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People Who Hate DON'T GET AROUND MUCH ANYMORE! / [[Athena and Lizz stand together. Somebody walks into the room and glares at Athena.]] / [[A pair of people walk into the room and whisper about Athena.]] / [[Another somebody walks into the door and looks at Athena furiously.]] / Athena: Well, I think the number of people in this room who HATE me has officially reached capacity. / Lizz: Ha! Ah, it's not that many. Anyway, think about how many people in this room I HATE. / Athena: Heh Heh / Athena: but maybe--maybe there's like, ONE person in this room who's so completely in LOVE with me that it cancels everyone else out. / Athena: Like a nerdy first year or something.
Look At Your Face Phoebe: The mean candy store lady likes me. / Ross Currier: She likes me too! It's funny, all these people in town who are supposed to be so mean, they all like me! I wonder why? / Sarah Currier: LOOK AT YOUR FACE!! / Ross Currier: The mean bakery lady? She likes me too. Maybe it's just because we're all assholes, so we all get along. / Sarah Currier: Look at this face!
actionathena.com ? Archive ? Look At Your Face Phoebe: The mean candy store lady likes me. / Ross: She likes me too! It's funny, all these people in town who are supposed to be so mean, they all like me! I wonder why? / Sarah: Look at your FACE!! / Ross: The mean bakery lady? She likes me too. Maybe it's just because we're all assholes, so we all get along. / Sarah: Look at this face!
Planz WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO: / Graduate [[Four issues of Burn Book]] / SUMMER ROADTRIP [[People in car going "Woo!"]] / ATTEND CCS!!!!!! [[white river junction, comics, comics, COMICS]] / JOB IN MINNEAPOLIS [[Minneapolis skyline]] / APARTMENT W/PHOEBE [[Apartment interior]] / BOOK! [[My first book!]]
BACK Sarah Currier: Am I the ONLY ONE in this house who can change a battery?! / Phoebe: I REFUSE to change the smoke alarm battery because I hate them. / Athena: Batteries? / Phoebe: Smoke alarms. They're SO annoying. In my house, I won't have any. / Sarah Currier: The alternative to smoke alarms is to suffer the MOST HORRIFYING AND PAINFUL INJURY POSSIBLE! / Athena: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha / Sarah Currier: OR DEATH. THE OTHER OPTION IS DEATH. / Athena: ha ha ha ha ha ha / Athena: ha ha And how do you know so much about what it feels like to burn to death? / Sarah Currier: I've seen enough doctor shows! / Athena: ha ha ha ha ha You are the most morbid woman alive! / Sarah Currier: You're gonna make a comic about this, aren't you? / Athena ha ha ha ha ha
Pictures and Words Athena: I used to be all about words. / Athena: They came pouring out of my mouth. / Athena: And onto the page. / Athena: There are so many things I need to say. / Athena: And I'd like to say them as accurately as possible. / Athena: But... / Athena: Over time... / Athena: I find I have become more interested in drawing. / Athena: A less direct form of communication. / Athena: The other day I tried over and over to compose a letter. / Athena: To a boy who hurt my feelings. / Athena: But just thinking about it made me sleepy. / Athena: I was interested in a less direct form of communication. / Athena: Instead of a letter for him... / Athena: I made this comic. For me.
 
Excuses, Excuses Trying to help Phoebe come up with an excuse to bail...but I did not get enough sleep last night. / [[Phoebe's phone goes bzz bzz bzz.]] / Phoebe: What excuse should I tell Janet? / Athena: Um, tell her you're in the middle of something. / Athena: Or that you have a plan.
The Saint Paul House [[Four drawings of the St Paul house, on Laurel Avenue, where Athena once lived with Chris Schodt and Ian.]]
Homesick [[Athena's stomach rumbles.]] / Athena: Oof. / [[Athena puts her hands to her mouth.]] / Athena: Urp. / Athena: VOMM / [[Athena throw up spectacularly.]] / [[Athena sits and stares at the pile of vomit. It says "homesick."]]
