Advice Comics was a collaborative comics project in which people would send in questions they were struggling with, and a cartoon character would answer them. My character was named Mulbert: a moose who works in a deli. Lacking drawing talent, I only did the art for a couple of Mulbert responses; the majority were generously drawn by a succession of brilliant comics artists like Marc Pearson, Lizzie Nagy, Mimi Chrzanowski, Aaron Billings, Carla McCrae and Ben Juers. Here are some of my favourite questions I answered during the project’s life.
Q: how do you find your way out of a relationship that is killing you when you feel magnetically pulled towards it?
(Drawn by Lizzie Nagy.)
Q: Dear Mulbert, if life means different things to every person, doesn’t that therefore suggest that life has no inherent meaning and, moreover, life is meaningless? This confuses me frequently… Why should I continue without purpose, in the face of the necessary struggle it takes to survive? Thanks xx
(Drawn by Marc Pearson.)
Q: dear mr. mulbert, i am beginning to think that no one ever love me romantically or ever find me sexually attractive. i’m a 17 year old girl and i’ve never even held hands with a boy. HELP!!ME!!
(Drawn by Mimi Chrzanowski.)
Q: hey mulbert. how hard is too hard?
(Drawn by Ben Juers.)
Dear Mulbert, I don’t know what I should do in the future. My friends have everything figured out already, but I just can’t decide on a career to pursue.
(Drawn by Aaron Billings.)
Q: Mulbert, how do you deal with grammar bullies?
(Drawn by Marc Pearson.)
Q: i over think things and never end up doing anything fun because i think it will end badly .I’m becoming sadder and sadder what do I do?Bad judgmental , homopobic, racist , horrible thoughts are clouding my mind ,and I no longer know what is important to me. My head hurts constantly and I isolate myself from others.What do I do to feel like a person again?
(Shameless photo-poaching off of Google by me.)
Q: Dear Mulbert, Sometimes I feel like no one understands me. Especially my foster parents, but especially my sexist, Cadillac driving boss.
(Drawn by Ben Juers.)
Q: Dear Mulbert, Even though I finished high school ten years ago, I still daydream about playing a song at the graduation concert, and the song makes everyone in my grade jealous and think I’m amazing. It’s about time I got over this fantasy, for the sake of personal growth. Any suggestions on how I go about this?
(Drawn by Marc Pearson.)
ada connor 