Today in 3 Panels, by Dean Mang-Wooley

Panel 1 image: Dean lying down on a couch. Panel 1 text: Is it 2006 or 2016? Am I 28 or 18? Panel 2 image: A record playing on a turntable. Panel 2 text: I feel like I've been repeating the last 10 years without any aim or intention. Panel 3 image: Dean's hands taking the record off the turntable. Panel 3 text: Feeling guilty about not moving forward.

Time loop

Aug 1, 2016

Dean is sitting in a restaurant with their friends Sam and Lailah. Sam says: "I'm advising everyone I know to get a tattoo. The pain builds and builds, and then it just drops off and everything feels beautiful." Lailah says to Sam: "You'd make a terrible torture victim."

Tattoos

Sep 1, 2008

Dean is standing a the kitchen sink and 5:00 am, holding a bowl of food in one hand and a spoon in the other. They look down at the bowl of food and think: "Why did I just push all the food to one side?" Then they look at the spoon and think: "and where did I get this spoon?"

5 in the morning

Sep 16, 2008

Dean is in their back yard, using a hose to spray water onto a pile of dirt. Dean thinks: "My only goal right now is to turn this pile of dirt into a pile of mud." There is a close up image of the water hitting the pile of dirt, followed by a close up image of Dean's head. Dean's eyes are closed, and their mind is empty.

Pre-housesitting meditation

Aug 7, 2008

Becoming our dads

Becoming our dads

Jul 7, 2016

Dean, aka Rita, is sitting in front of a campfire with their uncle. Their uncle tells them: "you're so skilled. I really...respect you." Dean rests their chin on their hand and thinks to themself: "wow."

The uncle who never talks to me

Aug 2, 2008

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

"Is that the sunrise?" "It's beautiful" "Maybe someday I'll see it without staying up all night."

Sunrise

Apr 18, 2016

Dean's friends Anne and Christoph are talking to each other.

Didn’t get the memo

Apr 16, 2016

Petting manta rays: "This is the happiest I've ever been"

Vancouver rays

May 9, 2016

Panel one: a title card reads: "one more strip featuring the dags [dogs]." Panel two: a female dog attempting to mount a male dog. Panel three: a title card reads: "the end."

Adventures in dogsitting, part III

Aug 18, 2008

Dean and Naz are sitting on a couch together. Dean asks Naz: "How...are you?" Naz replies: "I'm good. I'm tired. Grief is exhausting. But I'm good."

Check in

Aug 15, 2016