Hourlies 8:45 AM / Woke up. / Athena: ugh. / Talked with a lady in CORC about finding grad school $$ / 9:45 AM / Went back to my warm room. / Thought about working on "Hick." / Athena: I miss coffee. / 10:45 AM / Worked on Hick. / Athena: grumble grumble / ...and read blogs. / Athena: hee hee / 11:45 AM / LUNCH: grilled cheese, peas. Little kid comfort food. / Walked to the Bridge. / Athena: You are not coffee, Naked juice! / 12:45 PM / Worked on an article for "Hick" about my parents. / Read the Mpls Cartoonist Conspiracy's January jam comic. / Athena: HA HA HA / 1:45 PM / Took a "break" to edit comics in PhotoShop / Athena: My "breaks" are just different work. / WROTE STUFF. / Athena: sigh. / 2:45 PM / WROTE SOME MORE / I've got to break free from your lies, you're so / AND DID LAYOUT / 3:45 PM / AND MORE LAYOUT / Athena: Almost there! / COMMITTEE = EMAILED! / 4:45 PM / I celebrate by cleaning. / Had an altercation with a visitor. / Athena: Could you please leave? / 5:45 PM / Beer! / Worked on comics. / Athena: yay. / 6:45 PM / DINNER: cheese bread with poached eggs, peas. Very similar to lunch. / Watched my computer. [[Big Love.]] / 7:45 PM / Moan & Dove! With Sarah, Sasha, Jonah, + Lizz! / All: Hampshire gossip! / First Year Nostalgia / Sarah Danson: kosher mod / 8:45 PM / Still at the Moan & Dove! / Us: oh god, FIRST year! / Hooray! / All: oh god, CONNOR! / 9:45 PM / Back to the mod / All: israel/palestine / Horror movie + comics! [["The Ruins."]] / 10:45 PM / IT'S A SCARY MOVIE! / SCARY PLANTS! / 11:45 PM / Comics and... / Lizz: Can we talk? / INTENSE DISCUSSIONS! / 12:45 AM / Feeling shaky / Athena: Lizz is so great...but I still fucking hate it here. / Hannah: HEY! Wanna look for a party? / But there were no parties. / 1:45 AM / Shower. / Bed.
actionathena.com ? Archive ? Cute Preppy Boys Athena with cartoon bubble with a heart with exclamation point. / Hansome preppy young man / Athena pointing to previous frame: See that? that's the kind of preppy guy I always figured I'd date at college. / Athena: It hasn't worked out that way. / Athena: Dudes like that tend to go for girls like that. (Pointing to next panel) / Raina: My name is Raina. I'm frail. / Athena: I think I scare away those cute, geeky types. / Athena: I'm ready for that. (Hearts above head. Pointing to next frame) / Bare-chested hunk holding up half a dead tiger in each hand.
 
Thus She was certain that everyone hated her. / THUS / Everyone did. / Athena: See?! I was RIGHT!!
