A Short Comic I Made About My Experiences As A Seasonal Worker, And The Way Places Change You.

The cover page for a digital comic. A trailhead information board stands in a lush green forest, with a trail map, and two signs pinned to the wood. The text on the signs read: "BY BECKETT JONES" and "THE TRAVELER'S WARNING."

Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a work boot, a leather-bound journal, a compass, and a colorful rock bracelet.

The first panel is a Forest Service gate on a dirt road, slightly ajar. The road goes out of sight into leafy green shadows. There is one wooden sign nailed to a tree, and two white and green signs secured to the gate. The text on these signs reads:
"TRAVELER, STOP!
IF YOU TAKE THIS ROAD YOU WILL BE
FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED
FOR BETTER OR WORSE."

The second panel is a crumbling concrete barrier in gray, driving rain. There are evergreen trees in the background. There is a hand symbol pointing to the right engraved into the barrier, and text that reads:
"YOU WILL RETURN FROM
THIS JOURNEY
IRRECOVERABLY ALTERED
IN WAYS"

The third panel is a waterfall with conifer trees, behind a glossy red sign with "no swimming" symbols. White text on the sign reads:
"YOU CANNOT COMPREHEND
BEFORE YOU UNDERGO
THIS TRANSFORMATION."

Two comic panels on an off-white background. An espresso machine portafilter is pictured in the negative space in the page.

The first panel is of a red rock slot canyon, with a rushing green river at the base. A rusted yellow sign stands in the water, with a flash flood symbol and text that reads:
"NO ONE ON EARTH
WILL UNDERSTAND THE
METAMORPHOSIS"

The second panel is a wooden sign hanging from the eaves of a roof, in front of a snow mountain scene. Stars twinkle in the night sky. Warm red text on the sign reads:
"EXCEPT THOSE WHO EXPERIENCED IT
WITH YOU. THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU." There is an arrow symbol and two foamy mugs also depicted on the sign.

Two comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a key ring, a pocketknife, a stuffed toy mountain bluebird, and a bandana.

The first panel is a road with a center stripe in a sagebrush plain, with big orange clouds in the sky. A coyote slinks across the road. A big green highway sign with white arrows reads:
"MAY CEASE TO TRULY KNOW YOU.
WALKING BACKWARDS
WILL NOT HELP YOU"

The second panel is of a high alpine wildflower meadow, with a glaciated Mount Tahoma in the background. A wooden stake reads:
"WALKING FORWARDS"

Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a headlamp, a trowel, and a plant sprig in a ziplock bag.

The first panel is a wildfire sunset above a barbed wire fence, surrounded by blooming fireweed and evergreens. An orange wildfire hazard sign reads:
"IS INEVITABLE
YOU CANNOT STAND STILL"
A gray jay sits on the top of the sign, eyeing the viewer.

The second panel shows a dilapidated wooden shack, covered in moss and white and orange mushrooms. Evergreens and leafy undergrowth surround the structure, and a Pacific gray tree frog sits on a leaf in the foreground. Text carved into the wood reads:
"YOU MAY NO LONGER RECOGNIZE
YOUR HOME"

The third panel is a chinook salmon run in a green forest. Underwater reeds flow on the river. A white sign nailed to a tree trunk, with water symbols and text that reads:
"IT CANNOT STAND STILL
EITHER."

Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page including an ammonite fossil on a leather cord, a green nalgene, a peach, and a pulaski.

The first panel shows a gray ocean storm, with waves crashing against big, dark rocks. A tsunami hazard zone sign reads:
"IF YOU SURVIVE THIS"

The second panel shows a round orange bouy floating in a sea illuminated by bioluminescent plankton. Stars glitter overhead. Text on the bouy reads:
"YOU WILL BECOME PART OF A WORLD"

The third panel shows a pair of dolphins in the water, adjacent to a white boat. A red sticker on the gunwhale reads:
"THAT DOES NOT YET EXIST"

Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a pair of sunglasses and a machete.

The first panel shows a dessicated Greater Frigatebird cradled in the branches of naupaka shrubs on a sandy shoreline. Pink flagging has been tied to a branch, and black handwriting reads:
"IF YOU DIE HERE"

The second panel shows a blacktip reef shark swimming on a coral reef. And underwater sign affixed to steel chain shows a skull and crossbones, and text that reads:
"YOU WILL COME BACK"

The third panel is a GPS unit held up to the sky, showing a GPS track and text that reads "WRONG." Seabirds fly overhead.

Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects shown the negative space of the page are a snickerdoodle cookie and bright flowers threaded on a string.

The first panel shows a pair of hands holding a sooty tern with a radio tag. Another pair of hands write in a notebook, and handwritten text on the page reads:
"TRAVELER
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED"

The second panel shows the leg of the sooty tern, which has been fitted with a birdband.

The third panel is a pair of fingers holding the birdband so that engraved text faces the viewer. The text reads "AND NOW YOU MUST GO."

A short comic I made about my experiences as a seasonal worker, and the way places change you.

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