coming to a full stop makes cyclists burn energy and spend more time in intersections (1).' Two large panels next to each other. The first is from a cyclist's point of view, as they approach a stop sign and the loud noise of a car cuts into their vision on the right. 'Nearly 60% of the ~50,000 yearly bike crashes that injure cyclists occur in intersections.' From a driver's point of view, they see their steering wheel, dashboard, and their own eyes in the rearview mirror. Outside the car's front window is a stop sign and a cyclists. The cyclist is labeled 'approaches intersections slower,' 'can hear oncoming cars,' 'better peripheral vision,' 'looks own mortality in the eye every day,' 'fashionable' (pointing to the cyclist's one rolled up pant leg). 'In 2020, Oregon narrowly passed a stop as yield law.' The cyclist from the first set of panels approaches a stop sign again, looking both ways and continuing onwards faster. 'A 2024 study confirms the new law doesn't increase bike crashes especially if you educate drivers (2).'
'How stop as yield works for bikes:' A cyclist approaches an intersection. Two arrows fork off from the panel, showing different responses to possible situations. 'Yield to pedestrians, and cars with right of way.' The cyclists stands, waiting for a car to zip by and a pedestrian with a scarf and a prancing dog to walk across the street. The cyclist pedals forward once the street is empty. In the second scenario, the cyclist finds the street empty. 'Roll through thew you have good visibility.' In the now-empty street a bird lands on the stop sign. 'How stop as yield works for cars: Expect bikes to roll through stop signs.' A cyclist with a rear basket and sunglasses passes through the intersection, with a car idling at a stop sign. '(And don't hit bikes I guess?) That's it.' A cyclist waves at a car that's waiting for the cyclist to pass before turning right. The cyclist's shadow is cast long across the road, making it obvious where they are. 'The law doesn't apply to red lights. Bikes must wait for green.' A cyclist waits at a light, their shadow stretching long behind them.
An elephant wearing a bandit mask pedals a tiny bike across the page. A banner is attached to the bike, reading 'Bike Crimes.' 'The elephant in the room: cyclists regularly ran stop signs before this law was passed, contributing to a myth that cyclists are particularly guilty of disobeying traffic laws.' Several cyclists blast past a stop sign, spinning it around: a cyclist on a recumbent bike, a cyclist on a tall bike, a cyclist wearing a long Victorian dress and riding a penny farthing, a cyclist on Pee-wee Herman's cool bike with a fin on the back, and three cyclists, a mother, daughter, and baby strapped into a child's seat, on a tandem bike. A man in a blazer and tie rolls his eyes, saying 'Scofflaws!' 'But everyone breaks the law.' A cyclist and pedestrian stop quickly, looking afraid. '95.9% of cyclists, 97.9% of pedestrians.' A driver cruises to a stop, crushing the stop sign, 'and 99.97% of drivers report breaking laws.' The man with the blazer and tie looks outraged, eyes bugging out. 'Most cyclists disobey laws to 'overcome a car-dominated transportation system' and protect themselves (3).'
A single panel, with a black background. 'In Oregon, stop as yield is a (the word step is crossed out) pedal forward. But cyclists will be vulnerable until our cities invest in bike infrastructure and public transit.' An older man with a large mustache and a young girl whose helmets have dinosaur-like spikes on it look small as they face down a car whose driver faces away from the reader. The rear window of the car reads 'the car always wins.' 'Biking should be safe, fun, and accessible to everyone in our city, not just the 'strong and fearless' (4).'
Actual bike crimes: riding a bike that's attached to the front of a bus, riding a bike cross legged while reading a book, locking only a bike's front wheel to a bike rack, and attaching a bike to a team of sled dogs (it's a crime of cuteness).

Citations

  1. Carl Sundstrom and Dan Nabors, “Bicycle Crash Statistics,” BikeSafe, 2014.
  2. David Hurwitz et al., “Impact of Bicycle Rolling Stop Laws on Safety-Relevant Behaviors in the Pacific Northwest,” January 1, 2023.
  3. Marshall, Wesley E, Daniel Piatkowski, and Aaron Johnson. 2017. “Scofflaw Bicycling: Illegal But Rational”. Journal of Transport and Land Use 10 (1). https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2017.871. 823.
  4. bicyclelaw, “Stay Seen, Stay Safe? | Bicycle Law,” July 27, 2021.

