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.

Don’t even try to get around on weekends. Werewolves.

Thank You, Katsucon!

Katsucon was an amazing weekend! I had to go straight from the convention back to work, and it’s a busy week. So as much as I’d love to spend paragraphs and paragraphs telling you guys how awesome all of you are, but I’ll keep it to this. You are awesome.

You send in System-like images you find in the wild, I post them. Send them to systemcomic at gmail.

Today’s come from Systemic Kin Tang who reports to us all the way from Gangzhou Subway in Guangdong, China. Before I even post the images, let’s take a moment and appreciate just how far away that is from me, who writes this comic mostly in a studio apartment in Washington, DC:

What’s that dotted line on the right-hand side? Oh, that’s the world repeating over again in Google Maps. Because I had to zoom out so far to get a good picture that the world started repeating in the window. That’s how far away it is. The Internet is connecting people, and this is us seeing it in action. Boom.

Okay, onto the pics. The first two are from inside the subway car. Notice the totally System-looking dudes. Also, how there is no chasing. Are lots of people in China chasing each other? Chasing implies that one person is going after another. In my experiences (mostly in the U.S.) I’ve seen no running signs, but not no chasing signs. I guess they want to discourage both the chase-er and the chase-ee? If you’re being chased though, can you really tell someone “Hey! Stop chasing me! Didn’t you see the sign?”

Also, need to recreate that “No Lying” graphic so I have a good Burt Reynolds icon ready to go.

No climbing or swinging. What you have to remember about these signs is that these sorts of things only get made to prevent liability or because it has already been a problem in the past.

Finally this one from inside the station. Love the surfing escalator graphic. I bet planking is frowned upon, too.

That’s it for this edition of System in the Wild! Keep sending them in, and remember that they sit in my inbox until I post them.

Oh, and these things never get many comments or likes on the site, so I do honestly wonder if people read them. If you do, mind leaving a quick comment that just says “read it” or “like it”? Thanks!

This weekend, DC travelers had to contend with this. On every line. All weekend. My heart goes out to everyone that doesn’t get to walk, bike or drive to where they’re going, because it’s going to be a while.

We’re in the FINAL DAYS of ordering CATS DON’T CARE for preorder. So far only mostly women’s shirts (and one awesome men’s shirt) have been ordered, so this might be the first all-ladies shirt I make after the preorder. During the preorder, get whatever you want. We’ll see what happens. If you want yours for only $15 in any size you need, better order now.

WMATA (Washington Metro Area Transit Authority) needs some updates and additions to the iconic map it’s been using for the last 30 years, and to make the changes they brought in the original designer, Lance Wyman. It’s nice to see them going back to the person who created it, and not some new designer looking to make his mark and alter things.

The article is a good one, goes into some of Lance’s work, the difficulties of the redesign process, and some history behind the original map. Did you know Lance wanted to make cool little icon illustrations for every station? All that and more in the article, as well as a nice photo gallery.

READ THE ARTICLE »

Did you see the monster post I wrote below? You should check it out. I’m redesigning the site, and all that is a way to look at not just making it look nice, but thinking of a better way to make this and other webcomic sites work. Check it out, won’t you? HERE »

In other news, here’s an interview I did with the Art Directors’ Club of Metropolitan Washington. Check that out too! HERE »

Quick note: The last few comics apparently skipped a number, so I just went through and cleaned up what was 337-339 which is now 336-338 (and now this is 339 and not 340). Thanks to Systemics Suiken and Zethreal for pointing it out!

I think anyone who rides the subway / metro / light rail often enough has had operators like this. Especially here in DC, where WMATA has blessed us with some real gems. Have any good stories about train operators? Share ’em in the comments!

Heads up, preorders are going to open up for a new shirt at Hilariawesome.com! What will it be? This should give you a hint…