The first week of Long John updates hangs overhead and, naturally, I begin to worry. I want to explain everything before the first page updates; I want to immerse every reader into Long John’s world from the get-go; I want you to know everything about everybody with all the research and changes that have happened since I started putting this thing to paper. But that’s not how stories work. I only dole out pieces at a time. Some pieces you’ll never see, and that’s okay.
What I will do, however, is let you in on a little bit of the background, inspiration, and motivation that has made Long John what it is. For the last four days, you have been getting chunks of what helped make Long John into the comic it is (or will be).
4. The Western Factor
I can’t write a primer for a western comic without discussing westerns. However, it is last on the list for a reason. I love western movies, but Long John is influenced more by my interest and research into the actual West rather than by fictional versions of it. That’s not to say that there aren’t some westerns that don’t evoke a similar tone of what I’m going for and, thusly, have influenced Long John.
When it comes to westerns, I’m rather picky and am mostly a Clint Eastwood devotee. From his filmography, the one that probably fits nicely alongside Long John is High Plains Drifter. It’s a weird movie, in the sense that it’s uncomfortable, but also “weird” in the literary sense––the bizarre events of the movie seem to be resolved through spooky and supernatural means, but a perfectly logical explanation could also work–we just don’t know. It’s a great story where everyone in it is rather despicable, but that’s what makes it stand out. High Plains Drifter is a moral tale, drenched in metaphor and thematics and is a must-see even outside of the Long John context. Another important aspect that links this movie to Long John is that it was filmed at Mono Lake, where Long John starts.
Yeah, High Plains Drifter is a weird movie. Source: IMDB.com
