Long John

To be honest, I was very worried about the length of this opening scene (spoiler: this is page 12 of 15), but it was caused by the fact I wanted to really emphasize the build up to the violence over the violence itself. So, pages like this are really meant to slow things down, building the tension so that the actual action scene feels like a lightning strike (also because it goes by really quick).’

I calmed myself also by thinking of this opening as two scenes instead of one long one: we have the breakfast and then we have the showdown. They are linked, however, by the idea that Long John acts as an observer until this moment, where for the first time he is acting more selflessly than we’ve seen before.

It parallels his actions in Chapter 4 where is a pure observer during the first part of the chapter and then, at the end, he in theory does the right thing, but it’s a purely selfish act. Here, we see him escort the guests to safety (though how nice or good those people are is up for debate; they are innocent in this situation, at least) and here he is––again, in theory––stopping the murder of a person who is definitely not prepared to defend himself (until Rich Jack takes advantage of the opportunity Long John provided).

Thumbnail for Page 12. Click for larger version.