Help Plz: Can You Identify This Comic?

[TsujiBan]

Hello, and my apologies if this is not what you guys are about. I don't really read Manga, but when I was younger (about a thousand years ago :-) ) I read stuff like Heavy Metal, Eerie, CarToons and other stuff we called "comics" back then. I did come across what I guess is "alternative" comics now and then, and there is one in particular I remember which my wife and I have discussed and I would like to be able to find it to show it to her--but I can't remember where I saw it, the title, who the artist was or anything!

It had to do with social acceptance and being socially outcast and isolation and loneliness--it actually made me pretty sad, but I felt that the artist conveyed a particular message about loneliness and despair in a very effective way... even if the story was pretty depressing.

I believe this was an American author. I think it was in some kind of anthology of works by different artists. I'm gonna guess and say that I think I saw this around 1990 but I could be off by five years or more...

The story was about this sort of doofus nerdy guy in college. He was quiet, overweight, not very attractive, not popular, pocket pen protector, the whole deal. The comic showed him living in this world on campus surrounded by attractive, athletic young people revelling in their youth and the wonderfully fulfilling social world around them on campus. He may have had a friend who was like a good-looking jock type buddy. I don't remember the whole story but three events in the story stick with me:

1) at one point, he is alone in his dorm room and he had bought some stickers--bumblebees, laser guns, I don't remember what--and he put some of the stickers on his pocket calculator and said, "Hey! That looks neat!", a very endearing, innocent moment revealing a lot about who this guy is and why he is having social trouble in the "Big Man On Campus" scene.

2) almost at the end of the story, he commits suicide by rubbing some sort of acid all over his face. I think he used the acid for building model airplanes or something--I can't remember. He dies, and is discovered by the police or campus security or somebody and

3) ...the cops are going over the room and everything, and one cop sees the calculator, and says to the other cop, "Man! Why would somebody ruin a perfectly good calculator like this?!" That's the final frame of the story.

...I think about this story now and then, and I would like to be able to see it again and see if I remember it right, if I'm missing something from the story, to show it to my wife, etc. If anybody can help me identify this story I would really appreciate it!

And again, if this is inappropriate to what you guys do on this website, my apologies. I just thought maybe some of your members might have an idea and be able to help me.

Thanks very much!

Regards,
Tsuji Ban

[blai]

Hi, as you noticed, I moved this to the International Comics because I believe you'll have a bigger chance of getting help there!

Good luck! :-)

[TsujiBan]

Ah, good! Yes I just took a guess about the forum, thank you for relocating it, Blai!