Quasi at the Quackadero, by Sally Cruikshank

As a whole I found the underground comics unit of our curriculum to be extremely inspiring and motivational. This intrigue was spread across the many comics that we read in class and for home work, but what really stood out to me was the Quasi series of animations by Sally Cruikshank. This animation shows off the true nature of underground media, where the creator is sharing their creation with you as directly as possible. A work like Quasi was not created by a board of men and women in suits, but seems to be a pure creative endeavor. The animated series features non sequitur adventures where most of the narrative is unexplained. Their is no intro explaining the universe we are about to enter, no development of the characters other than what is seen in the story itself. I feel this is an extremely pure and refreshing take on story telling especially in my generation when gender politic garbage and issues of representation bog down almost every form of media. An adventure with Quasi is universal in nature where representation is not a matter of skin color or reproductive organs, but feelings and behaviors. No character really stands out as a main character, and in the few stories we watched in class, most characters fluctuate between lovable, mischievous, and unlikable in the same way that real people are. I feel that the underground movement of this time is something needed in todays social climate due to it's positive "I don't care" attitude, where content isn't made based off market research and tailored to specific trends, but is just what the creators wanted to create. And in the discussion of representation I think abstracted media like Quasi is a great way to liquidate these restrictions. The one scene that sticks out most to me was when Quasi tells Anita to sit in a chair at a party and then pulls the chair from out from under her. This joke is something so universal and border transcending that it struck a chord in me and my friends, making us laugh genuinely at such a simple joke. I think the beauty of the underground movement comes from this spontaneousness and relatability, where you read a story and think "I thought I was the only one thinking like this". It can be a very comforting experience to see that the world isn't some squeaky clean sitcom where everything is okay and no one goes out of line. It's very easy as someone who is going on a non traditional path to think that they are some alien in a world of normal people, but I think the underground comics and animations show how no one is really normal and we all have weird thoughts and feelings, and how that is perfectly fine. I think we need more direct and personable storytelling in today's world, where everyone is thought policed and all ideas that don't meet the standards of liberal morality are fucking purged or persecuted. "He's disgusting for humping that statue of a little girl!" yeah go fuck yourself and come down out of you ivory tower and hang with the real people who have fucked up thoughts and make mistakes and aren't perfect justiciars of peace and humanity.