Welcome back to Long John.
Starting with this page, Chapter 2––”Bird’s Eye”––begins.
For this chapter––due to a variety of reasons––the update schedule will now be much different than it was for “Sunza.” Instead of a dedicated schedule of two pages per week, “Bird’s Eye” will be updated in batches. By “batches” I mean at least two pages at a time, with a tentative schedule of every two weeks, though likely more if more than two pages are included with the update.
The main goal for these batch-based updates is that with each update there will be a nigh-complete bit of story or plot or scene to latch onto and will give you, the reader, some sense of satisfaction for not only waiting but coming to the site to read through the updates. This first update will be pretty easy to get through, at only two pages, but it sets up the scene rather well before we get into the first meaty chunk of “Bird’s Eye.”
Because of the update routine, the customary notes beneath each page will be noticeably lesser than with “Sunza” as well. In their stead, I will be regularly updating the blog portion of Long John––like I did during the break between “Save the Bones” and now––that will address many of the same topics as did the notes. Who knows, however; perhaps, occasionally, the need to over-explain my process will get the better of me.
Anyway, this begins the trek forward through Long John’s journey to answers and, possibly, revenge. Without hesitation, I confidently say that some questions left hanging from Chapter 1 will be answered in “Bird’s Eye.” Enjoy.
To keep up to date with Long John updates, there are a couple of avenues to pursue.
First, if you use an RSS feed reader, be sure to subscribe to the Long John RSS feed; that will not only automatically send new page updates to your reader, but any new blog post, too.
Second, if you use any social media tools, be sure to follow the official Long John Facebook page. You can also follow D. Bethel on Twitter.
An e-mail subscription service is being looked into, and we’ll let you know if and when that becomes available as soon as possible.
I realize that this method of updating is a bit more taxing on memory and less regular, but as long as you keep your ear to the ground or like Long John enough to check back at least once a month, you’ll undoubtedly find plenty of comics to read through.
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During my last trip to the Mono Basin, I was surprised at how different the landscape becomes after a ten minute drive. While Mono Lake and, by proxy, Poverty Flat (now Lee Vining) is fairly barren except for knee-high shrubs and very thin evergreens, if you drive north and into the Lundy valley (where “Bird’s Eye” starts) you first notice that you are suddenly surrounded by aspens and very high mountains.
When planning this chapter––and realizing it would take place at night––the main dilemma I faced (aside form the severe lack of photographic evidence of Lundy during the late 19th century) was the aspens. The problem is they’re gorgeous.
During the day, they’re technicolor; the white, papery bark crisply reflected the light filtered through thin leaves, all oranges and yellows. I didn’t go back to Lundy at night––campfires were of more importance at that hour––but that’s the best part about being a comic: if I need pitch-black shadows, I get pitch-black shadows, aspens be damned.
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