Category: Comic Process

I wrote the first chapter of Burrito Apocalypse long before Vladimir Putin became such a prominent player on the US political scene. You can debate his character and his motivations, but I think he’s a marvelous comedic character.

Please note: a great character is not always a great person. In fact, the opposite is often true. But Putin is a guy who is so artfully transparent and so delightfully corrupt, it’s almost hard not to like him.

Why isn’t Xi Jinping in this comic?

Burrito Apocalypse was written in the US and drawn in China, and there are some things China doesn’t let you do.

There is a scene on page 21 of Chapter One where Chinese government officials react to the news of an US arms buildup. I had originally asked my Chinese artist to use a realistic drawing of Chinese President Xi Jinping, however he told me he could not draw him.

[In Chinese]
I’m sorry! The domestic speech environment does not allow me to draw about this kind of story. I do not want to cause unnecessary trouble because of this. So please understand. I apologize again and delay your valuable time.

He later agreed to draw the generic “government official” that is used in the comic.

I was trying to think of a believable “tin foil hat” conspiracy theory for this guy in Burrito Apocalypse, and settled on the idea that he was convinced that radio waves are frying our brains. He’s supposed to be a bit nutty and that jived nicely with his role in the comic. However I wasn’t sure if anyone still believed this.

Then I met an Uber driver who not only fervently believed in the dangers of radiation, but went way beyond anything I might have come up with. He had a cell phone strapped to his dashboard and casually mentioned that it was a special model that minimizes radio waves. When I asked about it, he went on to say that he not only was concerned about radio waves from cell phones, but that any electrical device could emit potentially harmful radiation.

Like electrical wiring in your house? He was so concerned about it that he set up a special timer to shut off the entire electrical system when he went to bed at night, and turn it back on just before daybreak. He had two electrical circuits set up so things like his refrigerator would not be affected overnight.

Apparently some others are much more concerned than he. He cited one guy that wears a “special hoodie” designed to protect him from harmful radiation. As he dropped us off at the airport he gave me a serious look. “I wear that myself sometimes. Especially in airports – airports are the worst places for radiation!”