Comic: True Tales from Life in the Fat Lane, Part II: The Family

Title: True Tales from Life in the Fat Lane, Part II: The Family
Date(s) of creation: October, 1995
Creator / author / publisher: Max Airborne, FaT GiRL
Physical description: Black and white zine page with a full page comic.
Reference #: FG4-038-TrueTales
Links: [ PDF ]

Image description:

A comic hand drawn with black ink on white paper. A series of frames mixing drawings and handwritten text.

[A banner across the top contains a black, empty road, with a white dotted line separating two lanes, one much narrower than the other. A nuclear power plant is in the distance by the side of the road. Overlaid on this scene are the words, “True Tales from Life in the Fat Lane.” Under the banner is a giant tree with intricately detailed bark, growing straight up, with several branches growing off to each side that each have smaller branches with leaves. At 4 different branches is a portrait.]

1 . [From the top left branch hangs a framed photograph of an old white woman with a bun in her hair, very busy wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. She wears a choker of pearls and cat-eye glasses. Her eyes have crosses in them and she is surrounded by frantic wavy lines. To one side of the frame is a bottle of pills, some capsules and some tablets that resemble her eyes with crosses in them. From the same branch hangs a noose made of twisted rope. Inside the noose is a nest, with two hungry baby birds with open beaks. Below the frame are the words “Great Grandma: died in her 50’s addicted to diet pills.”]

2 . [At the top right branch is a framed photograph of an old white woman in a living room. She sits in a stuffed chair, watching a small television with antennas that stick up in a V shape. The TV screen is just static. The woman wears reading glasses, has prayer beads around her neck, and fuzzy slippers on her feet. The crook of her arm is connected with tape to an IV line, which is connected to an IV bag of “Slim Fast,” which hangs from an IV stand. Beyond her is a floor lamp, and on the wall hangs a photograph of her guru, Satya Sai Baba, who has a big afro. In the air to the side of this frame are a pistol and a $100 bill. Below the fram are the words “Grandma: now in her 75th year of dieting and food obsession.”]

3 . [On the ground below the lowest left branch is a box frame with a photo of a white woman in a business suit, briefcase in hand. On the top of the photo is an award ribbon that says “NOW.” Several objects surround the photo: a spatula, a food processor, some of the pills from great grandma above, a bicycle, a boxed frozen meal of Jenny Kkkreg Steak, and a pint of ice cream with a spoon. On the tree branch is tacked a piece of paper that says “Calorie Report: 100 bread, 100 egg, 10 air, 15 water.” Below this frame is the text: “Mom: a feminist, almost 50, still eats behind her husband’s back.”]

4 . [Under the lower right branch, a large hand comes from outside the page, holding a polaroid photograph of Max, age 29, head shaved clean, wearing old man glasses, looking confidently and softly at the camera. On the bottom of the polaroid it says “Stop the Madness!” On the side it says “photo by Erin O’Neill.” Surrounding this photo are objects: an acoustic guitar, some pills from above, and on the ground some flowers growing, a picnic basket, and a double headed axe. Below the photo is the text: “Me.”]