Generally, when I try and yell at someone in a car, “WATCH IT!” is all I ever get out of my mouth. I wish anyone actually took it to heart.

Do you ever fare better?

Here’s that whole comic I talked about last week. Of course now, the next one is up over at Medium.com: “How Are Websites Made?” Every click helps, guys. Thanks!

I know some of you have said “I drive a car to work everyday.” I considered that, it just makes for a very short chart.

I’m a big fan of cycling, and people always wonder why. So, here you go.

Oh, and you can buy it as a poster.

There’s an opinion piece appearing on nytimes.com that approaches the growing problem of cycling/car accidents that end with no citation or persecution for the drivers.

As they say in the article, we are definitely at a crossroads with bike sharing and cycling way up in urban areas. What should be done about all these cyclists and the vehicles they are in accidents with?

In stories where the driver had been cited, the penalty’s meagerness defied belief, like the teenager in 2011 who drove into the 49-year-old cyclist John Przychodzen from behind on a road just outside Seattle, running over and killing him. The police issued only a $42 ticket for an “unsafe lane change” because the kid hadn’t been drunk and, as they saw it, had not been driving recklessly.

I’ve been in three bike accidents:

• One of them was the driver’s fault (he opened a door into traffic which made me hit the door and then my bike’s back wheel swung and dented a taxi next to it),
• one ambiguous (a guy in front of me stopped short, I swerved to avoid and crashed on my own),
• and one completely the driver’s fault (a taxi t-boned me while he was running a red light).

So clearly this is a topic very close to me. You’d be amazed how many pedestrians, drivers, and even some police are unsure of a cyclist’s “rules of the road” (or completely wrong about them). In the first accident I mention above it was extremely cold out, so the officer at the scene let me wait in his car. I listened as he called it in and explained the situation on the radio and asked who was supposed to be at fault, because he had no idea.

For those of you drivers out there who make the understandable point about the death wish of cyclists, don’t worry. Those bikers who break every traffic rule in a daily ride are not given a free pass. I couldn’t agree more with the ending:

So here’s my proposal: Every time you get on a bike, from this moment forward, obey the letter of the law in every traffic exchange everywhere to help drivers (and police officers) view cyclists as predictable users of the road who deserve respect. And every time you get behind the wheel, remember that even the slightest inattention can maim or kill a human being enjoying a legitimate form of transportation. That alone will make the streets a little safer, although for now I’m sticking to the basement and maybe the occasional country road.

Kind of reminds me of Sarah Beacan’s “League of Courteous Cyclists”.

Feel free to argue about it in the comments. I’ll gladly start up a conversation with anyone willing to discuss.

Illustration above went with the article in NYTimes, originally by Kurt McRobert.

It’s all downhill from there.

Remember that shirt? Last chance! I’m taking it down in the morning.

A while back, I did a comic about how handy a bicycle would be during the zombie apocalypse.

This past week, Kottke featured a story on Slate about how useful the bikes used in bike sharing programs around the universe (DC, NYC, etc.) would be during the apocalypse. The best is probably The Road parody:

The man put the boy on the handlebars of the bicycle.

It had once been blue. Streaks of cerulean remained in the spectral lines of dulled gray aluminum. It was heavy and his leg ached as he pedaled.

Who used to ride this bicycle, Papa?

No one person rode this bicycle. The bike was shared by everyone who could pay.

Did the people who shared the bikes carry the fire?

They thought they carried the fire.

They also talk about how bikes aren’t really allowed to be “cool” in Hollywood outside of Premium Rush, though with cycling a growing trend around the country it’s only a matter of time until there’s more coverage. I, for one, cannot wait. 

And it feels good to be right.

Read the article here »

*Yes, I read a lot of Kottke.org and you should too. It is next up on my list of “dream blogs to ever feature my work”.

Let me be clear here, guys. You should bike. You should bike on the road. But you should bike with traffic. Just because you’re a cyclist doesn’t mean you don’t have to obey laws. Well, at least that one because it’s really irritating and dangerous.

Kickstarter: The Final Kick

This is the last 3 days of the Kickstarter! If you want a first edition copy of The System Book 1, support the Kickstarter before Friday at 5pm. My mom wants you to:

Back the project and find out more here »

The Kickstarter for book 1 of System comics is still going and could use your help! The  latest stretch goals both involve more comics for all:

I can’t believe there are enough cyclists on the road in DC to actually have bicycle traffic. Anyone else encounter this?

Connecticon This Weekend!

That’s right! This weekend I’ll be a guest at Connecticon, where The System first premiered five years ago. A fifth anniversary of awesomeness. So be sure to come visit my table and say hello, I’ll have more information in tomorrow’s post.

Also stay tuned for a very special update about the first ever BOOK OF SYSTEM COMICS!I’m just waiting on the Kickstarter approval…

Today’s comic is dedicated to Jamie Noguchi, who insists that I should make this shirt:

Thanks to everyone who came out to Anime Expo! The show was a great time, and our two Super Art Fight shows were a ton of fun. I’ll post more about those when I can. In the meantime…

Connecticon This Weekend!

That’s right! This weekend I’ll be a guest at Connecticon, where The System first premiered five years ago. A fifth anniversary of awesomeness. So be sure to come visit my table and say hello, I’ll have more information in tomorrow’s post.

Also stay tuned for a very special update about the first ever BOOK OF SYSTEM COMICS! I’m just waiting on the Kickstarter approval…