I admit that I had a few precious minutes of bawling this morning after reading the comics.

You can see why here.

Last night I read some articles about the evolution of that storyline and the reaction that it’s generated. Apparently some people are upset because “comic strips are supposed to be funny.” I guess I see that sort of thing in a different light, perhaps because I’m used to the concept of graphic novels, which are most assuredly not always meant to be funny even though they might look like “comic” books. Most of my favorite comic strips in the newspaper are essentially serialized graphic novels that offer up their storylines 3 panels at a time. I still like reading the funny ones too, but I appreciate the fact that comics as a whole have been able to evolve into something where there’s the potential to have more depth and interest beyond a two-second guffaw. I can’t help but compare it to the evolution of science fiction over the last half century, where it’s gone from ray guns and bug-eyed monsters, to explorations and extrapolations of the human condition.

The artist took a risk taking on this sort of topic, and I’m grateful for it. Even if it did make me cry.