Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan cried tears of joy as he went off to work.
____________________________________
MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone who has been following my little labour of love (from another time)!
Heartfelt thanks for another year on the planet!
. 34/
1:03 AM · Dec 25, 2022
To recap …
And now for something a little different. Some of you who follow me on Twitter will have seen the tweet thread below. Just letting you know that I’ll be tweeting and (depending on feedback to this mailout) perhaps Substacking a kids book for adults that I created 25 years ago, one page at a time. Like an adent calendar.
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
THE ADVENT OF STAN
First some explanation
It was 1986
The cold war was grinding on
Kylie and Madonna were still 'trending' (though we didn't really use that word)
TVs' 'vertical hold' still went on the blink
One day a character and a cartoon popped into my mind
. 1/
2:56 AM · Dec 3, 2022
1 Repost · 2 Likes
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Then I went part-time in my job and spent 1987 cartooning away. Stan had a creation experience
. 2/
2:56 AM · Dec 3, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan had a creativeness experience
. 3/
2:57 AM · Dec 3, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan grew in my mind and on the page
. 4/
2:57 AM · Dec 3, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan realised he should be more assertive
. 5/
2:57 AM · Dec 3, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Halley's comet came and went
. 6/
2:57 AM · Dec 3, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Oh and there were other cartoons
. 7/
2:57 AM · Dec 3, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
About frogs and Hamlet and that kind of thing
. 8/
2:57 AM · Dec 3, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
And flowers growing out of one's head (a moral panic of the time — along with nuclear armageddon …)
. 9/
2:57 AM · Dec 3, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
And then stan went on the blink.
So welcome to THE ADVENT OF STAN, my advent calendar for the 25th anniversary of the coming into the world of my (hitherto unpublished) cartoon story book
STAN GOES ON THE BLINK
________________________
. 10/
2:57 AM · Dec 3, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
As Stan awakes one morning from unsteady dreams, he finds that his vertical hold has gone COMPLETELY BUNG!
To be continued … (ie tomorrow, and the next day and so on)
Will things work out for our (mildly) anxious but (tentatively) opinionated hero?
Find out by Christmas!! 11/
2:57 AM · Dec 3, 2022
1 Like
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Simple things, like eating, become a near impossibility
(What will happen? Will things turn out for Stan?
Or will he go from rack and ruin? What more could go wrong?
Find by Christmas by following this Advent Calendar Thread!!)
. 12/
5:36 AM · Dec 3, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Washing up, a wasteland
. 13/
2:11 AM · Dec 4, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Shaking hands SHATTERING
. 14/
12:51 AM · Dec 5, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Toiletry TERRIFYING!!
. 15/
12:11 AM · Dec 6, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan retires that night, a tired, wrung out nervous WRECK! 16/
12:37 AM · Dec 7, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
The next morning, while he is drying himself down, Stan’s horizontal hold begins to go
. 17/
12:26 AM · Dec 8, 2022
1 Like
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Embarrassing situations abound
. 18/
12:37 AM · Dec 9, 2022
2 Likes
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan’s friends depart, leading to a number of "Captain Oates Moments"
. 19/
1:08 AM · Dec 10, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
The media invade
Stan becomes the object of mass interest, pity, disgust, indignation and apathy.
Many onlookers remain sceptical
. 20/
5:13 AM · Dec 11, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan is consulted on many important topics
. 21/
1:25 AM · Dec 12, 2022
1 Repost · 2 Likes
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan’s colour becomes too vivid
He becomes known as a colourful eccentric but feels nauseous most of the time
. 22/
1:17 AM · Dec 13, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Then …
Following the election of the Hawke Socialist Government, for a third ‘historic’ term, Stan’s contrast goes on the blink.
Stan’s colour leaches into the greyness all around
. 23/
3:38 AM · Dec 14, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan visits a doctor who prescribes bandages, a psychiatrist who prescribes shock treatment
— although Stan insists he is already in a state of shock —
and a TV mechanic who suggests a new aerial
. 24/
1:13 AM · Dec 15, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
But …
just after he has paid, Stan starts to go on the blink …
again!
. 25/
12:42 AM · Dec 16, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan is referred to a philosotherapist
. 26/
12:58 AM · Dec 17, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan retires to a reverie of ruminations
. 27/
6:02 AM · Dec 18, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
While lying in bed that night, Stan hears the national anthem ringing in his head; and then a voice saying:
"We hope you’ve enjoyed your viewing, but shortly Stan will cease transmission".
Despite ‘growing concern’ … Stan nods off.
. 28/
3:35 AM · Dec 19, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan has an AIDS nightmare!
. 29/
1:22 AM · Dec 20, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan awakes (or so it seems) in a cold sweat.
“THE BRIGHTNESS CONTROL” blurts Stan in panic.
“THE BRIGHTNESS CONTROL”
. 30/
12:43 AM · Dec 21, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
And sure enough, at breakfast, the lights begin to go out on Stan.
He becomes a mere shadow of his former self.
His will to remain ‘on’ ebbs away.
. 31/
12:58 AM · Dec 22, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
In total darkness, on the edge of a great abyss, Stan remembers the saying of his old Aunty Eldridge.
"Life can get really, really bad at times, but it usually gets a bit better …"
. 32/
12:56 AM · Dec 23, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Then, as mysteriously as it had all begun, Stan hears another announcement
"We apologise for this interruption to our transmission.
The fault has now been rectified.
We trust no inconvenience has been caused."
. 33/
4:50 AM · Dec 24, 2022
Nicholas Gruen@NGruen1
Stan cried tears of joy as he went off to work.
____________________________________
MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone who has been following my little labour of love (from another time)!
Heartfelt thanks for another year on the planet!
. 34/
1:03 AM · Dec 25, 2022