Part of me is really loving this journey that Hanna's been on. Even if it doesn't work for her, it's nice to see her make an effort to do some good in her life.
I guess I was having trouble relating to her behavior because I’m not the type to lash out when I’m in pain or bottle things up. I still don’t think this excuses her occasional nasty treatment of her friends – and she’s still got some serious issues re: her superiority complex – but it does put her into a more sympathetic perspective.
The layout here is particularly interesting. I like how all the space between panels serves as an indication of time passing without being too overt. Hanna’s emotional journey is implied rather than explicitly shown or told.
Wonderful. Just an incredible use of the webcomic as a format. A print comic just couldn't do this (though it'll be fun to see how it's done when this strip shows up in a later collection).
So I know this is a bit silly given how far the story has progressed, but can someone explain to me why Hanna and Marek broke up? I thought he was moving far away, but he appears to still be in the city?
They broke up because Hanna does not want kids, and Marek Definitely does. They waited until he graduated to make their final decision and both decided that they wanted different things.
We haven't had an explicit answer, but most people have interpreted it to be about their conflicting plans for the future: Marek wants children, while Hanna very much does not.
She actually completely drew and illustrated like 12 full pages and then painstakingly deleted individual panels until only this masterwork remained. Comics is serious business.
And Hanna wonders every night, does he feel this terrible too? Does he also struggle to suppress the memory of her all day, when everything reminds him of her? Or is it just her? It doesn't matter. It's getting easier as the months drag on.
Gobsmacking use of the webcomics format & one hell of a stunner, story-wise. Achieving such a visceral impact without using a single word? Even more impressive. Stuff like this is one of the reasons I pimp out Octo-Pie to anyone who'll listen.
There’s no limits to killin’ it. Given enough time and practice, we can all be killin it. Then the world is just.. full of…. okay, I can’t take this analogy any further or it breaks down.
–Oh man. This whole page is wonderful, like others have said, but my breath caught a second time when I finally saw the title (after having seen all the panels already). I love the mirrors and slow echoes in your stories.
I like that little downward spiral of getting smashed and drunk calling the ex, followed by the deletion of the contact. It's pretty much a modern day ritual.
So this is the first time I ever comment here. I have loved this webcomic since I have first discovered it and that was quite a way back. This is just so fantastic. I makes me feel big emotions and usually I am a very unemotional human being. Just awesome.
I figured she was just telling Eve about the catastrophic drunk dial to Marek that happened the night before. Must have been pretty bad to get Eve to make that face.
This is exactly how I interpreted it- she was regaling Eve with the story of the drunk dial. Particularly the placement of that panel between the act itself and Hannah deleting Marek's number from her phone seems the most logical.
Eve's face reminds me of mine whenever someone told me they had drunk dialed their ex. It's a mix of "ohgodpleasenotellmeyoudidn't" and "sheeeiiiit."
Can someone please explain why Hanna and Marek broke up. I've been reading this comic for a very long time… I didn't miss a single one but i'm at a loss. There was a vague mention she did it cause he was moving away.. .but not enough explanation for my taste. Insight would be much appreciated.
141 thoughts on “#742 – the witch lives”
@kayjayoh
This is brilliant, beautifully done, brutal, and sad. Oh, Hannah.
alabamaa
Stunning.
@EbonyxFlo
And so, life goes on.
j.peregrine
I wish I could just montage through this.
Veikun
The spacing between panels really hits hard…
… please excuse me I think my heart just shattered
bryanew710
Part of me is really loving this journey that Hanna's been on. Even if it doesn't work for her, it's nice to see her make an effort to do some good in her life.
000
So, heartbreak. And maybe depression?
I guess I was having trouble relating to her behavior because I’m not the type to lash out when I’m in pain or bottle things up. I still don’t think this excuses her occasional nasty treatment of her friends – and she’s still got some serious issues re: her superiority complex – but it does put her into a more sympathetic perspective.
