Nichols, Travis – Hold Fast, Sisters and Brothers!

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Hold Fast, Sisters and Brothers!

In reviewing a comic, I sometimes have to stop and put things in perspective.  This comic, for example, dealing with veganism and how awesome it is, looks great.  Travis has a cast of fairly adorable characters, the dialogue is well written and things even wrap up with a mildly amusing joke.  The trouble is that I can’t stand being preached to, and the self-righteousness of the general vegan crowd is enough to make me want to grab a burger.  Don’t get me wrong, I admire their commitment to a cause, and more power to them for choosing to live that life.  That being said, being preached at by a vegan nut is about the same as being preached at by a religious nut.  Travis even briefly acknowledges the preachiness in the end, but it wasn’t quite enough to kill off my overall crankiness.  The central conflict in this comic is between the main character and half of a leftover cinnamon roll.  Just one bite wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Well, it turns out that the roll is Satan in disguise, which further reinforces the notion in the comic that us meat eating folk are all at least mildly evil.  One thing I’ve always wondered about veganism in general: if it was eventually proven that plants have a rudimentary consciousness and/or feel pain, would vegans stop eating them, or does the sympathy only extend to cute critters?  I’m trashing them way too much, granted.  Animals are raised and killed in genuinely horrific conditions, and they do serious harm to our bodies and long-term health.  Still, eating meat does not make me or anybody else a horrible person, and not eating meat does not make someone automatically righteous.  Some of the biggest assholes I’ve ever met have been vegetarians, as well as some of the nicest people.  It’s one tiny check-marked box that makes up a person, and I just think there are way more important things to worry about in the world at the moment.  Wow, who knew I had such a rant in me this morning?  This comic really does look great, and if you’re less upset and some preaching than I am (or are a vegan/vegetarian yourself), you’ll probably love this book.  I’d like to see some less preachy comics from the man, that’s all.  No price, so… $3?

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Posted on May 2, 2010, in Reviews and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink. Comments Off on Nichols, Travis – Hold Fast, Sisters and Brothers!.

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