I don’t know, i did my best. But i don’t know. I do know that i’m done working on this thing, so here you go. I’ll update the main page later. Ah yes, and it appears to be like four am so it’s off to bed for me i think…
-wwwwwwwrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Virus Comix News
Subnormality and some other stuff too.
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Virus Comix News 
November 26, 2010 at 4:34 am
Great comic – but I think I need a drink now..
November 26, 2010 at 6:47 am
Perfect comic to sober up to!
November 26, 2010 at 7:38 am
Man, when is the hot nerd ever gonna get laid?
November 26, 2010 at 7:45 am
The laffs in this one are virtually omnipresent.
November 26, 2010 at 8:39 am
great, great work. I’m glad I found this comic. This is not only art, it’s SUPERIOR art in every way. Keep up the good work.
November 26, 2010 at 10:21 am
Fantastic work! I always hope the comic would never end, to keep scrolling down (or right) and see more!
November 26, 2010 at 10:32 am
nice. i always thought that alcohol is a great thing in limited quantities. you can learn a lot about yourself and others, once the “automatic editing” is off.
also, korean girl group miss A has a pink haired member. what’s up with that?
November 26, 2010 at 11:28 am
Man, that comic makes me want to be less polite.
November 26, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Forwarding like crazy all over the place. I would like to buy you a drink.
November 26, 2010 at 2:31 pm
lol nah, a creepy old dude would never turn down an opportunity to hit on a younger chick…it’s just not in their nature…awesome comic though
November 26, 2010 at 7:10 pm
He didn’t. He hit on her, then decided he actually liked her, and turned down an opportunity to fuck her. This is not uncommon among creepy old dudes — when they decide they’re “rooting for” their lust object, they give that lust object an opportunity to back out. I believe you when you imply it’s never happened to you — make of that what you will.
November 26, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Stop fucking doubting yourself, man. This comic is awesome. Although I would’ve kind of liked to have seen the Sphinx But still, as always this is some seriously profound shit. And the font changes inside the thought balloons were really clever too.
November 27, 2010 at 4:13 pm
I always plan to include the Sphynx in comics like this, and she always gets cut by the end (sad!).
November 27, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Save the Sphynx for when she can own the whole stage and eat half the players. She’s not really an ensemble character except in an ensemble of monsters. š
I’ve written two reviews of this comic now, one that just loved it and was blown away, one that was critical of the pacing scenes, and so now I’ve read the whole thing about three and a half times, and I’m back to just loving it, though I’m still not too certain about the firearms conversation, and Ethel’s internal breakdown didn’t quite match the picture I had of her in my head… “But I love the way it all hangs together.” Totally worth the wait.
November 26, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Winston, thank you for thinking the same way I do. I really needed this comic.
January 1, 2011 at 9:47 pm
me too
November 26, 2010 at 3:11 pm
I could do with more of the storyteller. But did you mean to write “causes inhibition” in the panel with her?
November 26, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Yeah that must be a typo right?
November 27, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Shit, yeah, definitely a typo. Thanks for pointing that out! It’s fixed now.
November 26, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Also, why does that guy have a bearded nose?
November 26, 2010 at 4:21 pm
filename š
November 26, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Very well-done. Best one in some time.
November 26, 2010 at 4:30 pm
wow. love this. best in a while. good work. like the ending I’m glad you didn’t try to do more.
November 26, 2010 at 4:55 pm
This might be my favourite comic of yours. Awesome stuff.
November 26, 2010 at 5:47 pm
With regards to the DunningāKruger effect. I often doubt myself but suspect I’m actually awesome.
Example: I once punched Megatron into orbit but I was only aiming to knock him over Canary Wharf.
Discuss.
November 26, 2010 at 8:31 pm
You’re a git.
Comic is brilliant. reminds me of my drinking days.
November 26, 2010 at 6:05 pm
I like that old guy ^_^ now THAT’S wisdom. I really wish the pink haired chick had some friends like my friends… I would love to know someone like her, and so would they.
November 26, 2010 at 6:15 pm
“no”,,,,,suburb work my friend, any more profound deep meaning and I may consider buying one of your T shirts,,,,,or not , as the case may be.
