So true. So very, very true.

Coffee love from Count Your Sheep

 

Before I say anything about this strip, I'd like to make it known that I'm not a huge fan of coffee. I am, however, a big, big fan of caffeine. Mountain Dew is my drug of choice, as I've always preferred cold drinks to hot ones (I'm avoiding Frappucinnos like the plague because I know if I ever have one it's going to be the end of my life). So I can appreciate how Laurie feels in this particular strip.

 

The thing I've always loved about Count Your Sheep is its "slice-of-life" feel, the idea that it really is just following around your average everyday struggling single mother and rambunctious young child. Lot's of people would like to draw parallels between Adrian Ramos work and the Calvin and Hobbes, but it seems like EVERYTHING gets compared to Calvin and Hobbes these days, and it's just not fair. Katie is not Calvin. She's sweet and innocent, if somewhat over-zealous at times. She's a real kid, which Calvin never was. And Laurie is not Calvin's parents. She can actually relate to her daughter as a person, and really has a much more healthy relationship with her child than Calvin's parents ever did. And finally, Ship is NOT HOBBES. I don't EVER want to hear Ship compared to Hobbes. Yes they are both imaginary friends. Yes, they are both animals. But Ship is companion to both Katie and Laurie. He tries to keep Katie innocent. He tries to keep Laurie sane. He's the calm amid the storm rather than the instigator and foil which was Hobbes.

 

But enough ranting. What I really want to say is that this particular strip is a work of art. It perfectly captures the spirit which embodies all caffiene addicts, which is their love of the drink. to us, the drink is pure, the drink is stability. It gets us through our day. And this love of the drink is summed up perfectly in Laurie's words. And then there's the artwork. Ramos mentioned that he could have extended the steam up even higher (a la infinite canvas), and I kind of wish that he had. The swirling and curling in a fantastical and almost whimisical manner fits not only the text of the strip, but the entire mood of Count Your Sheep as a whole (don't get me started on those blue backgrounds. Love 'em!).

 

This is one strip that's getting added to my permanent collection. Way to go, Adrian! *sticks gold star to forehead*