ROOTS

I know exactly where this fantasy came from. That day, the paper said that we had a new national park. Capitol Reef National Monument had been upgraded to park status--something the people of Utah had demanded for years. It deserved the upgrade; it's a strange place, as strange as its name...

It was that name that did it. You see, that evening I also saw a science show on cleaner stations in coral reefs--areas where fish can go to be cleaned of parasites by little fish that (usually) don't bite their customers--they'll lose repeat business to more honest cleaners on the next coral head! Fascinating and funny--Adam Smith would be proud of 'em. Cooperation and ethical business practices via trial and error. If fish can learn it, why can't we?

Anyway, the images of a reef in the middle of a desert started to merge with images of cleaner-fish eager to clean you more intimately (because the customer is always right!), and suddenly I found myself there, swimming around...

There's no HIV here, but no ink either. I penciled this comic, but never inked it--just added some black crayon for texture, scanned the sketch and upped the contrast. All the color is digital tinting, leaving the funky pencil/crayon textures alone. Crisp inking and smooth color gradients just seemed wrong for a fantasy this silly. National Park inauguration, cooperative fish behavior, sexy daydreams and digs at the Mormon Church don't mix! Suspension of disbelief? This piece demands suspension of sanity! That might collapse if it were slick.

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