Further Reading

  1. “Allowing Rolling Stops on Bicycles Doesn’t Cause Risky Road Behavior, Study Finds – OPB.” Accessed September 21, 2024.
  2. BikePortland. “Oregon Passes Version of ‘Idaho Stop’ Law That Allows Bike Riders to Treat Stop Signs as Yields,” June 25, 2019.
  3. BikePortland. “Guest Post: How Oregon Got Idaho Stop,” December 26, 2019.

Bonus material: development sketches (and little heads). (I mostly doodle little heads.)

Loose sketches. At center of page cyclist is labeled "looks own mortality in the eye every day," "fashionable," and "wetter."
]]> Mini zine: SEND IT https://audmcname.com/comics/mini-zine-send-it/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 01:42:18 +0000 https://audmcname.com/?p=821 The target audience of this zine is me. I have to remind myself that people are friendly and want to talk about the stuff they’re passionate about at least once a week.

Allia and I wrote it, we riso printed it at the IPRC, and you can buy the zine if you want to.

An email window, with 'new message' written in the top bar. The message is to 'a cool guy' and from 'aservice' and 'amcnamee.' The message's subject is 'Send it. Or, how we learned to stop worrying and love the cold email.' Audra and Allia peer at a laptop screen, looking anxious and alert. Audra has circular glasses and long curly hair, Allia has long straight hair and bangs.
Page 1: 'You should email cool people! People we've emailed:' 'Ursula K. Le Guin's official biographer.' A young short-haired Audra curls over a computer screen, stressing. 'So! Many! Librarians!' Several Allias type at several computers. 'Preeminent psychedelic researcher' Audra stands at a desktop computer, typing frantically. Page 2: 'A successful YouTuber,' Audra sits on the ground surrounded by art supplies. They say, 'I would draw pictures for you.' 'Your parent's friend's uncle who owns a bakery,' Allia holds a computer in one hand, typing with the other, 'is this nepotism.' 'People who have emailed us,' four faces with different hair, of different ages: 'so many librarians.' A short haired person surrounded by small booklets, 'zine makers!'
Page 3: How to send an email. Step 0: (written on a scrap of lined notebook paper taped onto the page) Use the Wayback Machine to find an email address on a 10 year old website. Audra: not at all like a creep. Step 1: Write your email. Allia: more on this later. Step 2: Force roommate/coworker/mom to edit your email. Audra: You're out at dinner? That's nice. I have an email to read you. Page 4: Step 3: Reread email 3-23x. Three images of Allia rereading her email. Step 4: Send. Allia presses the button to send the email and it whooshes away. Step 5: Dread. The text is written in wiggly letters. Step 6: Receive reply 10x more delightful than expected. The letters break through the fog of dread. Step 7: Dread. Step 8: Respond. Allia and Audra frown. Reach out if you know a better process!
Page 5: Audra holds a sign, 'Writing a quality cold email.' Allia stands behind a line of people with different faces and hair, all wearing the same dark uniform with a name badge, 'Explain why you want to talk to them, and not another person with the same job. And express excitement about something they care about.' Page 6: 'Have a specific ask:' Audra: 'Are you free for a 30 minute call sometime in the next three weeks?' Allia and Audra look out at the reader, with serious eyebrows and smiles. 'And finally, keep it short.'
A warning sign: 'zine side effects may include receiving more emails.' A tiny frowny face is drawn at the top of the sign. Date: May 2024. @allia_makes & @audmcname.
Several multicolored copies of mini zine SEND IT sitting on clover.

]]> Consumer Confidence Comics #1 https://audmcname.com/comics/consumer-confidence-comics-1/ Sun, 19 May 2024 00:48:00 +0000 https://audmcname.com/?p=798 Oregon Consumer Justice (a nonprofit that advocates for consumer rights) commissioned me to make a comic about what to know when you’re purchasing a used car. Lawyer Young Walgenkim provided the text, I did the art. What did I learn in the process? I practiced drawing cars, and got pretty good at using designing compositions that cover up the bits of a car that come out weird every time. Michelle Luedtke at Oregon Consumer Justice made the process easy.