In Defense of Bitching IN DEFENSE OF BITCHING / For as long as I can remember, I have loved to bitch. / Athena: bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch! / (My definition of "bitching" being to rant, gripe, badmouth, trashtalk, and generally tear to pieces those people and institutions you find disagreeable.) / Athena: bunch of ASSHOLES, amiright? / Friend: don't I know it! / Given the word itself, I think it's safe to say that bitching is a trait historically ascribed to females. / I've often been labeled a "gossip" and it's a label I won't refute. But I think there's more to it. / Sarah Goldfeather: Did you hear about--? / Athena: Do tell! / I don't just like to TALK about people. I like to BITCH about people. / Nay; I NEED to bitch about people. / Why is it so important for me to dissect the things and people I hate, and the reasons for my hatred? / Am I just mean? Bitter? Petty? Shallow? / Men have been calling women such things for centuries. / Gentleman 1: petty bitches. / Gentleman 2: here here / But I take offense to that. And in Bitching Tradition, I feel compelled to dissect WHY. / Marjane Satrapi, of "Persepolis" fame, has written some other books as well. "Embroideries" is one of them. / It's not about war; just some conversations between the women in her family, about men and sex. The women laugh, they poke fun. They bitch. / Their stories describe the unfairness of being a woman in a society designed fro men, but they're told with humor. / "he doesn't know that every time he kisses my breasts, he's actually kissing my ass." / Sometimes (like when you're part of a not-so-powerful minority) bitching is all you can do. / Black Lady 1: WHITE people. / Black Lady 2: seriously. / Or like, sometimes after a particularly pretentious class? / Athena: And THEN he had the AUDACITY to say-- / Yeah, it's every human's duty to fight back. But for all the daily shit? Ya gotta bitch a little. / Lady 1: oof. / Lady 2: agreed. / So why does bitching have such a stigma of pettiness? / Athena [[ala Cathy]]: ACK! / Life is complicated. The world is tough. What is gained by keeping all negative opinions to yourself? / [[The Woman Who Never Bitched stands glowing on a hilltop.]] / To me, bitching seems crucial to one's mental well-being. How reassuring to learn taht there are others who hate the same things you do! / Athena: siggghhh! / That is why I love my sister more than I love anyone else. There is no one else around whom I can bitch more freely. / [[Athena freaks out.]] / Phoebe: Oh, I know. / Close friends are those around whom you can speak your mind. And my mind, you see, is not always positive. / Athena's Brain: bitch bitch bitch! / Last summer, my family hosted an exchange student for three weeks. Phoebe wasn't very fond of him...until she discovered they share many of the same dislikes. / Moshe: and grapefruit, and ugly babies, and weird feet. / [[Phoebe and Moshe bridge the cultural gap.]] / And when a new employee joined Hogan Brothers, Phoebe wasn't sure what she thought of him...until she started giving him shit, and he gave it right back. / Phoebe: hey dumbass, wanna move those trays NOW? / New Guy: when I'm fucking READY, how 'bout that? / The comfort of finding someone you can gripe and bitch around is so great, in this case it made Mr. New Guy win out in a round of Marry Fuck Kill. / Phoebe: oh, I'd fuck New Guy. / Girl Employee: me too! / Seriously, this is not how you become my briend: / Some Girl: omg, you are SO sweet and pretty! / THIS is: / Some Girl: You know who I HATE? THAT guy. / Maybe bitching is important because the things we DISLIKE say more about us than the things we LIKE. / Athena and Some Guy: I hate that too! / What I'm saying is...bring your bitching to me, please! / [[Athena's room, with cookies and tea, and a sign that says "The Bitch Den."]]
actionathena.com ? Archive ? In Defense of Bitching For as long as I can remember, I have loved to bitch. / Athena: bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch / (My definition of "bitching being to rant, gripe, badmouth, trashtalk and generally tear to pieces those people and instituteions you find disagreeable.) / Athena: bunch of assholes, amiright? / Friend: don't I know it! / Given the word itself, I think it's safe to say that bitching is a trait historically ascribed to females. / BITCHES / I've often been labeled a "gossip," and it's a label I won't refute. But I think there's more to it. / Friend: Did you hear about -----? / Athena: Do tell! / I don't just like to talk about people. I like to bitch about people. / bitch bitch bitch bitch / Nay; I need to bitch about poeple. / Why is it so important for me to dissect the things and people I hate, and the reasons for my hatred? / Athena: xy * 2x/s + 2x, etc. = HATE / Am I just mean? Bitter? Petty? Shallow? / Men have been calling women such things for centuries. / Man 1: Petty bitches / Man 2: Here, here. / But I take offense to