This marks the end of what I guess would be Chapter 1 of Shotgun Shuffle. This was really supposed to be somewhere around strip 100, but I’ve omitted a few just for pacing sake. The lost comics will most likely surface when we enter book form. The actual strip count doesn’t honestly matter between “chapters,” or arcs, or what have you, since it’s an invisible bookend having only existence for the sheer fact I’m stating it. It’s when I feel Ellie has passed ‘step 1,’ then ‘step 2,’ and so on, into adult hood. As the story progresses, it will probably be more event-based (???) I have no earthly idea how long Chapter 2 will go, only that it will open up the Cast page. The Cast page (which I’m asked about, let’s say, “frequently”) should find 4 to 5 more of it’s occupants unsheathed, and at a steady pace.

The creative types love writing what they know. And in lockstep, I will add that I have, infact, worked at a Wal-Mart. I have also, infact, worked at a McDonald’s. So why not subject my own characters to it? Shotgun Shuffle is completely satire. It’s complete satire of my own meandering experience and observations. While I’ve chosen not to plug myself into the strip directly, you’re reading my visual memoir.

Wal-Mart was not all that horrible. My co-workers certainly were. They were often MIA during the heavy lifting, and pretty disenfranchised with life as a whole. It was a seasonal stint. As far as McDonald’s is concerned, my co-workers were decent, but the location’s governance left much to be desired. And by the word “decent,” I’m basically using that term as a percentage substitute. They all averaged out to a “decent” work experience. The older ladies supplementing their incomes were great. The high-energy teenagers that weren’t on drugs were also great. The temper tantrums from high-functioning autistics, managers-in-training taking their mother’s prescription medications, and hoping it wasn’t cold outside since no one ever left work with their jackets (jacket thief) left me fairly disillusioned. These instances are not a reflection of McDonald’s as a whole. But what is, is the indisputable fact that McDonald’s is a catch-all for the labor force’s Island of Misfit Toys.

I was elected one day to create a poster for our franchise on some Do’s and Don’ts at work. That’s the following poster (Do’s and Don’ts omitted,) which everyone there still assumes I pulled from Google Image Search. No… no, I in fact made it for work. But by the time it was done, I was sure those people didn’t really need to know any more of my personal life.

On a side note, got a request to join Reddit.com which is a great forum for Webcomic artists. Be sure to check it out. I’ll most likely add it to the Contact Page once I make a graphic for it.