Harts Pass no. 776

 It's been a little while since my last haiku comic, but here you go for the end of 2025 and the always wide-open threshold of the new year ahead! 

Harts Pass no. 775

Fun as always to play with language and to try an adapt this traditional Christmas lyric into something that works for the wolverines and for the current state of the world. School is out as of Friday the 19th and I am looking forward to a little break and hopefully a little more snow :) 

Merry Christmas to all!

Harts Pass no. 774

Kit, like my daughter, is always pretty great at putting a positive spin on things. Hard to do when the last few days of rain should have been 4+ feet of snow and you are a wolverine that relies on late-season snowpack (and thusly any season snowfall) but here she goes again. And the mud puddle snowman drawing worked pretty well :)

Harts Pass no. 773

A few years ago I tried the "Walk in the Woods Wednesday" on for size here at Harts Pass Comics. I love the idea. I don't always put it into practice. That being said, I also DO feel Thor's pain when it comes to that rush of emotion over the last few weeks before the giving of gifts, etc.. I love making things for people. I don't always find myself with enough time to pull it off. The end result is stress and a little more worry than necessary about getting something that seems right. Excited to have family coming to visit and a change in the ebb and flow of the weeks and days regardless. It will all work out in the end :)

Spike's Zagtastic Day!

A little while back, author friend of mine (and New York Times Best-Seller!) Dan Gemeinhart and his Gonzaga University classmate Jabez LaBret, had the idea to publish a kid's book specifically for their  alma matter alumni. Potentially... this could even grow to an audience of other colleges and universities, but the idea was to create a book with a targeted appeal and also to leverage a percentage proceeds going back to the university or the university alumni association(s). Bright Dog Studio was born and I signed on to illustrate their first book! 

After a false start or two and working out a few of the kinks in any new venture, we are excited to say that Spike's Zagtastic Day is off to print and ready for holiday orders :) 

The full-spread cover wrap is shown above and a little bit of Gonzaga marketing should be heading out soon. While this little project was slightly unconventional in its origins, it is a full-fledged hard-cover picture book and the 28th of my career!

Missing my xc coaching days (2011-2023) for sure, but the last two seasons of free weekends and just a little less "scramble" to practices and meets and all of the stuff have enabled some additional art time that I was also craving. This book marks my second "return" effort to the kids book world (see If I Were a Fox)  and I look forward to getting more stories and artwork out n' about in the years to come!

With much gratitude to all involved... and a few more Spike preview images below.

- Erik

Harts Pass no. 667

For quite a few falls I pretty much missed the hunting season because I was coaching. And by that I mean I was never overly concerned with recreating out n' about in the woods when the hunters were out. I was gone every weekend at races with the team and the overlap just didn't factor into thinking. The last two falls... I definitely gave it some thought. No disparaging of the hunting crew here, just an awareness of shared use. But with "homecoming" upon us, the woods are a little less active. Onward and upward!

Harts Pass no. 766

Alas, this one had to happen quickly. I like the haiku of it, but I'm less enamored of the darker value scheme and the relative plain-ness of the backgrounds. Days like this...

 

Harts Pass no. 765

More wildfire smoke - a constant source of "inspiration" for this strip. That and my ever-positive kit. The later - AMAZING! - for former I could do without. Selfishly, at least I'm no longer coaching XC in the fall and no longer bear the responsibility for devising creative solutions to indoor athletic restrictions for days at a time. Thank you, Liam and co., for all of the excellent work that you have taken on in coaching those kids!!!

Harts Pass no. 764

More haiku. More juxtaposition of the calming sentimentality of these comics plus their wilderness inhabitants and the world at large. Day by day. Bird by bird. Faith in the greater good is one thing, but I probably need to find a way to act out loud. 

Harts Pass no. 763

Apparently I had some sort of brain glitch where I forgot to change the month on these comic dates. The first weeks of school. So it goes :) 

And on another note, there is an awful LOT of "nasty" coming from our president right now - further evidence of the irony or the "I'm rubber, you're glue..." juvenile attitudes that seem to "guide" him through most of his actions. 

Be nice! GRRR!!!

 

Harts Pass no. 762

I always wait eagerly for a break from the summer heat. So do the wolverines! 

 

Harts Pass no. 761

 

This feels pretty classic to me. The first day. Full of wonder. Full of dread. Welcome back!

Harts Pass no. 760

So this comic is NOT to say that I left a total garbage dump of a mess in my classroom in June :) That being said, the immensity of all that we were doing this week can (and does) sometimes seem like a lot. My #wolverinewisdom for the week is a good reminder that each thing accomplished - no matter how small - makes room for one more thing or give you one less thing to do and it’s always fun to meet the kids where they are at after a summer in the “wild” as well. GRRR!

