Hey guys! Been a while, I haven’t forgotten about you, just dealing with work and 2 portfolios and whatnot. Now everything is especially hectic, but I decided I had no more time for excuses, so this little strip came out over a few days.

Unlike a lot of people living in certain busy and industrial areas of China, I can say I have been lucky not to deal with this situation too often:

But we do often have “hazy” days where my students can’t go out during playtime due to the “pollution” (but god forbid we close the windows during that time, the smog can’t possibly move sideways!), and many of my my friends notice their health steadily going downhill until we go on holidays, where our skin clears up, our tonsils are cleared, no one is hacking up a lung etc…

We do get the odd day of blue sky here and there, but unfortunately, it’s not as deep and clear as anywhere else I’ve seen. And as a constant reminder, there is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS a very fine line of pollution as you look towards the horizon (bet you’re gonna notice that now), no matter how clear the day, hence this comic. My Chinese friend once noted how blue the sky was and proceeded to lie down on the sidewalk to photograph it. I asked them what on earth they were doing, and they explained this would be the best looking photo…so there you have it. How’s the pollution in your city? Does anyone else stare dumbfounded at the sky as soon as they leave China? I can’t get used to the European one for weeks after China!

Oh, and from an artistic perspective, what do you guys think of my new inking style? I’m trying to keep it loose and speed up the process, as inking is always quite daunting for me when it’s done digitally. But I think I found my brush finally. : )