Edge City (10/7/09)

Once a year, Chicago shuts down one of its major expressways, Lake Shore Drive, and allows bicyclists to pedal up and down the 30-mile stretch of windswept pavement. I’ve made the trip a few times, and while it’s a bit of a workout, it’s not anything that I would describe as arduous. In fact, the route is filled with casual riders, elderly folks and very young children, none of whom seem to be exerting themselves too terribly. So it will be a sad thing indeed if the seemingly healthy middle-aged man in this strip psyches himself out and fails to cross the finish line on his 25-mile, two-wheel trek.

Edge City (10/4/08)

I spent the afternoon volunteering at the Greater Chicago Food Depository – a massive warehouse that supplies some 600 shelters and food pantries throughout Cook County – and was naturally disappointed to see today’s Edge City when I came home. While I understand the finer point that doing good is not always painless, I’m struggling to come to terms with the depiction of hungry retirees as insufferable cranks. Earlier this week, the boy in this strip was fighting tooth and nail to avoid volunteering. Is this strip supposed to validate his reluctance to reach out to those in need?

Edge City (8/1/08)

Although I still ride my bicycle on occasion, it’s been about a year since I’ve pedaled to work. At first it was the chilly autumn temperatures that kept me from taking the two-wheeled route. Then it was a period of unemployment that left me with no office at which to arrive. Finally, it is the fact that my current job calls for business attire, which would undoubtedly be sullied by prolonged exposure to the elements. The fact that it’s been so long makes me wonder if I could endure the 45-minute trip without getting winded.

Edge City (3/31/08)

It’s been years since I’ve watched a local television newscast, mostly because they all follow the same, predictable formula. Open with sex, violence, scandal, or an empty statement from a high-ranking public official. Then move on quickly to celebrity news, health news, weather, and sports. Close with a feel-good community story, preferably one that involves children or animals. I appreciated today’s Edge City because the toilet comment is precisely the type of thing you’d never hear on a local newscast. I wish that weren’t the case, but such is the sad state of affairs in the press.

Edge City (3/23/08)

Things I can identify with in this strip: Girl Scout cookies (especially Thin Mints), oversize water guns, and snow on the ground in late March. Things I can’t identify with in this strip: piles of tax forms (I filed in February), camp bills, and licorice mulch. What is licorice mulch, anyway? I’m not sure, but maybe it played a hand in attracting that army of ants in the last panel.