The origin of this strip was an article that I read on plant communication. While most of what we understand about plants "talking" to one another is chemical communication, they also emit ultrasonic vibrations that have been described as a "scream". Even though her best friend is a fully verbal angiosperm who may be quite knowledgeable in this area, Squeak's desire for experimentation cannot be suppressed. Flo, on the other hand, is deeply offended by her blatant disregard for privacy. 

 The idea that "give a penny take a penny" is a microcosm of the central principle of communism struck me one day whilst working behind the counter at a convenience store. I would watch this elegant system play out everyday and I kept close watch: ensuring that nobody threw in a dime or a battery or a piece of gum, or took more than they needed (after all, it required some government oversight to preserve integrity and equity). I thought about changing the sign to read "to each according to need, from each according to ability" just to see what would happen but I got fired before I had the chance. Okay, so maybe I was a little too concerned about regulating the penny dish and a little less concerned about monitoring actual theft; some teenagers were selling our candy bars down the street for half the price.

 Many years later, I thought this idea would make a nice Approaching Zero cartoon. It seems particularly apt now, when we are caught in some freakish age of social purity where pettiness reigns supreme. 

secular prayer

This strip originated because I attended a family dinner that began with a prayer. As I bowed my head in compliance, to avoid being rude, I wondered how the people at the table would react if I had them over for dinner and kicked it off with a prayer to satan: if they would similarly put aside their belief system so as not to be "rude". However, since I am an agnostic, not  a satanist, I thought that this might, in fact, be disingenuous. If I were to utter a sincere "prayer" before a meal it would thank the actual forces that made the meal possible, not some abstract, make-believe being. These are the thoughts I was having as I bowed my head. I said "amen" just in time so nobody was suspicious. 

Since a cartoon is an excellent medium for carrying out activities one is too cowardly to initiate in real life, Squeak is uttering this secular prayer. However, she leaves some important people out, including the clearly offended cook. In the meantime, Flo is offended by the utter disregard for her feelings regarding the ingestion of plant parts.  

The affiliations of the Approaching Zero crew is as follows: 

Kurtz: Skeptical humanist 

Divi: Tortured occult-curious agnostic  

Squeak: Radical atheist 

Finn: Cynical smarty-pants 

Flo: Spiritually fluid 

 This is the strip I gave to my friend Kerry for her birthday last year: March 19th, 2022. 

Babel

 In this strip, Flo is having an existential crisis and our crew of diehard logical positivists are trying to help her in the only way they know how. We also learn a little more of Flo's backstory. Of course we already knew that Arbian plants are sentient and that Flo was the first member of her divison to attend college (accounting for her ability to read). However, there are still many unanswered questions, like why she appears to be eternally in bloom. 

The origins of this strip are perhaps obvious to anyone who is both disturbed and impressed by denial. It is simultaneously mocking the "god saved me" complex and the "logic only" approach to coping with the insurmountable grief that arises from large scale traumatic events.

Think Outside the Lunchbox

 This strip is a blend of Greek mythology, science, neuroticism and lunchboxes. There's not much to say about it since it is essentially absurd and not making any profound statements. I don't even remember what inspired it. 

 I guess Squeak is going to school these days, which is a nice development. However, she's clearly not making any friends, especially now that she's allowed more evil to escape into the world. 

Earwigs!

In this episode, a little social commentary is delivered utilizing Squeak's early inclinations towards rebellion. She is quite a bit younger in this strip than in others. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is because the story of the Approaching Zero family is not told in a linear fashion. It also could be that the  drawing abilities of the cartoonist are to blame. Alternatively, it could be that Arbian time itself is not linear. There is no way to know for sure. 

If you look carefully you will notice that there is some extraterrestrial (extra-arbarian?) activity taking place as the drama is unfolding. These creatures make frequent appearances in Approaching Zero and their intentions remain ambiguous. Our crew is often too distracted to notice them, with the possible exception of Flo; she's incredibly observant for a plant.  If I was forced to do some deep analysis on the appearance of these space creatures, I'd say it is a comment on my ADD. Being hyperfocused and/or easily distracted often results in missing the obvious. 

In addition, I long for rotary phones, I believe balloons should be illegal, and earwigs are my favorite underappreciated member of the Class Insecta.