November 26, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Nice comix. As with 95% of the time. Been reading for some time now (1 pr 2 years?), first time posting on the blog.
Itās always a joy to discover, suddenly, one day, without warning, that thereās a new comix on Subnormality.
May you may continue on until I die (or world war III ;p) (Sometimes, itās better to be selfishā¦)
Thank you!
November 26, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Beautiful.
November 26, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Jesus. That dialogue belongs in a short film, potrayed by actors and actresses. Fucking incredible.
December 1, 2010 at 4:24 am
Get Jim Jarmusch to direct it!
November 26, 2010 at 9:10 pm
Brilliant stuff. Jpegs broke my browser…. or was it the drugs….
November 26, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Thank you for this comic. It may sound contrived, but it was somewhat cathartic to see my own weaknesses, thoughts and fears voiced by a fictional character. I’d hug you if I could for writing the dialogue between the pink-haired girl and the older man…as well as the thought bubbles regarding the desire to slip away and become “invisible”…
I’m tempted to delete this comment because it feels self-obsessed, unimportant or TMI (or all three!).
In the end, I just want to thank you for making this comic.
December 13, 2010 at 7:02 am
Seconded.
These words, these same worries were going through my head and I didn’t know how to write them and then you said them.
It might just be because it’s 4 AM but I feel like I just experienced something big, catharsis and all that. I really don’t know how to express what’s in my head right now so just thank you.
…a “yeah it’s possible”
November 26, 2010 at 11:29 pm
I am retroactively thankful for this comic this Thanksgiving.
November 26, 2010 at 11:33 pm
You should write a book.
November 26, 2010 at 11:58 pm
NICE. This is why I wade through walls of text, right here. (And don’t take that to mean walls of text are bad, neither.) I am on the record, months back, of having complained of heavyhandedness; well this right here is beautifully developed. I love the modular format, the characters, and as ever the art.
And the really sad thing? Raoul is just insecure, too. Why else wouldn’t he be able to take “no” for an answer?
November 27, 2010 at 1:14 am
I’ve been reading your comic for a fair while now, and this is my first comment, but seriously– you’re brilliant. This comic is one of the most insightful things I’ve read in a long time…that’ll be it from me, just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed it.
November 27, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Cheers. And thanks for commenting!
November 27, 2010 at 1:17 am
If you ever feel like wise, caring people are a dying breed, you just aren’t getting out enough. They’re scattered here and there.
November 27, 2010 at 1:32 am
Hey man, the Ducks gave Teemu Selanne his Stanley Cup, so they’re alright in my books. Plus, they had the highest ratio of Canadian players that year. So, what I’m really trying to say is, I miss the Jets š¦
November 27, 2010 at 2:13 am
Really fantastic.
Thank you for making this comic
November 27, 2010 at 2:17 am
Very nice. It’s good to see Down taking a step forward.
A while back I thought it would be fitting for Down to walk up to the Sphinx and say “You know, fuck this. I’m sick of the constant crap. How do I get in on this whole monster deal?” It’s…so easy to feel stupid, no matter how far you get in life.
Holy crap, I can vouch for the manual editing…I was really timid when I was younger, and afraid of what would happen when I was drunk…I would lock down on myself soooo hard. There’s nothing really fun about walking around paranoid and numb because you’re afraid of your own behaviour. Still it makes it much easier to take off the damned mask and actually have the things you say come out the way they do in your head.
Are we going to see more of the horror-story girl? Is she going to acknowledge where her head is at when she sobers up? It’d be interesting to see where she takes that, even obliquely.
November 28, 2010 at 6:57 pm
I always read “Down at the Beach/Gas Station/etc” as “Depressed at the Beach”, but that is an impressive piece of wordplay. From now on I’ll think of Pink Haired Girl as ‘Down’
November 27, 2010 at 2:31 am
She likes guns and the Cold War… she is now THE hottest girl in webcomic history.
Oh, and I have a new favorite Subnormality strip.
As for you, Winston, you really /do/ have confidence issues, don’t you? I’d rec’mend a full liter of straight vodka, but that might be a little much…
December 2, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Heh, KOTMI Girl is pretty much perfect, eh? Now if only she played Street Fighter and DDR … :–P
November 27, 2010 at 2:33 am
Fucking brilliant as always. You know how sometimes you see something so good the best you can come up with is “that’s really good”? It’s that good.
