Another After-Action Review Gone Astray.
The Artifacts of Military Life
I assume most veterans integrate some of the (positive) things they learn from their military career into their personal lives, like I do. For example, I still do early morning Physical Training (also known as
going to the gym”) primarily for mental health as well as physical health. Likewise, my daughter knows the Army Phonetic Alphabet code. We use that code when spelling anything on the phone. “Iconic? “I” as in India, “C” as in Charlie, “O” as in Oscar, etc, etc. The Customer Service Representatives are rolling their eyes over the phone, but I am at peace with it. Also, I would be fine with hearing “Taps” played in the evening again. In addition, my family also uses After-Action Reviews.
After Action Reviews
The main components of the After- Action Review are, according to Wharton Executive Education or Wikipedia:
- What was supposed to happen?
- What actually happened?
- Why did it happen?
- What can we do better next time?
At home, we break it down even simpler:
- What should we sustain? (Do again?)
- What can we improve next time?
Accordingly, my cartoons have a trope for the critters to attempt to conduct an After-Action Review and go astray.
The OG
ComicsOnline.com posted the original ink and pencil colored version of this comic on April 27, 2022. Once again, I’m happier with the pacing of four panels, considering the amount of dialogue.
Fan Art!
One of the coloring sheets I’ve mentioned. If the artist brings it to our lobby window at work. Our administrative assistant (or Battle Captain, as I call her!) or volunteer gives them a critter sticker in return. If they do not want to share their first name, that’s fine. Some, like the one above, was left on the coloring table, critter sticker unclaimed. So here’s to you, anonymous coloring artist! Consequently, I have a wall covered with these coloring sheets. This one ended up on my office door.
You, too, could join the #crittertribe! Follow on Instagram (@joe.iconic) or TikTok (@notesfortracy) for more critters! For Critter Stickers and Gear, go to Redbubble and look for the JoeIconic store. All proceeds go to buying more stickers, temporary tattoos, and other sharable promotional swag, and make coloring pages for the children who come through our local crisis charity. Also, fans send Critter Sightings from Amsterdam to Chicago to my humble office space! Critter Sightings are usually posted on social media on the weekends.
This “Director’s Cut” of the cartoons is exclusively on ComicsOnline.com! Come back to ComicsOnline for Critters, Comic Book Reviews, and Everything Geek Pop Culture!
