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Moth Hour

Moth Hour, page 1 [a comic drawn in black in a simple style and colored in shades of gray] First panel: A drawing of houses at night with someone looking out one of the windows. Text: 2020: Every night, around two am, I wake up. It started early in the pandemic. Second panel: Woman lying in bed awake. Text: Sometimes I'm only awake for a few minutes. Third panel: Woman looking out the window. Text: Other times, it's for hours. Fourth panel: Clock showing the time of 2am. Text: Only the time is consistent.
Moth Hour, page 2 First panel: A bat flying around eating bugs. Text: I try to imagine what's going on outside.. a bat hunting mosquitoes. Second panel: A skunk. Text: A skunk meandering. Third panel: A mask on a dark background. Text: But I'm distracted by very real sounds -- the funeral home the back windows look out upon is very busy; it feel like the most activity happens well after midnight. Fourth panel: A funeral home worker with a gurney with a sheet-covered body strapped onto it. The worker is wearing a mask and is standing in a driveway next to an open hearse. Text: I try to focus on the bat and the skunk instead of the slamming hearse door.
Moth Hour, page 3 Panel 1: A woman laying in bed, awake; the clock reads 2:05am. Text: 2021: The funeral home is quieter, but I'm still awake for every two am. Panel 2: A man sitting on a stoop yelling into a phone; a cricket chirping; BEEPBEEPBEEP of a car alarm. Text: In summer, I can hear a mix of drunk people yelling, crickets chirping, and car alarms... Panel 3: Two people at the funeral home standing outside smoking next to an urn used as an ashtray. Text: And smell the funeral home workers' smoke breaks.
Moth Hour, page 4 An image of a suburban street with houses and telephone wires. Text: 2022: We moved away from the funeral home and the general noise.
Moth Hour, Page 5 Panel 1: A hand holding a cell phone; the time reads 2:08. Text: But still... Panel 2: An opossum in a tree. Text: So I'm back to thinking of the nighttime creatures. Panel 3: A whip-poor-will in a tree with the sound of its call drawn out behind it: whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will Panel 4: A fox walking in front of some bushes. Panel 5: A Great Horned Owl perched in a pine tree at night, hoo hoo hoo-ing. Panel 6: A katydid making "katydid katydid katydid" sounds and two moths flying. Text: But it feels like darkest night belongs to the insects. The katydids. The moths.
Moth Hour, page 6 Panel 1: A woman lying down on a black background with several moths flying around her. Text: I imaging the moths landing with a soft fluttering of wings Panel 2: The woman's eyes are closed and moths are all around her head; the moths are in color. Text: As I finally drift off to sleep.

Moth Hour is included in Pieces: Short Comics.

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