Today in 3 Panels, by Dean Mang-Wooley

Panel 1 text: A note about Stampede season. Panel 2 image: 3 police officers standing together. Panel 2 text: Cops: scary. Panel 3 image: the same 3 police officers standing together, wearing cowboy hats. Panel 3 text: Cops in cowboy hats: exponentially scarier.

Stampede season

Jul 16, 2018

Panel 1 image: Dean as a child looking toward the right with an awed expression. Panel 1 text: When I was really young, I had a very strong emotional response to Rick Moranis. Panel 2 image: 3 portraits of actor Rick Moranis portraying Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors; Doug McKenzie on SCTV; and Wayne Szalinsky in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Panel 2 text: Seeing him evoked a feeling that was simultaneously positive and negative--a mixture of reverence, recognition, and embarrassment. Panel 3 image: a portrait that is half Dean as a child, half Rick Moranis. Panel 3 text: I felt like we were the same person, living two different stages of the same life.

Rick Moranis

May 5, 2018

Dean is looking at a news story on the CBC website. The headline reads: BC minimum wage now the lowest in Canada. Dean thinks to themself: "God. Why am I quitting my job?"

Minimum wage

Apr 5, 2016

Panel 1 image: The sun, larger than usual, framed by trees. Panel 1 text: I can't stop looking at the bright red sun, magnified by ash. Panel 2 image: a wildfire consumes a forest. Panel 2 text: Wildfires aren't supposed to choke out whole provinces. Panel 3 image: A prize wheel wherein each segment contains an image of some kind of natural disaster, A flood, a drought, and a hurricane are depicted. Panel 3 text: I wonder what next summer will bring.

Wildfire

Jul 6, 2015

Dean is writing a test. Panel 1: wide shot of a large room full of desks. Panel 2: close up image of the test booklet. It has the words "Written response" printed on the front. Panel 3: close up image of a heart being struck by lightning bolts, symbolizing anxiety.

Jitters

Aug 13, 2008

Dean walks down a residential street, looking happy. Suddenly, they look a little worried. Image text: "I walked home without shoes. As soon as my feet touched the cool concrete, I felt a sudden electric surge of joy. Until I realized I was walking down the wrong street."

Barefoot bliss

Aug 16, 2008

Panel 1 text: A note about Stampede season. Panel 2 image: 3 police officers standing together. Panel 2 text: Cops: scary. Panel 3 image: the same 3 police officers standing together, wearing cowboy hats. Panel 3 text: Cops in cowboy hats: exponentially scarier.

Stampede season

Jul 16, 2018

Dean is volunteering at a one day camp for 9 to 13 year olds. They are standing near two children who are smiling and laughing. Dean thinks: "Man, these 9 to 13 year olds are awesome. Wait! When did I get so old? When did I get so boring?"

Peace camp, Calgary Unitarian Church

Aug 12, 2008

Dean's friend Alison is standing in the back of a parked U-Haul truck, covering one eye. Alison's brother Liam is lying on the ground beside the truck. Alison's dad approaches the scene and says: "What happened?" Alison says: "He elbowed me in the eye!" Liam says: "She eyed me in the elbow!"

Assigning blame

Aug 23, 2008

Dean and their twin, Hannah, are walking outside together. They see a lot of bottle caps on the path in front of them. Dean says: "Look at all those bottle caps." Hannah says: "Maybe someone was going to bury them for posterity." Dean says: "Burying bottle caps is a wise economic decision."

Bottlecaps

Aug 25, 2008

Dean is watching the news with their family. Panel 1: the newscaster on TV says: "Large Hadron Collider..." Panel 2: The TV shows a simulation of what would happen if a black hole opened up on Earth. The Earth's crust is crumbling and the core is exposed. Panel 3: Close up of Dean's face. They are sweating with fear.

Doom

Sep 10, 2008

Dean and their dad are cleaning in the basement of Dean's old school. Panel 1: Dean's dad holds a plastic bag in front of his face and says: "Qu'est-ce que the hell est this?" Panel 2: Close up image of the plastic bag's contents. A dried-out, moldy piece of fruit. Image text reads: "Maybe it was a mango?" Panel 3: Image of a table with a large stain on it. Image text reads: "After a year or so in the school's basement, its juices had coagulated into a dark brown tar on one of the tables."

A mystery

Aug 21, 2008