Katrina: The webcomic?!

One of the good things about living here post-Katrina -- and I suppose this was true to a lesser extent even prior to the storm -- is that all kinds of interesting people with all kinds of good intentions come here to experience the strange land that is New Orleans. And unlike if you were living in, say, San Francisco or New York, these visitors are generally inclined to try and understand the place through the eyes of local residents.

Last weekend, I got a call from Larry Smith, of www. smithmag.net -- he was in town with illustrator Josh Neufeld to launch their webcomic, "AD: New Orleans After the Deluge."

I must admit, when I first heard about this project, I thought "Great, already we're a cartoon." And in less capable hands, this concept might well have come across as crass and cartoonish. But Smith and Neufeld are clearly both enamored of the Gulf South -- after Katrina Neufeld worked with the Red Cross for three weeks in Biloxi, and wrote it about it in his blog "Katrina Came Calling" -- and both are clearly committed to the people who will appear as "characters" in the AD webcomic.

The night I met with them, both wore that telltale "Apres le Deluge" expression that comes from taking what I call the "high-low" tour and seeing signs of survival despite the massive destruction -- it leaves you feeling utterly exhausted and yet fully engaged. I'm so thrilled that these guys have found a new way of telling this story, of reengaging an audience that is understandably exhausted by it. I've just read the first installment, but I can't wait to see more.