November 27, 2010 at 5:12 am
This was awesome but I didn’t get a single bit of it. I’m far too drunk. I would say it’s ironic, but it’s not, strictly speaking. I’m not drunk enough to abuse the definition of irony. I will reread it sober. If I remember to.
November 27, 2010 at 6:03 am
It’s the high point of my day when you update. And the tooltips are the best ever!
November 27, 2010 at 6:09 am
I love the way your drawing style is developing, re: the pink lady. It’s getting bolder and looser. Your art started great and it’s getting better.
November 27, 2010 at 6:29 am
the old guy i like him š reminds me of my old math teacher he had very similar attitude.
November 27, 2010 at 7:09 am
The girl in the “here comes trouble” shirt’s thoughts are incredibly similar to mine. Only i have them in shortish bursts and when i’m completely sober.
November 27, 2010 at 8:11 am
Fantastic š Out of all the Subnormality comics, I think this is the one I can relate to the most.
November 27, 2010 at 8:28 am
I get a little annoyed when people confuse self-esteem, self-respect and confidence. They’re different things.
Still, I like how pink-haired girl finally learned to say no… although she could be more polite about it
November 27, 2010 at 10:36 am
Well I read that self-esteem and respect are synonyms or near-synonyms but confidence is different indeed.
@Winston
Great thoughts again. I keep checking the page every day for an update. š
November 27, 2010 at 8:31 am
Damn, why I always have to love your comics?
5 minutes reading it, 1 hour spent thinking about it Ć²_Ć²
November 27, 2010 at 10:14 am
I like you. ^ ^
November 27, 2010 at 10:49 am
I enjoyed it. Thanks!
November 27, 2010 at 10:51 am
Lovely work. Melancholy and touching.
Thanks!
November 27, 2010 at 11:09 am
Loved this, really brilliant. really funny and really meaningfull. I loved the use of the old trick of answering “yes” to an either/or question. Comedy gold.
November 27, 2010 at 11:29 am
awesome as always rowntree
November 27, 2010 at 11:38 am
One of my favourite ever, and that says a lot, considering how many of your strips I wished i had thought of before !
November 27, 2010 at 11:41 am
Great.
November 27, 2010 at 11:44 am
Very good, thanks for doing this.
November 27, 2010 at 11:50 am
Omg that is genious.
November 27, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Thanks I now have a role model
November 27, 2010 at 1:20 pm
That was brilliant. You are doing God’s work.
November 27, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Okay, nice. Now I’m in love with a 50-ish year old fictional character. Anyway, that was fucking awesome.
November 27, 2010 at 3:30 pm
I made wine from the lilac tree
Put my heart in its recipe
It makes me see what I want to see
And be what I want to be
When I think more than I want to think
Do things I never should do
I drink much more that I ought to drink
Because it brings me back you
-James Shelton
“Lilac Wine”
1950
December 6, 2010 at 9:46 am
Good one.
November 27, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Holy shit this website is genius.
November 27, 2010 at 4:45 pm
I just enjoyed this.
And can relate since I had an incredibly uninhibited moment that I’m secretly proud that I got away with a few nights ago thanks to alcohol.
November 27, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome!!!!!
November 27, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Another long-reader, firsttime poster saying: freakin’ A comic, Mr. Rowntree. Thank you!
November 27, 2010 at 6:32 pm
I just have to say it: it’s by far your deepest comic to date.
November 27, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Dammit Rowntree, you made me cry. That was funny, sad and uplifting all at the same time. Absolutely beautiful.
Loved the dude hitting on Pink Haired Girl. I am him. I wish I could actually be like that. š¦
November 27, 2010 at 7:44 pm
As far as self-reflexive Mandelbrot sets go, this is so far inside I’m scared to get more lost. So I’ll keep reading it. Sober next time.
November 27, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Wow, this one really must be commented on. Thanks for all the PHG, she’s my favorite.
November 27, 2010 at 10:28 pm
The Glass:
Indeed.
Thanks again and again.
November 27, 2010 at 10:33 pm
I don’t know, inhibitions are a pretty good thing. I mean, I think I’m an attention-seeking, self-obsessed petty-minded person at heart, so inhibitions usually help tamp that part of me down and allow me to function in normal society.
