Dating while Mormon

    This following true story happened to a friend of mine, I'm hoping he doesn't mind if I share it. Though I did change his name.

    There are enough awkward dating stories here at the BYU to stock a comic blog for months on end. I think a part of that comes from the very real pressure to settle down and tie the knot, forcing many college students into anxiety spirals and uncomfortable situations. That's not to say marriage is a bad thing- in fact, from all accounts, it's pretty fantastic. In the Mormon religion, however, we believe marriage will last forever, after death, throughout the eternities, etc. So... it's also something to try and make sure you get right. That's enough of the monologue. Here's a comic for you.

Got a better story? Or a worse story? Send it in! It could get published!

Things Return Missionaries Need To Stop Doing

For the entirety of a Mormon guy's life, serving a mission is the big goal- there are lessons, programs, interviews, and manuals focused on helping them get to that point. Then they're off!- they have an incredible, life-changing experience, and they get back.

Missionaries can get a little antsy about the subject the transfer before they go home.

Suddenly, rather than being the shining face of the rising generation, they find themselves just another RM in a veritable sea of them. The adjustment is rough. And so, they relive the glory days. With comical frequency, you're going to hear these conversations, over and over. Worse yet, you're going to be taking part in them.

Accurate? Are there other things returned missionaries need to stop doing? Do you know a returned missionary who does these things? Share this blog with them!

I did two years worth of comics while I was a missionary. Every week, in the mornings at 6:30 if I could drag myself upright or after 10:30 lights out if I couldn't sleep, I'd draw something that stuck out and seemed humorous. It was a lot of fun. And people seemed to enjoy them. So I stuck with it.

I'll be honest, sometimes it was just a way to poke fun at uptight missionaries.

Ever since I've been back at Brigham Young University, it's been weird. Being surrounded by Mormons again after so long is like hopping into a swimming pool after sitting in the jacuzzi for an hour. (Kind of tingly, somewhat jarring, yet not really unpleasant.) It's been an experience trying to regain my footing. Then I realized that if missionary culture had been that easy to satirize, Mormon student culture couldn't be too hard.

This take on BYU facial hair* is what followed. Enjoy!
-Isaac Wright

*For those unaware, the BYU Honor Code prohibits beards except for in extenuating circumstances (being in a theater production, having a religious obligation, having bad acne.) Mustaches are fine. (Though, in the end, it's a mustache, so it's not fine.)


Leave thoughts, questions, or ideas for future comics in the comments below!