The Story Behind the Story: Love, Joolz

How a silly webcomic became my whole philosophy

So how did my webcomic, Love, Joolz get its weird name? I made a comic to explain just that.

This is especially timely since the Reuben Award Convention is this weekend and a lot of folks there kinda don’t know who I am or what I do.

I am a woman who decided to rip her personal truths out of her body and use them as a weapon. But I do it for everyone’s good. Hard truths can shatter your world but they can also set you free.

Of course none of this was my intention started this comic. I mainly began to blow off steam. My first Love, Joolz comic was a bit of catharsis about surviving emotional abusers (aka narcissists).

This comic kicked off Love, Joolz which would become a lot of catharsis comics for me, having survived a lifetime of emotional abuse and neglect from pretty much the whole damn world. But I chose to save myself. I chose to rise up and become the hero of my own story. I’d knock off two Love, Joolz a week just to have something me-flavored on social media. The down side to working on graphic novels and NDA work is that I can’t show my audience what I’m working on. But Love, Joolz? Nobody cold stop me from cranking these out. Not only did nobody stop me, I got encouraged to go forward. My comics were brutal and honest, but also loving, and affirming. My goal wasn’t always to make my readers laugh. Sometimes I’d make them sad. Sometimes, I’d make them think. Sometimes, I’d show them the horrors at the bottom of my soul. But most of the time I’d try to make them laugh.

Sure, I have horrors inside of me, but they are hilarious!

I found I had a fun time making stupid jokes on the internet for people to laugh at. I liked connecting with people and found I became good at landing a punchline in four panels. I never thought I could do that before. I had always thought I could only write graphic novels and long winded bullshit (Hi, substack). But the more I try new things, the more super powers I find.

But my greatest super power is my ability to love, especially to love a world that honestly hates me. But I don’t care. I love you anyway. I love you enough to tell you the truth. And the truth will set you right.

I saved myself with this webcomic. Now I’m going to save the rest of you.

-Love, Joolz