Read the whole thing on Oregon Consumer Justice’s site.

Consumer Confidence Comics #1: Purchasing a Used Car page 2

There’s an English and a Spanish version of the comic. The font I use for comics (that I made using the site Calligraphr) didn’t have the necessary accents for Spanish, so I whipped out a new handwriting font for the project. It’s rounder and has less personality than my usual one, and the letters are tilting forwards and backwards with no rhyme or reason.

…so after delivering the comic I remade my normal handwriting font, added all the diacritical marks I’ll need going forwards (knock on wood) and then made an italics, bold, and bold italics version. They need a bit more work, but keep your eye on this space: the next comic I release will have an all-new, possibly-indistinguishable-from-the-old typeface.

]]> Mini zine: Pet Peeves #1 https://audmcname.com/comics/mini-zine-pet-peeves-1/ Wed, 17 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://audmcname.com/?p=720 This is 100% Allia’s zine, I just drew the pictures. Not even all of them, either– her grumpy face on the second page was copied directly from her layout sketch. I want to hear more pet peeves. We don’t have a second zine in the series queued up yet…

As usual, you can buy the zine. It was riso printed at Outlet.

cover: Pet peeves number 1. ID: annoyed looking woman with bangs and a green cardigan frowning.
page 1: the cover image rolls up as if on a projector screen. "when people use website builders and they don't change the browser icon." The woman points at the generic browser icons for Wix and Squarespace. Page 2: a second person with glasses says "they're called faviocons" the woman responds, "that's a terrible name!! That's why no one talks about them."
page 3: "it makes websites look so unprofessional. It takes two minutes to change." Smaller, at the bottom of the page: "and now we all know you overpay for your website builder." Page 4: the woman holds a large sign that says "possible replacements" then shows 9 possible favicon options including a simple colored square, a superman S and a smiley face. At the bottom of the page there's an error symbol with text that says "or anything else, except this."
Page 5 and 6: the two characters are shown with favicons reflecting in their eyes gazing at full browsers with identical favicons. The woman says: "the worst part is, we all have browsers full of identical tabs." Shouting: "How could you have the power to change it and just standby?"
back cover: the woman lies on her stomach with her legs crossed, she's wearing clogs, the back of her cardigan says I love favicons. @allia_makes and @audmcname Jan 2024

For the record don’t feel pressured to change your favicon or your website builder! Outrage is funny to draw but I promise it’s not personal!

]]> Mini zine: I Strongly Recommend the Library https://audmcname.com/comics/mini-zine-i-strongly-recommend-the-library/ Mon, 15 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://audmcname.nfshost.com/?p=432 Debuted at the 2023 PDX Zine Symposium. The official copies were also riso printed at Outlet in Portland, but the photographed version was printed off at home. This was partially so I could post it on instagram before I’d gone to Outlet, but also because I’ve arbitrarily imposed the rule that I have to alternate black & white and colored images on my instagram feed. And I was due for a black & white image.

I can’t claim the rule makes my profile look any better (and I’ve definitely broken it at least three times) but having a silly little challenge I have to complete makes posting on instagram slightly more interesting.

All this to say if you buy a copy (they’re in the store!) you’ll get a nice seafoam green version.

