I was raised by a single mother who made me pay rent as soon as I got a job (I was 16 and still in high school). I hated it, and I thought she was such a jerk parent for making me, a poor defenseless kid pay her rent every month. We had tons of screaming matches very similar to the one between Joel and his Dad. She also made me chop wood and mow the lawn which was a giant hillside rather than a flat piece of land. She wouldn’t pay allowance if we didn’t work, and she always pushed us to work to earn money. I was doing paper routes and finding ways to make my own money as early as I can remember.
Part of the reason for it all was that she simply couldn’t provide for us because she was dirt poor. She couldn’t pay for college, she couldn’t take us on vacations. She worked 2-4 low income jobs at a time and made us learn to take care of ourselves. She taught us how to cook so that we could have dinner ready when she got home a few nights a week. I would help her do a paper route at 4 in the morning and she would give me a cut of the money. She would be so exhausted from working two other jobs that she would often pass out in the back seat and let me finish the route on my own, driving the car with a learner’s permit at 15 years old.
Even as I hated it, I became a hard worker on my own because she made me realize that I could get places if I was willing to put in the work. I don’t mean to high places like fame or fortune, only that if I wanted to get a stereo, or a cool toy or anything I could think of, I just needed to do some work and earn it.
So senior year of high school I was working as a dishwasher at a buffet restaurant and my mom was making me pay her $50/month for rent. Not bad for rent but I constantly fought her about it because I didn’t know any other person in my school who had to do that. I thought she was being uniquely cruel.
That same senior year I found out my school was hosting a trip to Australia and New Zealand and I got this unquenchable desire to go. I was going to need around $4,000. I told my mom I wanted to go and she literally laughed at the idea. International travel had always been way out of our family’s financial reach. I had been on a plane once when I was 5 to go to a family reunion. I told her I was going to earn the money myself. I started finding drawing jobs and started saving as much as I could from dishwashing. As summer approached I found a second job at a sign shop that hired me literally the day after graduation. I worked 9-5 at the sign shop 5 days a week, and 5-10:30pm washing dishes 4 or 5 days a week. I managed to earn most of the $4,000 in a matter of months.
Another thing happened my senior year… I won first place in a district wide school art competition and received a full ride scholarship in art at my local community college.
Graduation day came around and my mom handed me an envelope. She said she was saving it to help me with school but since I got a scholarship I could have it for my trip. The envelope contained all the money I had paid her for rent.
My mom could not offer me a lot, but she instilled in me the will to work hard and live on very little. I come across people in comics who went to art school and are now expecting to draw a comic book that can supply them with the salary to pay off the student loans they incurred. I find that, while I did have some talent, I also had work ethic and a willingness to live making very little money. The money I make today still would not be ideal for someone trying to pay off student loans. If I had student loans to pay off I don’t think I ever would have done what I did and gotten where I am. I dropped out of Community College because I was not impressed with the art program. I always wanted to go to a good art school but never wanted to go in debt for it, so instead I worked very hard to get good at drawing on my own time and to keep drawing comics until I got good at it.
The story of course has more details, but the point is that most of the things I hated about how my Mom raised me as a teen are the things I now love her for. I can cook, I can take care of myself, and I can work hard. There are few things as precious as a parent who holds their kid to a high standard and does what is right whether or not they are loved for it. My mom held me to a higher standard than I was willing to hold myself, and in doing so she elevated me to set higher standards. So I just wanted to write this little blog here and tell the whole internet I love her very much and thank God for her every day.
Ethan
Great blog post. I learned those lessons growing up too. Very hard to go through, but very worth it. Also, I read Chumble Spuzz last week, good stuff man. I laughed a lot. Chumble Spuzz 2 is on my shelf waitin for me to have some down time.
Thanks so much for getting those, I’m glad you liked it!
I totally thought Joel’s dad would have turned his room into some sort of Bear conspiracy theory room, with maps and news clippings of every bear attack for the past few years… Looks like I was way off.
I’m really enjoying this so far. I can’t way to see what’s next!
Don’t take this the wrong way, but the post was more entertaining than the comic today. 🙂
Troll soap?
Thanks. And yeah sometimes I throw some totally random thing in the tags to see if people are paying attention. You are the first to say anything 🙂
Trolls are so very dirty.
Sounds just like my family. My mother was (still is) so it was a pretty sure thing that I should pay if I lived in her house.
Oh, and btw. Did anyone else imagine the conversation between Joel and his Dad to be without closing there mouths? Just look at the page and think about it. 😉 Made me laught.
*their
Ooopps
Now that is just freaking nice, man. Well played.
I grew up in a tight family with both parents, but we had a small business and livestock, and that will teach you to work too. You are NEVER off work. I only got to go to college because of scholarships as well. I gotta say, a lot of higher education is scam, especially if you have to finance it with debt.