The layout here is particularly interesting. I like how all the space between panels serves as an indication of time passing without being too overt. Hanna’s emotional journey is implied rather than explicitly shown or told.
Rain
She doesn't seem to have been abusive to them or anything. It's not like it's her job to pretend to be happy just for other people.
PleaseInsertPun
Wonderful. Just an incredible use of the webcomic as a format. A print comic just couldn't do this (though it'll be fun to see how it's done when this strip shows up in a later collection).
Theguy
Actually it could be with all the whitespace, just has to be formatted correctly.
1-2 panels on each page
Paul
Would work. Wouldn’t be the same.
Narf
Very much this.
Philip
this could totally be done in print. It would just take a lot of paper.
Scott Bieser
Yeah, pretty much.
Jaegermonster
oh wow… love the sense of time and silence in this one.
i’m also really proud of Hanna. it’s freaking hard to get up every day and keep going when you feel like she does.
Robin
Oof. This made me cry.
Leela
So I know this is a bit silly given how far the story has progressed, but can someone explain to me why Hanna and Marek broke up? I thought he was moving far away, but he appears to still be in the city?
…Help?
Ilene
They broke up because Hanna does not want kids, and Marek Definitely does. They waited until he graduated to make their final decision and both decided that they wanted different things.
PleaseInsertPun
We haven't had an explicit answer, but most people have interpreted it to be about their conflicting plans for the future: Marek wants children, while Hanna very much does not.
Leela
Ah thank you! That paints a much clearer picture.
david pablo cohn
Gorgeous! I love the way you've used whitespace to give a visceral feel for the passage of time. It works sooo well.
bryanew710
Admittedly, the first time I saw it, I thought my browser was having a hiccup, lol
nekobawt
I totally was waiting for the other panels to load before I started reading it. Too much time spent on tumblr, I guess?
ThEWhit
She actually completely drew and illustrated like 12 full pages and then painstakingly deleted individual panels until only this masterwork remained. Comics is serious business.
Anonymous
Indeed.
Worthwhile things can be envisioned and embraced with hopes, dreams, and passion, but making them happen is serious business.
anon
And Hanna wonders every night, does he feel this terrible too? Does he also struggle to suppress the memory of her all day, when everything reminds him of her? Or is it just her? It doesn't matter. It's getting easier as the months drag on.
wykstrad
And then she drunk-dials him. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Cri
That drunk dial panel is the single most accurate representation of one that I've ever seen.
Johnny
This is really great.
lise503
WOW I loooooove the use of white space to represent the passing of time. SO GOOD. Holy moly.
advancecasette
damn, this is awesome
echomanstl
Gobsmacking use of the webcomics format & one hell of a stunner, story-wise. Achieving such a visceral impact without using a single word? Even more impressive. Stuff like this is one of the reasons I pimp out Octo-Pie to anyone who'll listen.
ThEWhit
Jesus how does anyone else even try to make comics when you are straight killing it with every page goddamn.
Zee
There’s no limits to killin’ it. Given enough time and practice, we can all be killin it. Then the world is just.. full of…. okay, I can’t take this analogy any further or it breaks down.
cwbuecheler
I really think Meredith is doing the best work in webcomics right now.
Scott Bieser
Because we're a bunch of stubborn-ass motherfuckers. Brilliant work like this energizes us, inspires us to up our own games.
agnolan
Tears in my eyes. So relatable and so great. Jeez.
@michaelcoyote
Damn! This is so very good. The use of whitespace for pacing. The manic phone call. The "deleting contact".. This is soo good.
itsafinetime
Hannah: I'm glad you figured this out. The road is long and hard, but it's the only one that's passable.
Meredith: Thanks for the reminder.
The Toad
"the witch lives"
–Oh man. This whole page is wonderful, like others have said, but my breath caught a second time when I finally saw the title (after having seen all the panels already). I love the mirrors and slow echoes in your stories.
jon
Growing up and finding out who you are on your own is hard.
