For the author of comics about the mundane repetitiveness of workaday life, Portland artist Matt Metzler has a curiously “carpe diem” philosophy. “If it seems like a good idea to you and stays a good idea, chances are it’s a good idea,” he says. “Capture it before you’re the one trying to re-tell a joke that nobody will laugh at because you keep forgetting the punchline.”
And Metzler certainly seized his chance, turning his job history into art. Anyone who has worked in customer service will immediately find a kindred spirit in Metzler.
His one-shot comics about the crippling boredom and strange characters that one encounters in the workplace ring, sadly, very true. Populating his comics with bored desk jockeys, rude bosses, and strange customers, Metzler shows his affinity for the working everyman while tweaking the usual formula of workplace comedy.
Copyjerk, his smarmy and satirical webcomic — published online since 2008 and recently available in zine form — transforms these experiences into a surreal but immediately recognizable world that will elicit knowing chuckles from anyone who’s had to deal with customers and coworkers.
“Most people can relate to the strife of retail,” he says, “so I hope that I’ve sprinkled enough of the universal code of ‘work sucks’ throughout the book that people can get a giggle out of it, at least.”
It is this element of “we’ve all been there” comedy that makes Copyjerk work as well as it does. Though workplace humor is, admittedly, as old as the hills, Metzler’s works focus on the common experiences at the heart of the business, like over-friendly colleagues and surefire time wasters, in order to form a real connection with his audience.
At its heart, however, Copyjerk reveals Metzler’s very real angst and frustration with the retail world that his characters inhabit. As with most sources of pain, turning it into art and comedy seems to effect a catharsis — for the writer and the reader.
“Art has always been my escape route from social drama,” Metzler notes, “so creating an imaginary world or two with a slightly skewed basis in reality has appealed to me ever since I knew there was an actual market for it.”
Ultimately, Metzler sees his comic as many things: “It’s a story, a joke, a window into a life, an artistic outlet, a marketing ploy, everything that can be challenging to a creative mind. When it’s done, I’m just glad that I made it through the process without overdosing on caffeine (and that someone may actually enjoy reading it).”
– Mallory Gevaert
Zine Scene is a biweekly column about writers’ and artists’ adventures in the world of independent publishing.