[[A smartphone is on an end table. It’s balancing up on end, and speaking, so maybe it’s animate? This is unclear.]]

SMARTPHONE: Hey! HEY!

[[The phone is speaking to PORDLEY, who is trying to practice the piano. He looks up at the phone which is addressing him on its own.]]

SMARTPHONE: I can’t help but notice you’ve been holding me less. I MISS you. I miss your nimble TAPS and SWIPES.

PORDLEY: It’s because you’re a PORTAL to HORRORS! Nothing personal. It’s just…you ARE a PORTAL. And there are SO VERY MANY horrors.

SMARTPHONE: I’m a portal to EVERYTHING. Don’t you want to see GOOFS AND SPOOFS? You LOVE goofs and spoofs!

PORDLEY: I DO love goofs and spoofs.
SMARTPHONE: I’ve got SO MANY goofs and spoofs.

[[Pordley, convinced, reaches tentatively for the phone…]]

[[HORRORS ERUPT FROM THE PHONE. Of course! Of course!!!]]

[[A smartphone is on an end table. It's balancing up on end, and speaking, so maybe it's animate? This is unclear.]]

SMARTPHONE: Hey! HEY!

[[The phone is speaking to PORDLEY, who is trying to practice the piano. He looks up at the phone which is addressing him on its own.]]

SMARTPHONE: I can't help but notice you've been holding me less. I MISS you. I miss your nimble TAPS and SWIPES.

PORDLEY: It's because you're a PORTAL to HORRORS! Nothing personal. It's just...you ARE a PORTAL. And there are SO VERY MANY horrors.

SMARTPHONE: I'm a portal to EVERYTHING. Don't you want to see GOOFS AND SPOOFS? You LOVE goofs and spoofs!

PORDLEY: I DO love goofs and spoofs.
SMARTPHONE: I've got SO MANY goofs and spoofs.

[[Pordley, convinced, reaches tentatively for the phone…]]

[[HORRORS ERUPT FROM THE PHONE. Of course! Of course!!!]]

This actually isn't good! Phones only show you horrors when they're VERY DEPRESSED, or at any other time

#1582; Limit Your Scream Time

[ Tags: despair, technology, the culture ] Permalink: https://wondermark.com/c/1582/

20 years ago (in photocomic form)

June 9, 2026 by David Malki !

The computers tell me it was 20 years ago, June 9, 2006, that I arrived in New York for my first-ever comic convention as an exhibitor, MoCCA.

It was an important trip for me, a milestone in what would go on to become my career.

I wrote a little reminiscence on Patreon (free/unlocked) — including a first-since-then reprint of the photocomics I made at the time, documenting the trip!