How to End a Project When the Story Isn’t Over

Ritual and art for marking endings

I’ve spent most of January immersed in making and spreading I.C.E. Out Comics as my way of resisting the occupation by I.C.E. agents in my city of Minneapolis. I’m proud of what I—and so many cartoonists—accomplished in depicting the impact of I.C.E. in our communities.

However, I’m exhausted. It’s taken an emotional toll and it’s just time to refocus on my other work—particularly my graphic novel which has a deadline coming up.

But after being so focused on the I.C.E. Out Comics, it felt strange to just suddenly turn back to my graphic novel.

For example, when I’m done with each stage of my graphic novel, I put a rock in my letterpress tray, a ritual that marks completion and helps me feel a sense of accomplishment.

While I love my letterpress tray ritual, it doesn’t feel right to mark the end of this series of comics.

So I decided to make one final comic to mark the end (maybe) of this series of comics, and also (hopefully) the end of the I.C.E. occupation in Minneapolis.

Sometimes, in order to let something go, you have to commemorate it in some way. And for this project, I did that through art:

This comic is in the shape of the Minnesota flag.

But, like the rest of my neighbors, I still don’t have a sense that our work is done. So while I’m thinking of this as a final comic, this is really just a final comic for now.

As I.C.E. increases its spread across the country, I hope that I.C.E. Out Comics continues to tell those stories until I.C.E. truly is out for all of us.

Let me know in the comments: How do you like to mark the end of a project? Do you have a ritual, a piece of art, a poem?

I.C.E. Out Comics Posts:

• Week 1: What Comics Can Do When the News Is Your Neighborhood

• Week 2: The Power of Community—and Cartoonists

• Week 3: A Week in Minneapolis in Comics

• Week 4: What 200 Four-Panel Comics Taught Me About Storytelling

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-Katharine