Geek Speak Comic

You Have Entered…The Moping Zone

Lesser known Rod Serling anthology series project about morose suburbanites. True story.

I have mentioned at least one time that I worked for one company, but it was acquired by another. The usual disclaimer here applies. I rarely ever discuss work, and I will not disclose the names of the company I worked for before it was acquired, or the acquiring company where I am still employed.

Before the company where I started was purchased by the one where I am now, I’d never been part of an acquisition. I’d known people who’d been through acquisitions, for better and for worse, but it was not something I’d had to worry about. With that in mind, I went into the process with what I feel like was a pretty open mind. I would take each day as it came, and wouldn’t judge the process or allow myself to react emotionally. On the whole, it was a good approach, and it made the whole process easier.

Even so, it wasn’t easy. To process things I started going on what I called “walking mopes.” I defined moping as a form of “constructive negativity” where I could talk (yes I talk to myself…a lot) through whatever I was struggling with, get it out in the open, and more often than not doing that created a thought process that led me to answers. On one of my…pathos sojourns…I walked past a smoking section, and I saw some of my then co-workers taking a break, having a smoke, and doing a more social version of my “walking mope.” Before I knew it I was thinking of the smoking section as the “moping section” where all the mopers could get together and mope. I looked a little crazier than usual walking around talking and giggling to myself.

It took a while, but I was finally able to get to this strip. Since I wanted a really wide shot for the third panel, I decided to use the opportunity to experiment with panel layouts. Overall I like the results.