HR Data Doodles, Season 2

January 8, 2024
The charming second volume of Turetsky’s HR Data Doodles series finds the four-panel comic—much like its cast—expanding its ambitions, as Turetsky moves from a (mostly) gag-oriented format into dedicated serialized storytelling centered on the Played Much Game Company in a time of crunch and transition. Drawing on discussions and insights from Turetsky's HR Data Labs Podcast, the comics depart from most workplace comedy in their upbeat consideration of the role that smart human resources teams can play in generating inspired solutions company-wide challenges, in this case issues like a potential acquisition, possible layoffs of sales staff when a key product gets delayed, and what it really means to strive for pay equity.
The first volume of HR Data Doodles—a name referring both to the comics format and to the now-expanded cast of diverse and appealingly designed characters—offered insights, too, though the emphasis was often on punchlines, usually coming from the pajamas-wearing young HR analyst Teddy. This time, Turetsky often dares to end strips without a joke, instead capturing, in four chatty panels of static composition, the upshots of meetings, both in-person and digital, as the teams at Played Much strategize, listen to each other, and implement their plans. (Occasionally, speech balloons are laid out in an unintuitive order, but much less often than in the previous entry.) The change in emphasis makes a point: teams working well together are no joke, and neither are demonstrations of agreement, understanding, and the embrace of clear takeaways.
That’s not to say there aren’t laughs, here. But quickly the story of Played Much’s possible acquisition by OrangeU, another game company, plus Played Much’s struggles to finalize a “transformative” platform and gather crucial demographic data, proves compelling. Innovative solutions to problems, like “re-skilling” employees for current needs rather than “re-staffing,” work out for the team, and the new advice from an old consultant regarding OrangeU and the platform issues is heartening.
Takeaway: Upbeat comics about the essential role HR plays in business.
Comparable Titles: Eliyahu M. Goldratt’s The Goal, Josh Bersin’s Irresistible.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A-
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A