#anakin needs help

[anakinneedshelp]

Line cut from panel three: "I'm the chosen one, what's to explain?!"

[anakinneedshelp]

Reining it in.

[soccialcreature]

helpher.gif

[anakinneedshelp]

I love this ask, it’s funny, painful, and true. And yes, I think Obi-Wan dies a little inside every time Anakin mentions Qui-Gon. The situation between the three of them is just so exquisitely sad, I work it into the comic when I can because I think it’s at the root of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s whole F’d up relationship.

I mean...here’s young Obi-Wan, the super senior of the Jedi Temple, who probably loves being a student and wishes he could just be Qui-Gon’s padawan forever. Then one day, surprise, all Qui-Gon actually EVER cared about was finding the chosen one, and once he finds him, he can FINALLY stop wasting his time with frivolous matters (training Obi-Wan) and get down to the actual core of his life’s work. But then double surprise, he gets killed, Obi-Wan can’t save him, and all Qui-Gon has to say to him as he dies is “Don’t forget about the chosen one, he’s literally all I care about.”

And on the other side of the equation...child Anakin is SOLD A BILL OF GOODS. I am saying he is promised one thing, and given another. He thinks he’s going to go learn how to be the most powerful jedi in the universe with the guidance of a warm, wise father figure. He thinks, “FINALLY, someone who will teach me how to use my powers, who will help me be strong, who will believe in me and understand me.” This works out for a hot minute, but then Qui-Gon dies and Anakin is dumped on Obi-Wan, who is not warm, not wise, and who has really only ever looked at Anakin with disgruntled unspoken envy. Where before Anakin seemed to have an advocate who would enable him to do all the things he’d ever dreamed of, now he has a warden who seems to only offer rules and limitations. It’s not he power fantasy he signed up for, and over the next decade Anakin never loses his desire for the kind of power and freedom Qui-Gon planned to give him, although no one ever offers it to him again (except, of course, for the second kindly father figure in Anakin’s life, the good Chancelor Palpatine).

And just for fun (because this is a fun topic, right?!), here are the Anakin Needs Help comics that deal with all this:

Ani and Obi argue passive agressively: http://anakinneedshelp.tumblr.com/post/51683939582/sad

Anakin sees Qui-Gon in a dream and is cruel to Obi-Wan: http://anakinneedshelp.tumblr.com/post/93916697534/mean

Anakin has another dream and Obi-Wan is cruel to him: http://anakinneedshelp.tumblr.com/post/134233524449/this-episode-of-anakin-needs-help-is-extra-long

The most recent comic, that inspired this ask: http://anakinneedshelp.tumblr.com/post/149277869139/still-trying-to-teach-him-things-still-failing

[anakinneedshelp]

Metapost: Anakinaversary Contest Results!

Hello readers! The Anakinaversary Contest went as well as I could have possibly expected it to - I loved reading your messages about your favorite strips! It makes me really happy to know that not only are you enjoying the comics, you like, really GET it. Your favorite strips and moments were my favorites too, and your responses contained the same kind of humor and insight into the Star Wars Universe that I try to put across in my comics. So thanks to everyone who messaged me, you’re awesome and I’m really glad you took the time to write in and enter the contest! It was a great Anakinaversary present :)

So who was the lucky winner of the random drawing? (drumroll)

Hattahightopp! Congrats! For their fabulous prize, I’ll be drawing them a custom limited-edition Anakin-related picture! We’re talking ORIGINAL DIGITAL ARTWORK here.

And if you’re interested in which comics were most favorited by readers, hit that keep reading thingie...

The most faved strip was Sphere of Influence, also known as The One With Anakin Doing a Cat Face. It’s also one of my favorites, as I’ve mentioned in past metaposts. 

Sphere of Influence

A few other strips exploring Padme and Anakin’s relationship dynamic were also reader faves (I think Anakin’s obsession with Padme is one of the saddest, scariest, most humanizing and most uncomfortable elements in the Prequels - so naturally, comedy gold!):

The One Where Ani is a Bad Listener

The One Where Ani Makes a Freudian Slip

The Mortis Arc was popular - the comic featuring “The Son” was the second most favorited. The Son was probably the most fun character to draw in this whole series. I put a lot of effort into the first panel where he appears (ie I looked at a screencap on google images), and then just totally wrecked his character design for the silly reaction shots. 

The One With The Son

The One With a Qui Gon Cameo

I was happy to see a few people picking this Tarkin comic as a favorite - I LOVE Tarkin. I like how he’s totally unafraid of Vader, and Vader seems pretty content to follow his orders. I tried to show the seeds of that dynamic in this comic.

The One Where Tarkin and Ani Get To Know Each Other

Strips from the Satine arc also got a few faves - I like these because of the classic “annoying guy and straight man” comedy dynamic between Obi and Ani:

Mandalore Plot

Voyage of Tempation

This one also fits into the Obi & Ani Girl Talk series:

The One Where Anakin Is Too Popular With the Ladies

And because I’m a completist, here’s a grab bag of the other strips readers picked as their favorites:

The One Where Ahsoka Flips a Table

I didn’t think I’d pull off the table flip, but I love how it turned out.

The One Where Anakin Angrily Longs for a Good Death

This one one of those strips where once it’s done I wonder if it’s funny or just depressing - I’m glad someone really liked it!

[anakinneedshelp]

Update: the contest is over! Stand by to find out who won.

Hello ANH Readers!

The two year Anakinaversary of this tumblr is May 25th! I love drawing this thing, and I love hearing your reactions to Anakin’s escapades in notes, tags, and messages.  Thank you so much for reading!

To celebrate, I’m gonna do a little contest/sweepstakes/giveaway thing. Here are the rules:

1. tell me about your personal favorite Anakin Needs Help strip! is there one that stands out for you? tell me! I’m obsessed with people’s reactions to these comics, it’s sad but true.

2. that’s it! just contact me through the ask box. i’ll pick an entry at random at the end of the day on Sunday, May 24th. so it’s not really a contest, more of a random luck thing (though in my experience there’s no such thing as luck).

3. what does the winner get?!?! you can choose one of these three options! 

Option 1: A coffee mug with Anakin crudely drawn on it! dishwasher safe?

Option 2: Don’t like drinking things in a mug? Have some Anakin stickers!

Option 3: Don’t want me to send something to your house? I’ll draw you some kind of anakin related picture with your creative input!

That’s it! So go ahead, hit the Ask or Fan Mail button for my account, tell me a comic you liked, and maybe you’ll get an extremely limited edition piece of Anakin Needs Help merchandise. Contest ends at 11pm EST Sunday, May 24th!

[marypenelope]

So, I finally got around to watching the Prequel Trilogy...

During Phantom Menace: Aw, Anakin, you're such a little cutie!

During Attack of the Clones: Um, okay Ani. Calm your Sith a bit.

During Revenge of the Sith: Anakin, st- Goddamnit Anakin, your Sith is showing..... For fuck's sake.