I mean, if people didn’t have inhibitions, what would be done with all the people who are bastards?
Good comic, though.
November 28, 2010 at 12:00 am
When Pinky cried I cried too.
Over the past decade I’ve learned a lot about the inherent value of conversations, even if you’re talking to a total clod. There’s so much wisdom dangling in our blind spots. We’ll never see it unless we hear someone else say, “Hey, look at that.”
The Pervy Sage’s “Thinking you’re unimportant is a gift” speech was a good counterpoint to the “Blames self for world” goat of two comics ago. During Pres. Bush’s second term I often felt guilty for failing to prevent his re-election. As if I were omnipotent or something. I’ve since learned to let (most) things be.
November 28, 2010 at 9:33 am
Amen about the “blames self for world” goat. That one really bothered me within a generally very insightful comic. Blaming yourself for others isn’t wisdom, it’s just another form of arrogance. Disconnecting from the world isn’t wisdom, it’s just another form of selfishness. Gandhi captured it best when he said “Be the change you want to see in the world.” You can only change yourself, so make yourself the best you can be.
November 29, 2010 at 9:54 pm
With that “blames self for world” i was kind of going for something along the lines of “taking responsibility for shaping your world,” in contrast to blaming everyone else for your problems, but i will concede that it was perhaps questionably phrased. I absolutely swear by that Gandhi quote, so i regret that i didn’t evoke it more.
November 28, 2010 at 2:09 am
thank you for hurting my brain =D
November 28, 2010 at 3:23 am
always worth the wait
November 28, 2010 at 8:24 am
Absolutely loved it š
November 28, 2010 at 9:50 am
absolutly LOVED IT
nice work, PLEASE keep it up!!
November 28, 2010 at 10:35 am
Yes.
Please, please publish a book. We will all buy it for all our friends.
November 28, 2010 at 11:59 am
Yes, I don’t know either…
but..
Thanks for not letting our compact Superhero(SH)/psychologist show up Unwrapped, in bare skin, on this very day*.
* 28 Nov. The day of the 200 millionth visitor of “La Tour Eiffel” (2002)
P.s. SH: before trying to jump start, check the Reynolds Number.
… WR: Go on ! Keep it up !!
November 28, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Awesome as always. :]
November 28, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Well worth the wait.
November 28, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Beautiful.
November 28, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Brilliant – definitely one of your best! Congratulations, and keep them coming š
November 28, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Go Whalers!
November 29, 2010 at 9:50 pm
I just randomly drew that, and then i saw almost the exact same shirt at value village today. Freaky…
November 28, 2010 at 7:05 pm
Nice layering!
November 28, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Absolutely love your work … Sincerely,
Sincerely, H. Weinstock
November 29, 2010 at 1:23 am
This comic had just made my day and then I heard that Leslie Nielsen passed away. Talk about a downer….
November 29, 2010 at 9:48 pm
I know, that was like the last person who needed to die right now. My dad is a Huge fan, so a Leslie Nielsen film marathon in in the works for the xmas holidays back home. In memoriam!
November 29, 2010 at 3:11 am
Yeah, you absolutely should release a collection in book form one of these days. I’ll definitely buy it from you if you ever visit the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (well, and there’s a very good chance I’ll buy it if I have to order it online, too)
November 29, 2010 at 9:49 pm
I know, a book is increasingly looming as The Next Phase, so i’m gonna get on it in the new year. Stay tuned…
December 2, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Seconded, if it can be shipped on Australia!
November 29, 2010 at 6:07 am
I genuinely love your comics, I’m sure I’m not the only one who can say they make me feel less alone…although maybe that’s an oxymoron
[YOU’RE an oxymoron]
but still, it’s the truth.
Thank you for all your hard work, keep putting your thoughts out there because they are amazing.
November 29, 2010 at 8:01 am
The main thread of this comic was particularly beautiful in its insight.
November 29, 2010 at 11:09 am
Hey, thanks for sharing your work. One day (if you haven’t already) you gotta compile this stuff into a book. I’d love to be able to read these while I’m on the john.
