How Baby

TWO! Two Lion King references! Ah ah ah ah…

I’m under no illusions that any arbitrary division of time is any better or worse than any other, but I am prone to retrospection around this time of year regardless. Something about that liminal time between Christmas and when work/school starts again, when everyone may as well be holding their breath, seems as good as any to have a think.

Forgive me if it’s tacky to muse on the new year when it’s already a few days old – I draw these ahead of time, so it’s timely while I’m writing this! 2016 was a weird year here at Chez Baby. On one hand, it was an incredible year for me personally: I went to a lot of successful conventions, I finished lots of art, did a lot of contract work, grew a business, met so many of you, and spent a lot of time with my family in relatively good health. On the other hand, it was such a terrible year for other people, both for close friends and more in the global sense. It’s hard not to despair, and perhaps think those apocalypse preppers may be on to something.

As mean-spirited as 2016 seemed to be, one of its most cruel jokes was taking away the joy of looking forward to a new year. The terrible things set in motion will continue to hurt us, and it’s tempting for me to turtle. But there’s art to do, and my stubborn desire to keep doing it means I’m going to get one last kick in on this bully of a year.

Happy new year, fam. And if your new year can’t be happy, then let it at least be the dagger you stab in the heart of 2016 on its way down. <3