[Summer Guide] The Land of Eternal Sunshine . . . In Comics Form!

Summer in Orange County is never just about the here and now. Once the weather starts heating up, we start migrating to our communal gathering grounds—the beach, Disneyland, Angels Stadium, Theo Lacy Jail—and all the memories of summers past start flooding in until you can't experience the present without longing for (or loathing) the past. A hell of a night on Main Street in Huntington Beach will remind you of that bare-knuckles brawl you and your pals participated in back in the 1990s; a jog around Mile Square Park will stir back that hot summer night when you schtupped some crazy girl in the parking lot; a visit to Laguna Beach will connect you to generations who did the same.

But rather than write ponderous essays about our summers past, we Weeklings figured it would be better if we showed you those days. So behold pages and pages of comic strips, from the epic (dearly missed Weekly columnist Jim Washburn on the history of summer in Orange County) to the pathetic (yet another entry in my lame love life illustrated by Lalo Alcaraz). Some of these experiences are nigh-universal (In-N-Out, the Shake Shack near Crystal Cove); others are singular experiences (summertime in Buena Park that doesn't involve Knott's? Um, okay . . .). And although we've all passed by the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant, you probably don't have the same ritual that famous cartoonist Mimi Pond and her husband re-create (hint: it involves boobies).

This is a one-off; next year, we'll return to our listicles and listicles of things to do during the summer. But keep this issue around, and participate in some of the stories to better connect you with your fellow Orange Countians. And fear not: You have your obligatory photo of a girl in a bikini before you because there are still some things that drawings cannot replicate. Enjoy your summer, cabrones, and don't forget the sunscreen!

 

* Click to see the comics in all their glory! *

 

“The OC Summertime Time Machine”
Written by Jim Washburn / Illustrated by Jon Gothold

“Summer In Orange County”
Written and Illustrated by Luke McGarry

“A Little Help From My Friends”
Written by LP Hastings / Illustrated by Rita Sindelar  

“Summer In O.C.: Smells Like Library”
Written and Illustrated by Tommy Kovac  

“Get the Drift”
Written and Illustrated by Jay Brockman  

“Tide Fools!”
Written by Matt Coker / Illustrated by Bob Aul  

“Dear In-N-Out . . .”
Written by Aimee Murillo / Illustrated by Melina Mena  

“How to Be the Most Annoying Person on the Log Ride at Knott's”
Written and Illustrated by Steph Calvert

“Summer's the Time . . .”
Written by Gustavo Arellano / Illustrated by Lalo Alcaraz  

“O.C. Summer Golf”
Written by Joel Beers / Illustrated by Vincent Williams  

“The Summer's Skinny On Buena Park (Not Anaheim)”
Written by Gabriel San Roman / Illustrated by Sal Lopez

“Summer Buzz”
Written and Illustrated by Julio Salgado  

“Romance At Hootenanny”
Written by Taylor Hamby / Illustrated by Trace Mendoza

“The Summer of Love, Disneyland (Circa Never)”
Written and Illustrated by William Nericcio  

“Summer Concerts”
Written by Nate Jackson / Illustrated by Luke McGarry  

“How to Enjoy a Date Shake at Ruby's Shake Shack”
Written by Michelle Woo / Illustrated by Leela Corman  

“It Happens Every Time”
Written and Illustrated by Mimi Pond  

“Home for the Summer”
Written and Illustraed by Thy Vo  

“A Fair Day”
Written by Nate Jackson / Illustrated by Alex Garcia

“The Origin of the Shortboard” and “Documented Surfer”
Written and Illustrated by Jay Brockman  

“Hey, Man . . .”
Written and Illustrated by Jay Brockman  

“A Week In the Life of a Food Critic”
Written and Illustrated by Edwin Goei

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