Harts Pass... Late Summer Catch-up Posts!

These comics are lots of things, but first and foremost they are an enjoyable way for me to process the world in words and pictures. They are sometimes cathartic when it comes to an understanding of or a grappling with greater societal concerns - politics, culture wars, climate change, etc. - and they are sometimes nostalgic or reflective on my relationship with family or to the endless ecosphere of the North Cascades. They are always a hint of an idea processed and boiled-down just a bit into something new.

I haven’t been super consistent about posting this summer, but between visits to Spokane, San Francisco, and Seattle, the comics are still making their way to the Methow Valley News…

…even if that requires stopping at a Home Depot parking lot on my way back from Harborview Medical Center to steal some shade, 35 minutes of drawing in my car, and the complimentary WIFI in order to create and send this last week’s strip. The inspiration behind this last one should seem pretty obvious.

Oh, and by the way, school starts for all of us Methow Valley teachers next week!

GRRR!

Harts Pass no. 754

Summer thus far has been pretty great. Not too hot. Not too smokey. We’ve been at the fringes, but then the heat pulls back and the down valley dusky winds have generally scrubbed the lingering late-afternoon haze.

The start of this week was into the mid-upper 90’s… and it DID feel hot! I was out n’ about, but I also got in some water and I didn’t always go for a run at 3:30pm. People can be kind of dumb about that stuff. We should know better… but the day full of other things doesn’t always afford you the luxury of “best possible” options when it comes to exercise of work in the heat.

The wolverine wisdom? Totally spot on and true. The human hubris? Our Achilles heel for certain. GRRR!!!

Harts Pass no. 753

The public lands theme continues - for yet another day at least. Given the willy-nilly “see what sticks” nature of this so-called administration, who knows what kind of crazy circumstance we’ll be considering in another week or two… but for now it is this. Thanks to Kit for sticking her neck out there. And thanks to the many displaced and disenfranchised penguins who are doing their best to make their status known.

Harts Pass no. 752

With the whole recent spectacle of public lands profiteering, the wolverines have been paying attention… and the “Byrd Rule” saved us. And while it was good to see the people of this country rally from across the spectrum to protect our public spaces, it is likewise equally disappointing that the same sort of common ground can’t be found for the value of public eduction or the right of people in this country to love who they love, to make considered and personal decisions about their own bodies, and to be who they are regarding our trans and LGBTQ+ communities. “Rules” are good — I suppose — but at the same time a sense of human decency and a capacity for nuanced discussion — a striving for more and “inclusive” rather than less and exclusive — is still sorely lacking.

Harts Pass no. 749, 750, & 751!

Kind of an inside joke with this one - but for quite a few years now I’ve enjoyed riffing on the “lingo” of the JRH kids in particular. About the time of this classes middle school experience, “Gucci” was a thing that they would say. I suggested that “Gucci fire” would be even better, and I’ve been a strong advocate of that fact ever since :)

And then there is last week’s final anticipation of ALL of the time and opportunity that summer bring… It’s like 9 weeks of time and it will disappear in a heartbeat!

As I sit here this morning, however, 900+ miles away from home, it feels like the summer is getting off to a very productive start :)

Summer on!

A BOOK!

 

School is coming to a close, and LAST summer I was excited to be illustrating a brand new board book in the If I Were... series by Shelley Gill. THIS is the official cover and a few weeks back I also received an official printed copy of the book. I was still illustrating this project through the fall and sharing the progress with my students at school, so it was really fun to show them the final result.

It looks great, you can pre-order it now, and its release date is September 2nd. Stay tuned for more info as the summer wanders, and I'll be sharing some downloadable coloring book pages and a how-to-draw a fox video at some point later in July :)

PS Just a few of the cover development sketches shared below. I always love the sketching and discovering phase - and that includes thinking about color options as compared to the other books when you are working in a series. Thanks for reading!

Harts Pass no. 748

The end is SO close... you can almost reach out and grab it :) The late-May musings of a cartoonist/art teacher. Onward and upward to June 14th!

PS It's really not that bad, actually. While I don't exactly relish the pent up energy and "sense of the end" that is building among the student body... I DO kinda like 'em for all of their goofy earnestness. LOTS of plans for things to do this summer -- and I will relish that time no doubt -- but I'll look forward to the start of classes again in August. 

Harts Pass no. 747

I wrote/drew this comic on the plane ride back from my daughter’s college graduation. It was amazing, inspiring, and exhausting all at once :) On the major plus side - and I will just choose to believe that this can be true wherever you went to school and whomever you went through it with, the best part of it was seeing your kid just a little bit older… but VASTLY more independent and connected to a whole other world of peers and adults - professors, deans, parents of friends - friends. Witnessing those relationships fostered over the last four year in concert with all of the many countless hours spent working and socializing and dreaming and planning and changing dreams and plans — those are the many small things that amount to a whole heck of a lot when it comes to the next steps in life and the progress from here - onward and upward (or maybe sometimes back a step or two to pivot and adjust. Assess. Read the situation. Think on your feet. Apply what you know. Learn what you still need to know. SUPER proud of the kiddo and all that she has done and is doing. GRRR!!!