that. And in Bitching Tradition, I feel compelled to dissect WHY. / Marjane Satrapi, of "Persepolis" fame, has written some other books as well. "Embroideries" is one of them. / It's not about war; just some conversations between the women in her family, about men and sex. The women laugh, they poke fun. They bitch. / Their storeis describe the unfairness of being a woman ub a society designed for men, but they're told with humor. / Woman: He doesn't know that every time he kisses my breasts, he's actually kissing my ass. / Sometimes (like when you're part of a not-so-powerful minority) bitching is all you can do. / Woman 1: White people. / Woman 2: Seriously. / Or like, sometimes after a particularly pretentious class? / Athena: And then he had the audacity to say-- / Yeah, it's every human's duty to fight back. But for all the daily shit? Ya gotta bitch a little. / Woman 1: Oof / Woman 2: agreed. / So why does bitching have to have such a stigma of pettiness? / Athena: ACK! / Life is complicated. The world is tough. What is gained by keeping all negative opinions to yourself? / Arrow pointing to angelic woman: The Woman who never bitched. / to me, titching seems crucial to one's mental well-being. How reassuring to learn that there are others who hate the same things you do. / Athena: siggghhh! / This is why I love my sister more than I love anywone else. There is no one else around whom I can bitch freely. / Athena: growling / Phoebe: Oh, I know / No one else around whom I can be so completely myself. / Close freinds are those around whom you can speak your mind. And my mind, you see, is not always positive. / Brain: bitch bitch bitch / / Last summer my family hosted an exchange student for three weeks. Phoebe wasn't very fond of him...until she discovered they share many of the same dislikes. / Moshe: and grapefruit, and ugly babies, and wierd feet / Phoebe: !!! / Bridging the cultural gap / And when a new employee joined Hogan Brothers, Phoebe wasn't sure what she thought of him...until she started giving him shit, and he gave it right back. / Phoebe: Hey dumbass, wanna move those trays NOW? / Mr. New Guy: When I'm fucking READY, how 'bout that? / The comfort of finding somewone you can gripe and bitch around is so great, in this case it made Mr. New Guy win out in a round of Marry Fuck Kill. / Phoebe: Oh, I'd fuck New Guy / Employee: me, too! / Seriously, this is not how you become my friend: / Beautiful blonde: OMG you are so sweet and pretty! / Athena: frowning / THIS is: / Beautiful blonde: You know who I hate? That guy. / Athena: smiling / Maybe bitching is important because the things we DISLIKE say more about us than the things we LIKE. / Athena and friend: I hate that too! / What I'm saying is...bring your bitching to me, please! / The Bitch Den
Money Athena: Fucking dip ink! I can never get it to turn out right. / Athena: But regular pens look so unprofessional. / Athena: I've had bad luck with art supplies, lately. Spent more money on them than I'd like to... / Athena: God, MONEY! That's all I'm thinking about these days. / Athena: $16,000 (tuition) + $3,200 (lodging) X2 (years) = $38,400 plus food and art supplies... / Athena: woah / Athena: How am I gonna do this? What am I thinking? / Athena: I just-- I just-- / Athena: I can't think right now.
Hey Mr. Arnstein IN THOSE SPARE MOMENTS THIS SPRING WHEN I AM NOT MAKING COMICS, I AM...ROCKING OUT TO GIRL MUSIC. / Athena; I'm Mrs. OH MY GOD that Britney's shameless / Athena: It's TOO LATE to make it right, I prob'ly wouldn't if I could / Athena: 'Cause I was there when you said FOREVER and ALWAYS / Athena: Hey Mr. Arnstein, HERE I AM!
Madelyn Hartke and the Dumb Fingers MADELYN HARTKE AND THE DUMB FINGERS
 
It Ain't Easy Bein' Div III IT AIN'T EASY BEIN' DIV III / On Friday I was being awful self-pitying about being back at Hampshire. / [[Sex noises.]] / Over Janterm, all of my modmates because un-single. / So I went to the library to write in my JOURNAL. / Athena: Like a goddamn 15-year-old-girl. / And I bitched on the phone to my far away best friend. / Athena: My life is so HARD! / Sarah Goldfeather: hmm. / And went back to my room to play moody bluegrass. / BUT THEN: / [[Athena's phone goes bzz bzz bzz.]] / Athena: ? / Message 28: I want to see you tonight! What's up? / From: Sierra / 8:52 pm 1/29/10 / Athena: SIGH...Well I SUPPOSE I could spare an hour or so. / [[Athena walks across the field toward Greenwich.]] / (oh it is so cold.) / Athena: hello...? / Sierra: ATAYNA / Sierra and I spent last spring in Berlin together. / Seeing her face brought that whole semester back in a flash. / Athena: We did so much cool stuff there! / I started thinking about how many great experiences college has offered me. / Athena: They gave us 300 euros a month... / Who knows whether I'll be able to afford to do ANYTHING once I graduate? / By Saturday I'd found new things to be self-pitying about. / [[Dollar signs surround Athena's bed.]]
