It’s Iimi! Did The Pope Actually Say It?

It’s quite possible that the Vatican will make a statement, assuming that the “private conversation” did not involve the seal of confession. In such a case, it’s possible that we’ll be told something I did not consider. If that happens, I’ll try to add a commentary about my understanding of this text above the comic.

After visiting Pope Francis, Joe Biden told the media (some sources seem to think he was just trying to dismiss the subject) that the Pope said he was a great Catholic and that he should keep on receiving the Eucharist.

In this comic, Iimi and Paula discuss the story. Iimi points out that right now, there are no facts or context to the claimed statement and looks into why we must not rashly assume that things are as claimed. We cannot accuse the Pope of ignoring the evil of abortion.

We can and must pray for the Pope and the President. If the reader is troubled, praying for peace of mind is also good.

(I will be resuming the current story arc. I just thought this should be written to address the concerns American Catholics are feeling.)

Notes from 2025. I published this mainly because then-President Joe Biden's pro-abortion stance scandalized Catholics. This seeming endorsement stirred up scandals from people with an agenda. Years later, I still have no idea what the real story was. I just know that the Pope is much more nuanced than people think. I know it wasn't an "endorsement" in any way.

It’s Iimi! At the Edge of the Oncoming Storm

Christians are not given special advantages in the material world, nor are we promised a life free of suffering. What we are promised is the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which brings us to the salvation Christ gained for us on the cross. 

It is important for us to pray always that we will not be put to the Test and strive to live according to our Lord's Commandments, loving Him with all our Hearts, Minds, and Souls and our Neighbor as ourselves, in case our Lord does call us to the test.

We should always keep this in mind. For we never know when we might find ourselves at the edge of the Oncoming Storm.

It’s Iimi! Christ Shield Me Today

With the fear over what might happen to the family and the fear that she might be targeted by those who think she’s a bigot, Iimi has a lot on her mind. But when we are targeted or fear the unknown, we need to put our trust in God, come whatever may.

The text on the title page is from the Lorica of St. Patrick.

Post-Comic Thoughts: This comic marks the first use of Clip Studio Paint (CSP) for the word balloons. It’s still a work in progress (I forgot to put the tails on a couple of balloons, and I need more practice in making connecting balloons look graceful). But I do think the result is less clumsy. It’s also an experiment with making characters in CSP interact with characters in Comipo.

It’s Iimi! What Will You Do Once You Learn the Truth?

Paula eavesdrops and hears something she was not supposed to hear about news that potentially means hardship for her new home. But did she hear it in context? And what will she do with the information? Meanwhile, Myrna tells Della something utterly unexpected that could shatter their friendship if either of them mishandles it. 

  

Post-Comic Commentary

So, we have a potentially controversial topic here. Some Catholics might see this as “caving in” on the issue of homosexuality. That would be a misinterpretation, however. I support the Church's teaching on the topic. This is more of a focus on the Catechism teaching that people with same sex attraction need to be treated with love and respect, even though we cannot support things that legitimize homosexual acts as “good.” So, if a reader is tempted to write an angry comment accusing me of rejecting Church teaching, don’t. It will be rash judgment.

I found Eve Tushnet's book Gay and Catholic useful in avoiding stereotypes and finding behavior that could show the love and support such a person might need in living their life in accordance with Church teaching. While I disagree with some of her opinions, I believe she intends to live a chaste lifestyle in fidelity to Church teaching. 

In doing research, I realized that one of Iimi’s views in an earlier comic was inaccurate. Iimi’s dialogue of “I used to think…” reflects that.

Myrna’s feelings for Della came around through an unintended consequence of the limitations of the Comipo program. All the female models have a slight blush in their cheeks. But it turns out that the color becomes more noticeable the darker the skin color. Also, when I designed Myrna, I wanted to give her narrower eyes. The combination gave Myrna the impression of looking at Della with affection and devotion. While there were ways to mask the blush, the combination intrigued me. So, I started dropping hints into the things Myrna said while keeping it vague enough to not give the secret away. I decided that as things heated up in Iimi’s school, bringing in someone they already knew would force the characters to shift from theoretical to “these are real people.”

It’s Iimi! Sisters In Arms…

The day after the graffiti slur was scrawled on Iimi’s locker, the girls must deal with rash judgment offered in support. A first-year student finds herself caught between her concept of social justice and Paula’s witness on how one can oppose something as wrong yet still love the person who commits the act.

Postproduction Notes: I hate creating “cardboard villains.” So it was a bit tricky writing the antagonists in this episode. Yes, I did want to show their position as wrong, but no, I didn’t want to create them as monstrous people either. Nor did I want Iimi and her friends to come across as insensitive. So, the dialogue on pages 4-6 was rewritten several times before I was left with the final result that I hope avoided both concerns.

“Shelia” from page 4 is an asset from Clip Studio Paint (CSP), which I used as an experiment. Since CSP allows more poses than Comipo, I wanted to see how well they worked together. So, I constructed the club room with Shelia in CSP, converted the result to a PNG file and turned it into a backdrop for Ms. Otios and Lisa to interact with in Comipo. It’s kind of a trade-off, as posing is better, but I can’t change expressions, and the hands are kind of mis-sized. But I’m still something of a novice with CSP, so this might improve over time.