Welcome back!
Finally, the confrontation between Pastor and Charles. This strip originally had three panels, but I decided to save the pay-off for next week, for a few reasons.
1. It takes up an entire tier by itself, much like Episode #16, but the image is strong enough to stand alone.
2. It’s complete. I’ve been playing the deadline pretty close to the wire the last two weeks, and for once I’d actually have a little cushion. The end is fast approaching for this story arc, but I don’t want to burn out before the end. Hopefully, it gives me a chance to put my all into the last few strips and spend a little time with the special lady in my life, who I feel like I’ve been neglecting lately…my cat, Boo.
I have a couple big announcements at the end of this week, so stay tuned!
- JEP
We’re nearly at the end of the Thrill Seekers storyline and I have to say: THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I have thoroughly enjoyed your work from the moment I started reading it. As they say in the hood, “you got it goin’ on!” You have clearly raised the bar and hit us over the head with it. I anxiously look forward to hearing your good news.
That second panel is beautiful, man. Pastor is poetry in motion. And, in other news Bodog.com has just released its lines on what happens in the next panel***:
Palm-heel strike: 5-to-2
Rear naked choke: 6-to-1
Other (unspecified): 8-to-1
Knife-edge strike to the throat: 12-to-1
Right hook: (Body blow! Body blow!): 15-to-1
Elbow lock: 23-to-1
Five-point palm exploding heart technique: 52-to-1
Pastor observes “never hit guy with glasses” rule: 175-to-1
Pastor and Charles “do the Hustle”: 200-to-1
*** You know … not really.
i like the repeated use of no…just perfect!!!
I just knew Pastor would rock that wet suit!
Doug G, what are the odds on ice pick to temple?
Jay Kelley-
Don’t thank me yet. The ending might still suck
- JEP
Doug G.-
Truth be told, I considered nearly all of these options. (Well, at least the first six.) What I came up made me laugh out loud, but it still fit both characters. I can’t wait to share the next strip. I told Noelle that it will probably end up being a favorite for a lot of people.
- JEP
A’Omare-
Thanks! I think a hallmark of the strip has been not to be too talky during action sequences. I try not to have folks banter in WORLD OF HURT during or after a fight. I think it downplays the intensity of what’s supposed to be a life or death situation, if characters have the presence of mind to come up with a clever quip. However, I felt something needed to be said in this situation, so I stumbled into the repeated “no.”
- JEP
Guess Who-
A lil’ something for the LADIES, huh? I don’t know about that icepick, though. It might just be a red herring…
- JEP
Wow!
Pastor in all his muscular glory. Jay, you are a master of representing the male (and female) physique!
Love it! (hey, is the email address listed on this site still current? because I’d sent you an email about doing your trailer and I didn’t get a response)
Anyway, loving “Showdown!” I’ve been working on American Werewolf, featuring Andre Santana (http://american-werewolf.com) and getting real pissed at Arizona. So that’s where I’m going to start his adventures., though I’ve got him crossing over into my other rwo comics (http://razher.com and http://confessionsofashapeshifter.com). But I’ve got to give him Pastor’s body! That man is ripped!!
Good point, Ms. Who. Maybe the good money is on “Other” at 8-to-1. (Although, they’ll probably move the line now that the word is out).
I went back and looked at the last strip and my initial instinct was wrong — Pastor *could* have grabbed the ice pick from where he was. But I’m not seeing it anywhere, and as you noted, that wet suit doesn’t provide much in the way of cover.
I’ve got two comments?
Delete one of them for me please Jay, I thought one didn’t go through.
Jessica-
No problem. I took out the duplicate comment. I gotta check my account for that trailer e-mail, because that sounds like a great idea. I like the werewolf in the desert idea, too. It’s a natural habitat for the creatures that really hasn’t been explored.
- JEP
Git ready for the gitdown!
Pastor’s pose there is frickin’ awesome.
I’m thinkin’ you made your bad guys yacht dwellers just so you could have our hero dress up like that and go on an underwater mission. And I’m thinkin’ it’s genius.
I keep coming back Wednesday (Australia time) excited to see the new strip!!!
This international time difference thing is killing me
See you in the am – hope you enjoyed the week’s rest Jay!!