(for some reason, that’s where i’m in the mood to read something GOOD–it’s like I have freakin’ library in there–only a lot more sanitary.)
anyway, please keep doing what you do. great stuff! peace. -g
November 29, 2010 at 4:54 pm
I loved it. It did remind me of a Rondo and even has something of a Sonata Rondo.[/smartassing]
I find it interesting, that you let a character preach to another about how to have less doubts in herself (I remember myself giving a similar speech that did have quite an effect – for about five days) when you introduce this great (!) comic with your doubts about it.
November 29, 2010 at 11:43 pm
interesting timing.
sometimes fiction and reality intersects in a way that really gets to you.
I just screwed up a relationship with a few drunken mistakes because I was afraid the relationship was going to get screwed up its own.
the self-acceptance meter hit hard, because up to this point I’d been denying to myself that anything I did was motivated by something true to me. I mean, even if it was a somewhat minimal part of the story.
Anyway, I consider it kind of a faux pas to bring in personal details to this context, but whatever.
Nice job.
November 30, 2010 at 3:46 am
Thank you for that one, I work as a DJ in a stripclub and have seen quite enough of horrible drunk humanity. Perspective is an essential tool of survival in a souless plastic venal world. When you give me real life motivations and empathy like your last comic, I admit to tearing up a bit. Also I too would buy a collection of your work, thank you for doing what you do.
November 30, 2010 at 9:06 am
Whoah, read the comic for the third time, and I just realized the guy that hit on Pink Hair Girl (Raul) is from the first and last panels. Blew my mind. I’m still trying to find the significance of his last statement in relation to getting rejected though.
I can’t figure out for sure if the older guy is Steve Parsons, the acid injecting, disgruntled algebra teacher. He has some similarities from that comic, but he looks different.
December 1, 2010 at 1:32 am
he’s not Stever parsons. if anything he could be the guy from the Not Worth It comic
December 2, 2010 at 3:22 pm
No, he can’t be Steve Parsons or the Not Worth It host, he’s a whole new guy.
December 2, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Yeah. Also Steve Parsons didn’t come on to his students, he just took acid and freaked out on them.
December 4, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Ha, no, definitely not steve parsons or rumbutter mcSquash.
November 30, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Very insightful. Class work there indeed. Thanks for sharing.
November 30, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Great comic – you expose our collective insecurities and frailties and somehow manage to make us feel less solitary for it by strip’s end. I second (third? one hundred eight fifth?) the motion for a book.
December 6, 2010 at 9:50 am
like what this guy said! š
December 1, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Winston you rock! You’re the best parts of a short story writer, an essayist and an incredibly acute observer, and I’ll read Subnormality as long as you feel like writing it. (which I hope is for a long, long time.)
December 2, 2010 at 3:05 pm
No matter how creepy and unhappy he is, I am now in love with 57-year-old retired teacher wise drunkard guy. I know he’s just a one-off character who appears only to give once-in-a-lifetime insight to PHG, but damn do I wish he could become a Subnormality regular. “17 years old and made of butterscotch”… fucking great! And I’m glad PHG appears to making progress, even if only when drunk so far.
I kind of wish this strip had had a little more of Sexy Knowledge-of-Traditionally-Masculine-Interests Girl. She’s been a hot topic lately (almost as much as PHG) but I didn’t get a full sense of what her deal was in this strip, with only two panels – she seems alternately to want to find someone she can relate to (as in previous strips) but now that a guy who doesn’t explode on contact with her has come along, she’s inwardly judgmental of him. I got the sense from the Museum of the Theoretical strip that she’s not entirely happy with how she’s turned out and with how she seeks people’s company. Whereas PHG’s problems seem pretty clearly defined, I’m still kind of in the dark about Sexy KOTMI Girl.
Still, great strip though, it pretty well captures the melancholy gray-area feelings I get every time I alter my state of mind. Real bittersweet.
December 4, 2010 at 1:43 pm
I think it’s just that we haven’t actually heard Sexy KOTMI Girl’s thoughts before, perhaps she was always that ‘judgemental’. I think she’s my favourite character š
December 4, 2010 at 3:32 pm
I think the implication was just that she’s a fan of a rival hockey team, thus her revulsion at the anaheim ducks. But i could see it the other way too, and i Really enjoyed reading your comments here. Honestly, she’s probably my favorite character too, currently (difficult to draw though, goddamnit. Or i just suck at drawing, one or the other).
