Personal Vehicle Arms Race

November 30th, 2024 Barry Posted in Becky Hawkins collaborations | No Comments »


This comic was drawn by my most frequent collaborator, Becky Hawkins.


TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON

This cartoon has four panels. Each panel shows two characters walking together on city sidewalks, with parked cars and traffic visible in every panel. The main character, a blonde man with neat hair, a blue polo shirt, and peach shorts, is the speaker. His friend is a brown-haired woman wearing a pink sleeveless shirt and leggings. Both carry ice cream cones.

PANEL 1

The man points to a sleek little blue car parked nearby.

MAN: I used to drive a small car like that, but my husband Bill wanted me in something big to be safe from other drivers.

PANEL 2

The man clasps his hands excitedly as he thinks of a mini-truck, stars in his eyes. The background is his thought bubble, and in the bubble is an image of him driving in a cute green mini-truck. Captions surrounding the mini-truck say “less expensive” and “better gas mileage” and “easy to park.”

MAN: Then I wanted a Japanese mini-truck. But Bill said U.S. laws make it almost impossible to import a new one.

PANEL 3

The two pedestrians pause at a street corner as they chat. At the same intersection, a red SUV runs a stop sign, and a smaller SUV is cut off and has to suddenly brake.

MAN: Anyway, Bill said I need something really big! Roads nowadays are dog eat dog! To be safe I’ve gotta be the biggest dog!

PANEL 4

The two pedestrians have come to a stop. The man is smiling and waves hi at the driver of a truck which has parked there. The friend, looking up at the truck, is so startled she drops her ice cream.

The truck is enormous – probably three times the height of an adult man, and straddling at least three parking spaces. Even the headlights are above the man’s head.

In the driver’s seat, Bill, a happy looking guy with an orange beard, waves back.

MAN: And here’s Bill now!

CHICKEN FAT WATCH

Chicken fat is an old cartoonists’ expression for unimportant details that might amuse.

In panel one, a car has a license plate which says “TINY print.”

In panel two, the stuff piled in the back of the mini-truck include a dressmaker’s dummy and a rubber ducky.

In panel four, a big truck says “Stronk Boys Moving Co” on the side.

In panel three, a car has a license plate that says “DONT read me.” And the FURIOUS expression of the driver whose car was cut off is priceless.


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