Cover: "I strongly recommend the library," says Audra, a person with long curly hair and circular glasses. "A zine made with excitement and haste."
Page 1: Audra holds an unwieldy pile of books, "Y'know, the library." A copy of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed has fallen off the pile of books. Page 2: "...where the books live?" A copy of Broad Band by Claire L. Evans and Stone Fruit by Lee Lai have fallen off the pile of books.
Page 3: Audra: "But you can check out more than physical books! I'm a sucker for the different digital services the library offers. I'm in the Multnomah County library system and I bet you have access to similar." Page 4: "Ebooks, digital comics, digital magazines, audiobooks (though you can't check out Audible exclusives because booo Amazon), all through Libby!" Different kinds of materials you can check out, including the comic Now Let Me Fly by Ronald Wimberly and Brahm Revel, Ace by Angela Chen, The Likeness by Tana French, and magazine Bon Appetit.
Page 5: "More comics, TV and movies, and even music within Hoopla." Comic The Human Target, television show Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, and Barbie the album. Page 6: "Kanopy has even more movies. And don't overlook the research tools. In the newspaper archives, you can read about the 1940s childhood of a local computer scientist, then make a (usually paywalled) excellent zucchini pasta. Legally and for free!" Audra sprawls on the floor reading a newspaper, and then makes a pasta.
Page 7: Audra whispers: "I also hear the library: Has private study rooms you can book for two hours at a time. Offers space to host events and classes, if they're free and open to all. Lets you post stuff on their bulletin boards. Using the library helps keep it open! Catch you out there." "audmcname.com, October 2023"
Blurry polaroid of Allia and Audra tabling at the Portland Zine Symposium
Thanks to Drew for the photo of our table
]]> Mini zine: Audible Sucks https://audmcname.com/comics/mini-zines-audible-sucks/ Sat, 13 Jan 2024 18:00:00 +0000 https://audmcname.com/?p=718 Made with Allia, riso printed at Outlet, and debuted at the 2023 PDX Zine Symposium.

You can buy a copy. Scroll to the bottom for citations as clickable links.

'Audiobooks are awesome, but Audible Sucks.' Allia grins at the reader. She has long hair with bangs, and a striped shirt. In silhouette Audra 'boo's behind her. Audra has long curly hair, round glasses, and is wearing a hoodie.
Page 1: Audra: "Did you say Audible? I love audiobooks! I read them everywhere!" Audra wears headphones that are connected to a cell phone. Little doodles of Audra washing dishes, stretching, and riding a bike while listening to an audiobook surround their head. Allia: "Audible is bad for authors. For starters, Audible is just Amazon in a trenchcoat." Allia clenches her fists, scowling. Page 2: Allia holds up her pointer finger, "Amazon controls 64 percent of the US audiobook market through Audible." "Audible doesn't pay authors: Audible's claimed cut of each sale is steep." An image of the Audible icon with little arms and legs holds up a dollar bill marked with Audible's claimed sales cut, 80 percent of non-Audible-exclusives and 60 percent of Audible exclusives. "But in 2020, #Audiblegate exposed their true cut." The Audible icon holds up dollar bills marked with the actual cut Audible takes: 87 percent of non-exclusive titles and 81 percent of exclusive titles. "Remember, Audible is a digital storefront, not a publisher. Writers pay for all audiobook production costs, or go through an audio publisher for an even smaller cut. Typically, retailers take a smaller sales cut." A webpage labeled 'online shops' holds a dollar bill marked 30 percent. A store labeled 'Ye olde brick and mortar' holds a bill marked 50 percent.
Page 3: Audra takes off their headphones (which are now connected to a CD player), no longer smiling. "That sucks. Um. I could just buy the books somewhere else, tho, right?" Allia steeples her fingers. "You should, but Audible is making that harder too." A library is drawn with shaky lines, like it's disappearing. "For non-exclusive titles, Audible forces publishers to agree to embargoes. Other bookstores and libraries can't buy or sell audiobooks for 90 days, so all presales go to Audible." Page 4: Allia leans against the side of the panel, her arms folded. "And they won't sell exclusive titles to libraries at all." "Audiobooks aren't optional for many people. Audible locking them away behind a paywall is an accessibility issue."
Page 5: Audra is slumped and dejected. Their headphones are now connected to a portable cassette player. "Audible sucks now? Is there any arm of the Amazon corporation left that we can trust?" Allia grimaces, "...no?" Allia leads Audra by the hand, "Look, it's a little less convenient but you should ditch Audible- it's just as expensive as buying audiobooks elsewhere, and actively bad for authors and readers." Page 6: "They won't have every title, but, Libro.fm takes a fairer cut of the audiobooks it sells, and their books are DRM-free." Allia tosses Audra the Libro.fm icon. Audra's headphones are connected to a record player. "And the audiobooks from your library are great. You should be using Libby, like, yesterday." Audra holds the Libby icon, putting their headphones back on.
Page 7: The silhouette of headphones in white on a dark blue background. "The library: use it or lose it. @audmcname and @allia_makes, 2023"
Annotated bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Page 2: market control and royalties 