Harts Pass no. 746

A final call to action on the threats to the Endangered Species Act. As the author of this comic, I truly did spend several hours reading 100+ comments on this proposed change, and NONE of them were in its favor. Our comments will have very little bearing on what this so called administration chooses to do, but you can add the gutting of the ESA to your growing list of how they are “making America so super great again.” It is laughable… but also so deadly serious. No politicians in the position to affect change seems to be pushing back. The courts are the final guard rail and bogging things down with lawsuits and legal challenge seems to be the only option. Not very positive. Not any sort of “progress” but for the time being at least mitigating damage and holding steady is the only kind of “win.” Maybe at some future point in history we can look forward to some more positive and productive change.

Harts Pass no. 745

This IS an excellent time of year. SO much color with all of the new growth and the the flowers and the stark contrast of bright blue skies with snowcapped mountains in the distance… And this year has been particularly AMAZING regarding those flowers! For pretty much everyone you meet, the arrowleaf this year - and now the lupine - are in bloom larger and brighter and longer than almost anyone can remember. Impending summer? With your HOT, dry, wildfire potential? You can DEFINITELY wait!

Harts Pass no. 744

This week's comic was was also posted (along with the thoughts written below) as a comment on proposed definition changes to the Endangered Species Act:

I will say in a nutshell that it is very worth revisiting the origins of the ESA and the even slightly earlier start of said programs and protections under the Nixon administration. The bald eagle, a symbol of our nation and a representative icon of both our truest freedoms and strengths, was at one time suffering greatly from a proliferation of DDT in our pesticides and fertilizers. Egg shell were too thin and mortality rates were high. This vaunted species, native to America, was being killed off and "harmed" in irreparable ways that were not intended nor intentionally targeted. Via this proposed new kind of wordsmithing RE the "best meaning" of the language with respect to "take" vs "harm," such a change would argue that we should have just let that eagle die. This is clearly NOT what happened, and in fact the adjustment to our use of certain chemicals (again not obviously meant to target the eagle) did in fact save that animal and result in its removal from the endangered species list. When the research shows that certain species are suffering and struggling to survive as a result of human impacts... then ignoring such research amounts to an intentional "take." If you don't change what you do in order to mitigate the documented "harm," then intention and a willful ignorance of consequence is equated to "taking" and/or targeting the life and viability of that species. Harming a species home or its food source or its ability to move or adapt to change is tantamount to targeting. The two words are inseparable and the retention of both adds deeper meaning and important nuance to the act.

If you would like to make your own voice(s) heard, comments on the proposed rule must be submitted by Monday, May 19, via (Docket No. FWS–HQ–ES–2025–0034) or by mail to the address listed in the Federal Register notice.

Harts Pass no. 743

"Happy Earth Day!" ...although as Melanie's expression shows, it is hard to see that reflected in any of our current governmental actions. Protecting and conserving a precious resource is NOT about extraction or energy dominance. It is making a mockery of serious things to say that our safety as a nation cannot also be accomplished without developing every last mineral resource in our country. "Harm" as a term being bandied about in a re-imagining of the Endangered Species act most DEFINITELY relates to preserving a life-sustaining habitat and not just whether or not you are actively hunting or trapping or seeking to "take" a species. Think about that this Earth Day. Think about a future beyond your own singular life and time of existence on this planet.

Harts Pass no. 742

Word play :) A not uncommon idea that is fun to use in the comics format. Principled. Principal. As luck would have it, the publication of this comic falls on the very exact day of our own excellent high school principal's birthday. This kind of job always had its challenges, but being a classroom teacher myself, I know first hand that post-pandemic academics, pervasive cell phone use, funding shortages, and ALL of the myriad things have only made it harder. Maintaining your principles under a constant barrage of shifting circumstance and change is no small task. Thanks very much to those who do, and an extra thanks (and appreciation) for getting to work with one of those people.

 

Harts Pass no. 741

An easy ask for the second Wednesday in April, this comic combines a bit of seasonal change, the “April is Poetry month” theme, and the haiku comic format. I don’t often spend quite this much time with the greyscale scenery, but when I do give myself the time and space it’s usually a satisfying challenge. And for some added value here: syncopated - a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm. There seems to be a LOT of that out going on out there…

Harts Pass no. 740

Another day at the Canadian border. Another day of mindless uncertainty and ridiculous, bombastic statements that mean nothing. The emperor has no clothes... but his naked aggression is nonetheless hurting a lot of people. Also, the twisted and blatantly pointed irony of this "liberation" day catch phrase is painful.