She's going to be fine. She's going to be stronger.
heywhosyourdaddy
Marek… *heart breaks*
Chris
One of the best webcomic strips I have ever seen.
Seriously, just wow!
You need a montage!
Jax
oh god. too real. the most real. the worst real. it's perfect.
Guest
Ah, Scott McCloud’s Infinite Canvas.
Dyana
I think Bill Watterson would be proud.
Dell
I just can't find the words…jesus…
Seeing your comics all of these years and then getting treasures like this, you are incredible.
This is so real I wanna cry.
@mikedoeslife
Wow, this was beautiful. Some of your best work yet. I went through all the emotions, all of themmmm.
@Javcomish
I like that little downward spiral of getting smashed and drunk calling the ex, followed by the deletion of the contact. It's pretty much a modern day ritual.
elton john
bomb-countdown contact deletion ticker: because a simple click&gone would be downright inappropriate in these devastating times
Dorie
As somebody going through exactly what Hanna is going through right now, this is painfully real and exactly what I needed to read.
James
THANKS FOR MAKING ME CRY YOU JERK
Kyle H.
Man, do I ever wanna bean you with a brick right now. <3
Kyle H.
Guys, do you even Ignatz?
t-rex
Oof. I've been there, Hanna. I've been there.
grantimusmax
Scott McCloud would be proud of this one. Hooray for medium experimentation successfully executed!
Baarogue
Hah I thought the same thing!
@cksaul
This is so brilliant, and heartbreaking. This story arc has been incredibly told.
kekx
So this is the first time I ever comment here. I have loved this webcomic since I have first discovered it and that was quite a way back. This is just so fantastic. I makes me feel big emotions and usually I am a very unemotional human being. Just awesome.
camthought
Followed this comic since Marek was explaining duck. Never before posted. But good gods damnit, this is just incredible. Meredith you are incredible.
Every page is amazing, making us care and love ever character, their faults, their triumphs, their ugly sides and their beauty.
jerkwallace
Aw, fuck, Hannah, what the fuck did you say to Eve. What did you say THAT CANNOT BE UNSAID, HANNAH.
Eff
I figured she was just telling Eve about the catastrophic drunk dial to Marek that happened the night before. Must have been pretty bad to get Eve to make that face.
wykstrad
I think she was recounting how she drunk-dialed Marek a few panels back. Looks like she had an extra-bad night and had to tell someone about it.
Cri
This is exactly how I interpreted it- she was regaling Eve with the story of the drunk dial. Particularly the placement of that panel between the act itself and Hannah deleting Marek's number from her phone seems the most logical.
Eve's face reminds me of mine whenever someone told me they had drunk dialed their ex. It's a mix of "ohgodpleasenotellmeyoudidn't" and "sheeeiiiit."
Scott
oh man…
Commodore Biggles
Masterful storytelling. All those moments add up to a whole.
tart
So much experience conveyed with no text. This is one of my favorite pages of the whole comic.
Amelia
Oh my goodness. Just… oh, Hanna. This page is just beautiful and heartbreaking.
annainvienna
Ahhhh. All the feels!
grimmorrigan
Thank you for telling this story, and for telling it so well.
aqwaplop
21,666 vertical pixels. There are no coincidences.
Marvin Choi
OMG THIS IS SO GOOD
Marlon
God Damn Meredith Gran, you're a master of motionless conveyance of emotion, and each perfect panel places my heart into different spaces – it's art.
Eric Hsu
That was beautiful! When you're healing, every little successful act, like cleaning a dish, feels like a struggle.
hailey
Can someone please explain why Hanna and Marek broke up. I've been reading this comic for a very long time… I didn't miss a single one but i'm at a loss. There was a vague mention she did it cause he was moving away.. .but not enough explanation for my taste. Insight would be much appreciated.