by Joe Queenan
First published 2021
Senator Mel McDonnell was one of the most powerful politicians in Washington yesterday. Today he opens his eyes as a soggy pile of whale excrement sitting on the Atlantic Ocean floor. This bizarre transformation launches McDonnell into an existential crisis that forces him to confront his past ambitions and the random cruelty of existence itself. As he grapples with his new reality, McDonnell must navigate the absurd logic of reincarnation while reflecting on the political machinations that defined his former life. Queenan crafts a biting comedy that skewers both political ego and cosmic justice. The story follows McDonnell's attempts to understand why the universe has dealt him this particular hand, exploring whether his fall from grace represents divine punishment or mere cosmic indifference. At its heart, this is a story about a man forced to reckon with his own mortality and meaning when stripped of all earthly power.
Genres: satire
Vibes: darkly-humorous, surreal, thought-provoking
Tropes: existential-crisis, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Washington, Atlantic Ocean
Period: 21st-century
40 pages · Hardcover · Fantagraphics Underground - FU Press