Harts Pass no. 739

I started the day looking for some sort of homage to spring… and ended up with this. The first line is from a Mary Oliver poem (apologies) - or at least the internet attributes it in some circles to her work - but from there it took on a Harts Pass life of it’s own. If you are a homeowner (or any kind of Cascadian wildlife) the sound of a flicker “pounding” on your roof in search of bugs is definitely NOT a hopeful sound of spring. Thankfully, it is usually short-lived as they move on to other sources once the rest of the insect world is a little more abundant.

Anyway, the constant drumbeat of the news cycle these days is pretty darn hard to escape… kind of like the flicker. One thing leads to another. With any luck the concentration of prey will disperse and the persistently destructive efforts of the hunter will lessen and fade over time. I suspect they shall, but it never hurst to throw few rocks in the direction of the noise and to make an effort to scare the pesky pecker back into hiding.

Harts Pass no. 738

Am I naive? Is this too much wishful thought? I think - fundamentally - that this is true, but at the same time such an implosion might only happen over SO many days or months or years that the victims of such a bully are irreparably harmed or systemically forced to alter the course of their lives…

This is happening, people. And from the observations of a lowly wolverine, we need to find the action that starts to put the bully back in his box. And better yet, helps him/them see that repression and hate and subtraction and restriction and retreat from the world are the things most TRULY antithetical to the so called American Dream.

Harts Pass no. 737

Last week I had Thor meet a fellow wolverine at the border - a Canadian wolverine named Wayne. This week that new relationship continues.

A VERY Sweet Polar Opposites Video - from the archives!

From the archives, but a very nice reminder that these books we make -- even if they aren't NYT #1 Best Sellers -- DO still find a life of their own and make an impact on the readers of the world. We need that now more than ever. Byyye!

Harts Pass no. 736

And for this latest week, another chance to ponder the ridiculous state of our national “leadership.” I can’t dig in too deep. I need to function. I need to be a positive presence in the world of my family, classroom, and community. Perhaps a few wolverines, including this first-ever sighting of Wayne (he’s Canadian), bantering about the border is something to consider. We shall see. Time marches on…

GRRR!!!

Harts Pass no. 735

I mean absolutely, FEBRUARY FLEW! The trip to CT and NYC was great, but it certainly didn’t help with the passing of time. Still snowy hear but close on the heels of a warmer week, the sun is starting to do it’s work. Tree wells open up. Non-compacted trails and roads are melting back to dirt… and then slowly creeping outward from there. Still below freezing temperatures at night will keep things at a slow but steady beat. The birds are back. Time IS marching on :)

Harts Pass no. 734

Another haiku comic… and this time a useful constraint for helping me to find just the right words to accompany the images in my head. The idea of being true to oneself is nothing new. Sadly the acceptance of such expression in whatever myriad forms that it may take is currently under fire. “All should be welcome.” Five syllables to end this comic. And SO much more than that!

Harts Pass no. 733

Another haiku comic. Another attempt to parse this moment in time and to say something relevant to both the world that I inhabit -- the cold temps that have gone on for weeks (and the theoretical world of the wolverine) -- and the backwards-thinking political ideology that is currently whipsawing our country. GRRR!!!

 

Harts Pass no. 732

And then there is the complete and total HAVOC that our political discourse is taking on my generally optimistic cartoon brain... Why DO all of these ridiculous powerful old men act SO afraid of so many things?

Harts Pass no. 731

The funny thing about teaching (as opposed to just working at home all day) is that I'm quite literally bombarded by a multitude of things from 60-70 different kids on any given day. Inspiration abounds! This week in graphic design I was introducing the golden ratio as a design constraint -- the golden spiral, the fibonnaci sequence of proportional numbers and shapes... and the kids were psyched about skiing. Anyway, so all of the bumps, the trees, and to some degree the arc of the ski jumping wolverine are all making use of the ratio. So it goes :)

Harts Pass no. 730

An annual attempt to honor MLK Day. And this time, in this year, the "double-down and rededicate" quote from his son feels appropriate to almost everything...

Harts Pass no. 729

Another #haikucomic and this one feels particularly right. No new snow of late, but the early winter was good to us and the bluebird days and cooler nights have even retained some powdery quality to the snowscape. Enjoy it while it lasts! GRRR!!!!

Harts Pass no. 728

Another wolverine pondering. Seemingly appropriate reflections as we settle in to the new groove for 2025. Only time will tell, and "easier" is a phrase fraught with degrees of interpretation.

Harts Pass no. 727

 

Happy New Year! Pay attention to the trends that seem positive and aspirational :)