Martin Luther in the Bathroom

“Here I stand, I can do no other” is one of my favorite sayings, which I take very seriously. But there is a time for everything: a time to be serious and a time to poke fun. Here’s an example of the latter:

Agnosticism and Pacifism

Why Do Muslims and Jews Not Get Along?

Travel

As I’m flying to Ireland today, this cartoon of mine seems to be the right thing to post (click on the image to enlarge):

The Wonders of Secular School

Why Hux Lee Loves Immanuel Kant

A Comic Strip for a Global and Multi-Cultural World

After the storm of comments I received for this comic strip of mine  (one comment so far, to be exact – by a friend of mine) , I decided to post a few more in the coming weeks.

But first, let me introduce the idea and the characters.

HUX LEE is a comic strip for a global and multi-cultural world. Set in urban America, it humorously explores the misfit of the Lees. Each family member is poles apart from the others, inadvertently creating a microcosm of the world.

The husband represents science, skepticism, and the Enlightenment. His (second) wife takes the side of consumerism, entertainment, and the non-analytical. The teenage son likes spirituality and Asian imports. And the Islamic foster daughter is the voice of faith (or rather a voice; see the friends of the family introduced below). Added to this comes the fact that the husband is a global travel reporter and thus in frequent contact with other cultures.

THE TRAVEL REPORTER HUX is an agnostic and considers himself a great—albeit unrecognized—philosopher. Sarcastic and ever skeptical, he is a fan of all things European, feeling he was born on the wrong continent. Ideas and theory are his forte, and he hates the more pragmatic mindset of his wife. He married her for her beauty and sticks with her primarily for the diversion she provides by her ditziness. Secretly, however, he admires her carefree spirit.

COCO. HUX’S SECOND WIFE. Pretty, ditzy, in love with herself and thus oblivious to the sarcasm of her husband. In spite of a less-than-ideal home situation, she enjoys a sanguine life in the bliss of her ignorance. She doesn’t pay much attention to her step son and foster daughter, but feels no guilt about it. Neither does she hesitate to use her female charms to get her way.

VAMP, HUX’S TEENAGE SON from his first marriage, is stuck in a perpetual Gothic stage. He considers his dad a snob and his step mother a hopeless materialist. Both of them, he thinks, are ignorant of the spiritual realities surrounding them. Vamp’s reasoning is thoroughly postmodern irrational, believing claims more readily the weirder and more wonderful they are.

 

LULU is a cute little girl of Turkish descent. It’s a long story why she, a believing Muslim, ended up with non-religious foster parents. Suffice it to say that any evangelistic efforts on her fail big time. Confident in opposite proportion to her size, she wears her head covering proudly and turns her sharp wit on her taunting classmates, infidel foster parents, and Hux’s friend the priest.

OVID, the Orthodox Jewish boy from next door, finds comfort in Lulu’s friendship, as they are both religious oddballs. Shy and polite, he follows Lulu’s lead, even though he is her senior—and even though he is really a genius with an avid interest in history.

FATHER ARNOLD made friends with Hux while still in school—the only time in his life he ever made a friend. That’s why he keeps up his friendship in spite of their many differences and Hux’s frequent jabs. Phlegmatic, placid, and good-natured, Father Arnold doesn’t think too highly of himself.

THE PET OF THE MONTH. Coco always manages to talk Hux into buying a pet. She also always manages to grow tired of the pet after about a month and to find an excuse for getting rid of it. The Pets of the Month range from guinea pigs to alligators and are a frequent point of conflict between Hux and Coco. Additionally, by way of thought balloons, the pets add their own humorous two cents to the comic strip—while Hux treats them as completely non-thinking creatures.

Gloating …

Here I Stand, I Can Do No Other

One of the cartoons I did back when I still had more time than I do now …