Kudos for a great post!
Good stuff. A good parent is one that sets boundaries and teaches, not on that coddles and spoils. My parents raised me that way and I am doing my best to raise my son that way. It’s hard work fighting the liberal parent theology of his mother.
Can I just say I love how Noah colored panel 2? He chose to under-light Mark so he looks totally pissed. What a colorist.
I noticed that too, actually had to stop and just keep looking at it. It’s fantastic.
Awwwww thanks man 😀
I almost cried at the end of that story. My parents also made me work once I was able to be hired by the local establishments. I’ve never been without a job to this day. I learned that no job is beneath you if you have nothing else. I now work as a programmer for one of the largest businesses in the state, but if it ever fails, I will deliver pizzas, wash dishes, or whatever to put a roof over my wife and daughter’s head. NOTHING is below me.
Yeah I would have no problem going back to restaurant work if i had to, pizza delivery was one oof my all time favorite jobs and I often miss the comradery. Making comics gets lonely.
Ethan,
I think some of the best parents are like your mother. They instill self sufficiency and teach you life skills. Good story.
Today’s comic is one of those building block comics. Not much going on (bear wise), but it moves the story forward.
I like the way Mark has every box labeled. He must have a bad case of OCD.
Really been enjoying the comic and the stories. Been inspiring to me.
Very touching blog post. Love the comic so far, but also really enjoy the personal nature of the blog posts. Keep up the good work!
i dig the background halo dry brush ink effect in panel 4.
Yeah I sneak scanned ink splotches in once in a while to keep things interesting since all my inks are digital.
Very nice blog post. Also: troll soap? Love that your mom gave you back all the rent money. What a classy woman. I hope she gets to read these comments and your post.
Yes, yes and yes. Great post, and inspiring to working “stiffs” like me. It’s amazing how the best growth in our lives usually hurts a lot, but provides so much more benefit than the hurt even hints at. Those with perseverance and focus are better for it, and it’s always nice to be reminded of that. (I’ll go back and read the page later. 😉 )
Loved your blog post. 🙂 My mom became a single mom when I was a teen, but both she and my father taught me the importance of hard work. Even today my mom can work circles around me.
I love your comics, Ethan. Keep up the awesome work!
Alright so I’ve had this huge rant of appreciation for your fine comic-making to get off my chest and this accompanying post story was so touching it inspired me to finally type it up.
Anyway, I like Axe Cop, who doesn’t? It’s really funny and entertaining. But my favourite work of yours up until now, was Chumble Spuzz. When I bought the first CS from you I didn’t know what to expect, but after reading it I was completely inspired. For a long time I’ve dreamed of making a graphic novel, but something about Chumble Spuzz made me go “Wow, if one guy can make this happen on his own then what’s stopping me?” It was uplifting, in a sense. So that book of yours is really important to me for that reason.
But there is something REALLY special going on here, it’s immersive. I don’t know if that’s the great art and awesome colouring or maybe just because the page takes up so much of the screen, but you really get sucked into reading each one and I can’t wait to have them all in sequence. Bearmageddon is just so excellent I don’t even know what else to say, it’s just absolutely impressive in every aspect. Plus these posts you write! The stories are so entertaining and often funny, and now today’s has really even tugged a heart string. It’s just really… special! Sounds stupid, but Bearmageddon is special.
Also I wanted to type all this to reinforce that this comic deserves attention not just because of your Axe Cop fame. Hell, even if this comic was garbage it would probably be popular just because the internet thinks bears are so God-damn hilarious!But it doesn’t need any of that, people would love it anyway. Because it’s awesome.
Thanks so much Seb, I’m honored to have you write all that.
No no, the honour is mine for you having read it. It’s great how you reply to all of these!
I like your blog post and comic strip. I had an experience similar to this. I started making my own money when we like 12-13 years old just to get new clothes and Dragon Ball Z video tapes. But I would get in trouble at school a lot cause I was selling candy out of my backpack.
I too, sold candy out of my backpack to have spending money. And boy did I make a lot of money off of that candy! I haven’t stopped doing whatever it takes to make money since.
Haha that’s awesome. I used to get paid by this rich nerd to draw super heroes, and I had a paper route from age 10 or 11.
Man, Ethan, I was thinking about commenting on the last page because Joel reminds me so much of me that I pretty much knew what was coming up, but I decided to wait until the blog post.
You described my situation so well that it hurts. I’ve come to the same conclusions – that my parents just want the best for me – myself, despite pretty much everyone I know telling me how crazy and evil they are. It’s not hard, if you just trust that they love you, but for a long, long time you can’t help but feel wronged by them, and that hurts.
I’m still in my early 20s, but to this day I’m the only one of my friends who can cook, clean well, work hard, and basically get by in life. And I’m thankful for that.