Page 3 and 4: embargo and libraries

  • “The Harmful Impact of Audible Exclusive Audiobooks – Libro.Fm Audiobooks.” Accessed November 2, 2021. blog.libro.fm/the-harmful-impact-of-audible-exclusive-audiobooks/.
    Libro.Fm is an independent audiobook seller that partners with local bookstores to sell DRM free audiobooks and gives authors a fairer deal. They write about Audible’s predatory business practices and how they hurt independent book sellers and libraries in this article.

Resources and Further Reading

]]> The Camouflage Conundrum (at The Nib) https://audmcname.com/comics/the-camouflage-conundrum-at-the-nib/ Sun, 30 Jul 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://audmcname.nfshost.com/?p=430 I interviewed Dr. Judit Pungor at the University of Oregon Neill Lab about octopus vision for the Color issue of The Nib. The whole thing is online at The Nib!

]]> Psychedelic Mushrooms in Oregon: a prologue https://audmcname.com/comics/psychedelic-mushrooms-in-oregon-a-prologue/ Tue, 30 May 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://audmcname.nfshost.com/?p=426 In 2020, Oregon voters approved a first-in-the-nation framework for legally consuming psilocybin-containing (“magic”) mushrooms.

After a robust rulemaking process, people in Oregon can now access Psilocybin Services in the state, where they choose a licensed facilitator who works with them through a preparation session, an administration session at a licensed service center, and an optional integration session.

Prototype comic for outreach project with neuroscientist Luca Mazzucato at the University of Oregon. This one is about Oregon’s psilocybin services, detailing what exactly Oregonians voted on, and how the ballot measure has been implemented so far.

Written May 2023. Your local laws and regulations may have changed since the comic’s release.

This comic has 15 more pages. You can currently read the whole thing on the Oregon Health Authority’s website. (Not because I made it for the OHA, but they were kind enough to post it there.)

The next chapter of the project will be a mycology 101 situation.

Following are all the citations for the full comic (because written citations are good and all, but links to citations are better).

Page One:

The QR code leads to ORS 475A

The final adopted rules can be found on the Oregon Secretary of State website, under the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division Chapter 333, Division 333.

Page Two:

More about M110 is at the Oregon Health Authority’s Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act web page

Page Three

The QR code leads to Griffiths, Roland R et al. “Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial.” Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) vol. 30,12 (2016): 1181-1197.

Further reading:

Davis AK, Barrett FS, May DG, et al. Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2021;78(5):481–489.

Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board Rapid Evidence Review and Recommendations.

Page Four:

Bryan Roth, personal correspondence.

Roland Griffiths, from Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind.

Monnica Williams quote from “Psychedelics and Race: A Profile of Dr. Monnica T. Williams”, written by Patricia Kubala in Society for Cultural Anthropology.

Page Seven:

Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board Rapid Evidence Review and Recommendations, page 12 and page 27.

Page Ten:

The trials by organizations currently furthest on the path towards FDA approval, Usona’s PSIL201 trial for Major Depressive Disorder and Compass Pathways’ COMP Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression, both gave 25mg of psilocybin to trial participants.

Page Eleven:

Map of possible service center location from Psychedelic Alpha’s Oregon Psilocybin Services Act Local Jurisdiction Tracker.

Page Thirteen:

The previously mentioned Usona and Compass Pathways trials have three and two integration sessions respectively.

]]> RSS is (not) dead (yet) (NED #3) https://audmcname.com/comics/rss-is-not-dead-yet/ Mon, 01 May 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://audmcname.nfshost.com/?p=424 How monopolies are destroying blogs, podcasts, and webcomics.

Illustrating the history of RSS. Created in collaboration with A. Service, and debuted at VanCAF 2023. Part two on how to use RSS forthcoming!

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