December 2, 2010 at 9:31 pm
Wow, some character development!
Good fun as always. Was thinking there’d be a “guy in the corner” section, but then it occurred to me that such a guy would be at home of an evening.
December 3, 2010 at 12:05 pm
As a college senior who works at a bar, I absolutely cannot decide how I feel about drinking. This comic brilliantly depicts (denotes? displays?) the ups and the downs and the absolute ambiguity that makes it so intriguing and popular. I love the balance of longer and shorter panel sets, with the self-acceptance meter in the middle and the “yes” response at the end, etc. I love and appreciate how thought-provoking it is =)
…Do you ever get sloshed?
December 3, 2010 at 11:14 pm
When I drink, my inhibitions just get replaced by a whole ‘nother set. Up until I’m so drunk I not only pass out but can’t keep solid food down for the next three days.
December 4, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Damn, I was thinking of coming up with something smart to comment about but I failed. You’re comics are getting how you say, smarter and smarter and I’m having trouble catching up. Haha. But I still love your work and thought I’d just let you know that I’m still reading. Keep up the good work, you’re really inspiring.
I really loved the “to be happy you have to be stupid and selfish and in good health” part.
December 4, 2010 at 3:00 pm
So I’ve seen your comic on cracked a few times, and visited the site before, but reading this comic made me need to read all of them. You are awesome, and I really love your work.
December 5, 2010 at 6:59 am
HELP!
This “Help!”-song by the Beatles (b.t.w. once more popular than Jesus) has gotten STUCK IN MY HEAD !.
I’m referencing the sensual, breathtaking middle frame #5, with the large, green thought bubble.
Setting my pc-monitor’s luminosity to max, makes hidden details appear:
Brown hole stockings, boots, a slightly pink scarf, a no-cat, and that big belt buckle.
Nice ! I really like this panel !
Frame #7 : The artist himself, collapsing when looking into the future frame #9).
He he..
ben,
“en passant” +/- sometime.
December 5, 2010 at 7:53 am
You improved a lot.
December 5, 2010 at 11:56 am
You are amazing. Keep up the amazing work.
December 5, 2010 at 3:41 pm
I only found your site around a year ago, when I happened upon an article you’ve posted for cracked.
At first I was intimidated by the “walls of text” but after a short while I became quietly obsessed with your artistic style and amazing dialogue.
It may seem lame or cliche but I can really see how you invest a lot of yourself into these comics and at the base of it all I can feel heartfelt advice to people that are in similar situations to ones that you have been through yourself.
Or maybe I’m a pretentious over-reader.
Either way I deeply appreciate your work and hope that you continue to do such wonderful work.
-Jim
December 5, 2010 at 6:47 pm
As a man who regularly goes out drinking, with the occasional fantasising when i’m drunk idealistically of all the girls i’d hit on and the day dream of cool i want to be, dropping that promptly for stupid loud mouthing with my friends and not much else, I like this comic.
December 7, 2010 at 11:04 am
Uh, the scariest!
December 7, 2010 at 3:47 pm
So great! I read almost all the comics online in one day about 2 weeks ago, came back to read more and found this wonderful one! Great job! I connect with it on more than one level! LOVED it!
December 8, 2010 at 9:27 am
Loved this comic. Been reading them for a while, and I check the site more than weekly to find out if there’s an update anywhere.
Haven’t found a lot of people who like the walls of text, but it sure is working for me.
Anyway, loved this particular one, especially the ending. One can explain a lot of its rejections this way.
December 8, 2010 at 6:07 pm
The “Dunning-Kruger effect”, huh?
It’s always a delight / when a comic series that I already like / sends me clicking for a Wikipedia explanation.
It’s even more delightful that it’s a real theory!
December 10, 2010 at 4:04 pm
It’s hard enough being a hockey fan in Southern California; I didn’t need an artist whom I admire to make fun of me as well. š¦ Low blow, Rowntree….low blow.
December 10, 2010 at 4:18 pm
thank you for this.
