Wapsi Square

Annie Carlson

So – what _is_ a Wapsi Girl?

After spending way too long hacking through ideas and rough drafts and too much analysis on too little sleep – what to say? Looking at the lives of the characters in the comic, I could throw out a whole thesaurus of ideas and adjectives&ldots; but the ones that keep springing to mind are strength, optimism, and honesty. Sure – the women of Wapsi aren’t invincible: they have moments when they falter, when they fail, when they feel weak or are too much under the sway of their inner demons. They sometimes need help and comfort, just like everyone else. But the moments when they’re most in trouble is often when they shine the brightest: when they pull themselves out of a rut, stand up, resolve to find a new path that works, and start down it with enthusiasm. They fall, but they don’t stay down – and when they get up, heaven help those who stand in their way.

I can relate to Shelly in particular for having a job that most people typically associate with guys – but moreover I guess I feel like I can look to each of them for a lesson to learn. I got out of college a few years ago and changed my mind about my life’s direction – which is a hell of a scary thing to do no matter who you are, I think – and was fortunate enough to have things work out. Life’s kicked me in the ass a few times along the way, of course, but I’ve been lucky enough to have people to help me when I needed it, and I’ve tried to keep my feisty-sized chin up throughout even the most preposterous of incidents (a recent one springs to mind about a burst water pipe exploding through my wall, but that’s another story altogether). If I can come close to meeting the examples Paul’s set up with his amazing characters – keep being honest with myself about what drives me, and not to let anything keep me from my goals – I think I’ll be in pretty nice shape.

Website: http://www.blue-comic.com/