Long John

As mentioned on the previous page, this opening scene was a struggle because I couldn’t decide where to start. Originally, we opened to Long John waking up the morning after we left him at the end of Chapter 5. Then I pushed it a little forward, so the scene opened with the ka-THUNK ka-THUNK sounds of Long John dragging the trunk full of his clothes down the stairs on his way out. Both openings would have him getting caught trying to leave by Rich Jack, who would then forcefully invite him to breakfast. Knowing that the first major scene was this breakfast conversation (and what happens at it), those two openings ultimately took too long to get there. So, I figured to cut the fat and start with Long John sitting grumpily at the table.

The benefit of that, in my eyes, at least, was that it opened on a comedic and mysterious beat since I figured a fancy breakfast would be the last place anyone––most of all Long John himself––would expect find our protagonist. It hearkens back to the point of the short essay included at the end of Volume 1 (and published here back in 2014) where I was once again confronted with the dilemma of choosing the best place to start for this comic; what would be the best place to reopen the window into this world for the readers? In a nice counterpoint to the opening of Chapter 1––which was slow and silent––the final chapter opens with lots of talking.

The thumbnail and notes for this page. While I try to keep these pretty loose, they come in handy for making note of how lighting should look.