December 26, 2010 at 6:57 pm
How is it that a comic, which is supposedly “cartoonish” can depict emotions better than any show I know on tv
December 26, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Because TV sucks. More specifically, TV isn’t designed to depict emotion. It’s designed to hold your attention long enough to sell you stupid shit.
January 7, 2011 at 10:59 pm
Weird how right now at this stage in my life I’ve discovered my issue of always saying yes and never saying my real thoughts. Ironic. Thank you for this.
January 24, 2011 at 10:15 pm
I adore the pacing in this.
February 6, 2011 at 3:15 pm
love it
February 25, 2011 at 6:16 pm
Jesus, your “comic” is genius. I’ve been reading Subnormality for a year, and actually hold off for months so I can read a big batch at a time.
I also read through all of your earlier work when I came across “virus” about a year ago, and I just need to say, “you’re a genius”.
Keep it up, and thank you.
Sean McCabe
March 4, 2011 at 10:52 am
I’ve been reading Subnormality for about a year and a half now and I absolutely LOVE your comic. I wish I could be half as talented as you in illustrating and coming up with content. You’re doing a great job, thank you.
March 20, 2011 at 4:15 am
I need another shot….
March 23, 2011 at 8:09 pm
I just did a complete run of Subnormality after someone linked me the “And the awful of video games” post.
Needless to say that I was/am in the gutter (the social one especially), but that “webcomic” did a really good job.
It’s not that I’m happy, or suddenly feeling alright and stuff, no. It’s just a good time-killing series of comic panels, something I can’t just say “bah it’s crap/overdone”, or “oh no, not that clichĆ© all over again”, it just stand on its own no matter how you look at it – even when you don’t want to hear about anything anymore. Walls of text included.
Now, with that comic in mind I might call it life and carry on, get back on the railway.
And cook something, it’s been more than 24 hours since my last meal.
It somewhat told me how supercommon, overdone, widespread was the condition I’m living in – it’s some sort of kick-in-the-nuts clearly reminding you how you shouldn’t act all “aw fuck I can’t do it, it’s too hard to live with these people in this world” right now.
So yeah, loving to think about things other people are actually trying their best to not think about (like the full consequences of their lives, worldwide economical repercussions or the steps metaphor you made a few posts ago) shouldn’t put you outside of this world. They might label you as “joykiller” and “freak”, you should have the fun of your life doing that nevertheless.
ps : pardon my engrish, I’m being european, hungry and tired.
May 3, 2011 at 2:57 am
this comic brought tears to my eyes, that pink-haired girl reminds me of how I was up until recently, and it really reached into my heart when she hit that realization that she could change, at that it was up to her, and her alone.
June 26, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Thanks a lot, honestly, i loved it. I’m going exactly for the same kind of stuff you’re talking about, i really “dig” it.
October 15, 2011 at 11:43 pm
Wow…I loved this so much.
December 16, 2011 at 6:18 am
awesome web comics, i found out about viruscomix though that maturity poster, this left me thinking though
February 8, 2012 at 9:19 pm
I’ve been reading this comic for ages now, and keep going back and re-reading the archives… I don’t MEAN it to sound insulting, but geeze, how DO you get such a convincingly real face as “angry/sad/embarrassed/proud” chickface on pinkhairedgirl, in the middle of some seriously touching dialog?? dang. *highfive*
September 3, 2012 at 9:24 am
Fucking nice! I’ve never read a comic like this before and all I gotta say is I fucking liked it. Keep up the good work mon ami.
December 1, 2012 at 1:19 am
I loved it!, firdt time ever to read this. Original
December 2, 2012 at 10:08 am
I’m remembering the two men who’ve really helped me gain/learn self-respect by teaching me how to say No. Thank you for quietly reminding me to appreciate them.
May 17, 2013 at 7:49 am
How much do we want to sympathise with borderline paedophile ex-teacher Bitter Ol’ Frogmouth?
July 28, 2015 at 11:16 am
Had to look up what those 100-round AK mags looked like. Makes an AK look like a Chauchat…
August 6, 2016 at 5:03 pm
Holy shit this is awesome! Really original, I’ll go and look at all your other comics like the stalker I am, if you don’t mind š
September 15, 2016 at 4:20 pm
Geez, how much time do you think I’m trying to kill?