Ira Glass Loves The O.C. HERE COMES JONAH / Jonah: They're nice, it's just that, y'know, niceness is not exactly conducive to... / Athena: Being funny? / Jonah: Yeah, or-- / Athena: Having fun? / Athena and Jonah: HA HA HA HA HA
I Have Opinions About Popular Television Shows! Lizz: Ugh, I hate it when straight girls make out with each other in front of boys for attention. / Nate Wootters: I'm pretty sure I've propositioned all of my guy friends at some point. Just, y'know. Putting it out there. / [[Pause.]] / Jonah: You've never propositioned ME-- / Nate Wootters: You're not my friend.
Lovely Spam, Wonderful Spam Chris Semple: What time did you get up this morning, Athena? / Athena: Around 8:30. / Chris Semple: Hmmm. Ohhh. Okay. Okay, I'll buy that. I will buy that. / Athena [[suspicious and annoyed]]: What time did YOU get up this morning? / Chris Semple: I NEVER WENT TO BED! / Athena: Then I don't want to talk to you.
Lovely Spam, Wonderful Spam Chris Semple: What time did you get up this morning, Athena? / Athena: Around 8:30. / Chris Semple: Hmmm. Ohhh. Okay. Okay, I'll buy that. I will buy that. / Athena [[suspicious and annoyed]]: What time did YOU get up this morning? / Chris Semple: I NEVER WENT TO BED! / Athena: Then I don't want to talk to you.
Poopy Underwear Diana: Um, hey guys, can I use your bathroom? / Hannah: Sure! What's up with yours? / Diana: Well, the upstairs one isn't so bad. There's just dried pee all over the seat. I think someone was drunk and...missed. / Athena: And the downstairs bathroom? / Diana: Oh, well, in that one, there's a pair of boxers on the floor with a big ol' poop stain on them. / Athena and Hannah: ewwwwww. / Hannah: You are free to use our bathroom WHENEVER you want. But the person whose boxers those are is no longer welcome in this house!
 
Drag Ball Nick Drozd [[speaking to Athena]]: Oh, there was something I was meaning to tell you... / [[He pauses, trying to remember.]] / Nick Drozd: Oh yeah! I was asking a friend if it's stylish to roll your shirt sleeves up over a sweater, and he said... / Nick Drozd: ...only if you want to look like Ellen DeGeneres.
Plot Twist [[Athena hovers above the Midwest, a jet pack on her back, a suitcase in each hand. She stares down at the state of Minnesota, which has an arrow on it point to Northfield. She smiles, a heart issuing from her mouth.]]
Things That Lonely Middle-Aged Women Like Athena: Okay so it would appear that I am allergic to caffeine. / [[Athena sniffs at a hot cup of coffee, from which the word "evil" steams out.]] / Athena: Folks, this is a major bummer. / Athena: CATS and CAFFEINE are basically my two great loves, yet my body has rejected both. / Athena: I really think I could live happily alone my whole life long if I just had those two things. / Athena: BUT I cannot have them. HEART = BROKEN. / Athena: With what can I replace them? I am brainstorming. / [[Athena disdainfully holds up a BABY and a BOYFRIEND.]] / Athena: Baths? Booze? Dancing? Drugs? Dogs? / Athena: Sigh. / Athena: Caffeine: it was swell while it lasted. I'll miss you.
