At Your Leisure – Page 1
Panel 1: Narration: On September 23rd I saw the band Clickbait at The Fallen Log, a venue inside of the restaurant Kitchen 17th.
Panel 2: A crowd is seen huddling by a stage in a small venue. There is a band on stage, bathed in red lights.
Narration: It was my first time seeing them,
Panel 3: A close-up of me in the crowd, looking excited.
Narration: And they were electric!
Panel 4: There are 4 different depictions of the lead singer of the band performing. In the top left she is sitting on a chair and holding two symbols while singing into a microphone. In the top middle she is speaking into a microphone while reading off of a newspaper. In the bottom middle she is playing a xylophone. In the bottom right she is belting out lyrics. She is dressed entirely in red, with the background matching. There are neon yellow stars, exclamation points, squiggles, hearts, and lines throughout the panel.
Narration: The lead singer, Sandra, was captivating. She prowled, pranced, sang, and screamed… and owned the stage.
Panel 4: Me and other concert-goers dancing to the music. My shirt reads “I ♥ FEMALE ORGASM”.
Narration: It was so fun!
Panel 5: Narration: After the show, I bought a zine from the band so I could learn more about them.
Panel 6: Me reading the zine from the band with a smile on my face.
Lyrics from the band’s song “So-So” wrap around the page as a border: Why do I do it? Why do I do it? Why do I do it to myself, every time? Because it feels good. Why did I say that? Why did I say it? Why did I say it when I knew I’d pay for it? Because it feels good. I don’t want any trouble. I wanna be friends. ~ If you give me a second, I can explain! Being a woman is not a competition that I wanna play in!
At Your Leisure – Page 2
Panel 1: Narration: The zine, “Who Am I?” explores the experiences and perspectives of Sandra & Jen (their bassist) as Asian American women in music.
Panel 2: A recreation of a photo from the zine depicts Sandra (left) and Jen (right) posing together. Their names are labeled above their heads.
Panel 3: Narration: Sandra and Jen talk about the racism and imposter syndrome they experienced growing up as biracial people.
Panel 3: Narration: They share their fond memories, too, like the Thai nights hosted at Sandra’s family’s restaurant, Chinese House, and the time Jen saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland. They also talk about their inspirations—for Sandra, some are Cassandra from Wayne’s World and musicians like Whitney Houston and Celion Dion; for Jen, some are Karen O, Emily’s Sassy Lime, & Rouge from X-Men.
Panel 4: Narration: I’m white, so I’ve never experienced the hardships that Jen and Sarah have.
I stand in profile, staring up at the energy coming from the stage. Neon yellow squiggles and particles indicate both the band’s positive energy and my own anxious feelings.
Narration: But I related a lot to Jen’s anxiety
Narration: And I deeply admire her and Sandra’s resilience and passion.
Panel 5: Narration: They do what they love and don’t let anyone or anything stop them, even if it’s scary.
I draw on a Wacom graphics tablet at my desk, working on the title card for a comic called “Eternity Express”. A One Piece poster sits on the cabinet next to me, while books sit on my desk. Neon yellow squiggles and stars coming from the tablet indicate my love for my craft.
Narration: That confidence inspires me to keep on pursuing my own dream of becoming a cartoonist.
Panel 6: Narration: I found Clickbait by accident, but I’m so glad I did.
A recreation of the cover of Clickbait’s album At Your Leisure sits between the text.
Narration: Until I see them again, I’ll be listening to their debut album, At Your Leisure, over and over again!
Lyrics from the band’s song “Spy Song” wrap around the page as a border: Who are you? I thought I knew ~ I could’ve been mistaken!!! That’s nothing new ~ And here comes the train, in the heart of the metro, in the cave! Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my gosh! It’s passing, I think, well isn’t that strange? ~ Welcome aboard Green Line passenger train to Existential Malaise. ~ All passengers, please be courteous to those who may be experiencing a difficulty during this transition.