Sorry for the ramble.
Yeah if your parents didn’t care about you they wouldn’t set boundaries and standards for you. I tell my little sisters that all the time, of course it bounces right off of them. It’s great that it’s sinking in for you that’s really cool.
Good for dad! I don’t think I could possibly have respected myself at 18 if I wasn’t working and paying my own way. I wouldn’t let my parents pay my tuition (although I did accept, and pay back, some 0% loans) … I really can’t understand why anyone would accept this kind of charity when they could be taking care of their life themselves. Nobody wants to rely on someone else like this, do they?
Maybe this is why America is in such trouble right now, unable to compete with much of Asia. Our young people are so spoiled rotten that they think everything will be provided to them, that they won’t have to work their asses off – maybe they’ve just forgotten how to work hard.
True dat.
Hey, Ethan! I’ve been reading your comics for a while, and I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for all the great comics, and thanks for sharing your personal story. I’m going to send this page to my girlfriend, who’s currently working her butt off to pay her way through art school.
Thanks for saying the comment im really glad you enjoy this stuff.
Wow, just wow. Thanks for writing that blog post, that was very inspirational.
Also loving the comic so far, very curious to see in which direction you’ll steer this!
Hopefully towered bears 🙂
Damn you autocorrect.
Yay!!! New Zealand! Fantastic blog post.
The comic is great!
Thanks, New Zealand was lovely I would love to come back some day.
I want to visit New Zealand. Hear it’s a wonderful place to go.
That is so sweet! I wish I had been raised like that. Being spoiled seems nice, but when you are 24 and don’t know how to sweep a broom right and have an empty resume, you realize it sucked.
I remember watching my room mate struggle like hell just to try to make pancakes. I felt really bad for him.
And I have a feeling he may not be getting his car either…
So does Joel have to prove his worth to his dad by killing off a mutant bear?
It would probably help.
Looks like Joel just got a reality check. Too many kids these days get it too easy. They grow up with an I want & I get attitude. I enjoyed reading your blog post, what your Mum did with your rent money was so sweet. To work so hard shows how much she really loved you.
Your mum really gave you something valuable there. Unfortunately you can’t teach teenagers just by telling them, they have to learn by doing. So many people don’t get those kind of lessons from their parents, and go out into the world without the tools they need to live in it. Kids getting free rides often turn into adults who think the world owes them a living, and sit around bitching while they wait for success to fall in their laps. There will always be events beyond your control but it’s surprising how much of your life really is up to you if you’ve been prepared to deal with it. This explains why you’re so prolific!
Wow. That’s a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing it.
And, great job, to your Mom!
Wow… I’m humbled. I kinda wish I had that experience as a kid, maybe I’d be a more self-motivated person today if I had…
You know, Axe Cop makes me happy, and I’m sure we’re in for some serious mutant bear action here, but the thing that keeps me coming back here is your essays.
Thanks so much, I never planned on Bearmageddon becoming a place where I shared this stuff, it just sort of worked out that way. I am really enjoying it and everyone has been awesome so far.
Terrific blog post, terrific mom. Those of us with great parents are so lucky.
Amen.
Sometimes, when I hear stories such as these, I feel guilty and ashamed of some of my past actions such as when I took my parents’ money for granted. I kinda wish I had a tough childhood so I can truly sympathize with people instead of feeling bad for having it easier.
However, I would never give up my childhood nor my parents for they have taught me so many lessons that now if I ever am faced with something new, I’ll try my best to understand it and tackle the problem.
I will always cherish my parents and family.
Thank you and Dios (God in Spanish) for this post. (also this comic is radically awesome)
Some amazing dialogue in this comic. Why do I get the feeling the “man, not a boy” quote will be back in some form?
This one makes me feel lousy, though, and I suppose I should. I’ve got the best parents and family one could ask for.
Ok. only 13 pages to get me caring about the characters. I think this is a record. Nice job.
I told my sons (I have three fully grown ones) that I was raising men not pets. They had to learn to stand on their hind legs. They all did and I am very proud of them and we have a great relationship to this day.
Your mom is a hero Eef; I am reminded of that every time I see her sons and realize what fie young men they are.
That is Fine young men….argh!
Wish I had that sort of work ethic, I got whatever I wanted as a kid. I eventually stopped asking for things but that didn’t amount to much. Not sure what I am doing now and I think I need to start having that sort of mentality of working for things rather than my whole entitled to everything mentality. Meh, whatever.
Best love-note to a parent, ever. Well-done, sir.
It’s stories like these that make me feel like a dick for being miserable.
You are a better man than me, Ethan.
I like the little comic you made I was wonder if you could give some hints on how can I make my website better and drawing skills that i can use so i can be a better drawer
I almost shed a tear when you said the envelope contained all the rent money you paid her over the years…