Gonna Say Balls Ian: Man, I'm gonna miss the...SHIT out of you. / Chris Schodt: Aw! / [[Pause.]] / Chris Schodt: You were gonna say balls, weren't you? / [[Ian nods, shaking with laughter.]]
I Think I'm Gonna Like This Gap Year Thing Athena: I think I'm gonna like this gap year thing! / [[Athena tosses a beret into the air. A totally unnecessary Mary Tyler Moore reference.]] / By living at home, I can save money, working at a not-TOO-stressful job... / ...maybe two! / Or maybe teach a class at the Northfield Arts Guild? / Athena [[to some children]]: COMICS / And I can apply to LOTS of grants and scholarships! / I definitely hope I can improve my drawing abilities. / I can work on improving Action Athena... / Athena: advertising? conventions? store? standard size? toys? business cards? / ...and submit some work to anthologies and publications. / I can record my songs... / (And play with my dad's band!) / ...and make stupid music videos. / I can...practice driving. / And get outside more! Take long walks! / (And convince the parents to get a new dog?) / I can learn more about Northfield... / Participate in community theater? / Grow my hair? / But above all... / I wanna write my first long(ish) comic story. / [[Athena holds up a book that says "mine."]]
 
The Terrible Twos [[Athena stands, naked but for party hat and party popper, with an evil grin.]] / SOMEBODY IS 2 YEARS OLD TODAY!
Dixie DIXIE: By Athena Currier / Athena: My family bought Dixie the summer I was twelve. / Athena: She cost 400 dollars. / Sarah Currier: Sigh... / Athena: She's supposedly a Jack Russell Terrier. But we have our doubts. / Athena: She's built like a brick. One summer she got hit by a car... / Dixie: YELP! / Athena: ...And literally just got up and kept running. / Athena: Dixie is hideous, stubborn, smelly, and mean. / Athena: Phoebe loves Dixie unconditionally. / Athena: Among other things, she calls her: / Phoebe: Goose, Cherry Blossom, Baby Girl, Angel / Athena: Dixie loves Phoebe back. But Dixie hates me. / Athena: Whenever I command her to stop jumping, or sit in her bed, she growls. / Athena: My mom swears it sounds just like she's saying / Dixie: FUCK YOU. / Athena: One time, near Christmas, while the whole family was out, Dixie went digging under the tree. / Athena: We returned to find she had unwrapped just one present, a book for me: / Book Cover: Love That Dog / Athena: It's fun to impress guests by showing them all the tricks Dixie can do. / Athena: She rolls over, walks, and jumps through hoops. / Athena: When mom is home, Dixie follows her from room to room ALL DAY LONG. / Athena: At night, she gets under the blankets to compulsively lick mom's feet. / Athena: Dixie is compulsive about everything. Drinking water... / Athena: Eating... / Athena: Destroying her toys... / Rawhide Bone: makes her fart AWFUL. / Kong Toy: supposedly indestructible. HA. / Athena: If you hold Dixie's paw, she snarls. / Athena: Dixie, hold my hand. / Athena: It's really funny. / Dixie: snrk SLPPT srrnk / Athena: This April, Dixie will celebrate her 10th birthday. / Athena: Her body is covered in horrible pink moles.
actionathena.com ? Archive ? At Least I’m Still Showering Athena pulling off clothing: Okay. Just gotta go take a shower real quick now and / Athena naked: And then i can start in on that assignment and / WAIT. I'M NAKED. / Athena wraps towel around herself: Geez, Athena. You know you have HOUSEMATES. / Athena toweling off: Okay now. I've just gotta brush my teeth and then / Athena naked again: WAIT. NAKED AGAIN. / Athena wearing ugly bathrobe: Athena. YOU ARE FAILING AT LIFE! (and social norms).
Pillow Talk Rock Hudson carries Doris Day through the streets of New York City, with her bed sheets and all, at the end of the film "Pillow Talk."
Some Really Dorky Fan Art InfoMania: / Ben Hoffman, Sarah Haskins, Conor Knighton, Brett Erlich, Sergio Cilli, Bryan Safi.
 

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