I really like the way the visual storytelling came together in this one, with Pastor and The Gentleman’s stroll through D’urville, but I struggled more with the dialogue. Hopefully, it doesn’t show too much.
Also, for you youngsters, Edgar Bergen was a famous radio ventriloquist (yeah, I know) and Charlie McCarthy was his dummy.
- JEP
Radio ventriloquist? I think even I could handle that bit of ventriloquism. Who’s going to see your lips move? LOL
Great strip. The dialogue gives us some vital infromation without seeming unnatural. That is sometimes diffcult when the story need some exposition. I like the bit about Rashid. I think it would be nice to see a story that contrast him and Pastor, where Rashid is talking and Pastor is doing.
I agree, this one’s great. Ditto what Summey said about the dialogue. Just wish I could remember who Rashid is…been too long…
I love the Inks in the last panel. Those are some stone-cold shadows on Pastor’s face!
Your scripting (dialogue) has been amazing in this story arc. Great to read!
It’s a wonder you had any pens left to ink this one with the way Truck Turner has been raiding your studio.
I love the way you use what’s called “depth of focus” in film (not sure if it’s the same in graphic arts). In that second panel, the surrounding area is less defined, more abstract, and the eye is drawn to the hard figures of Pastor and the Gentleman. Impressive in what could’ve been such a busy frame.
Edgar is also Candace Bergen’s dad. What I’m really loving about WoH is that even the expositional strips are full of cool.
The last frame is bad-ass.
Or, to remain genre-accurate, “Baadasssss.”
I love the external Durrville scenes. I also want Pastor’s jacket. (Pastor’s jacket and Tuck’s shirt — I think I’m trying for a retro-70s revival here).
Ahhh…I was about to google the Bergan/McCarthy reference when I read your caption. I’ll take it that it’s because I’m a youngster and not culturally diverse that I didn’t initially know who these characters were hehe.
Like everyone’s been saying the dialogue is great, my artistic pick of the week is Pastor’s jacket in frame one. It’s really nicely rendered to convey the action of putting it on.
Fashion-wise…I’m still stuck on the gentleman’s bow-tie…:)
MAS-
I felt like throwing an editor’s note in their like an old school Marvel or DC comic regarding Bergen and McCarthy. Bergen was largely out of the spotlight in ‘72, but I figured he would have still been a big star when The Gentleman was a young man, so it made sense for him to reference them.
I dig the way that jacket turned out, too, but what’s wrong with a polka dot bowtie?
- JEP
Doug G-
I really wanted to feature more of D’Urville, again to emphasize what’s at stake. I’m pretty pleased with how the street scenes turned out too.
I know a guy with a jacket like that and I’m always threatening to run off with it.
- JEP
Brad-
Thanks! That’s how I became familiar with Edgar Bergen, too. However, when I reflected on the fact that folks in their 20s probably wouldn’t even remember Murphy Brown, that made me feel ancient.
- JEP
Mistah Pete-
I’ve been studying a lot of Al Williamson and Alex Raymond again. I even did this strip using the same size as Raymond’s originals. I’m just floored by the amount of detail they could pack into a 5.5″X 6.5″ panel, with word balloons! In this strip, I really did my best to emulate what they were doing.
- JEP
Guess Who-
I’ma beat that dog!!!
- JEP
Matt S.-
Thanks for the kind words! I feel like I’ve been struggling a little lately, so that means a lot.
- JEP
Mahatmazombie-
That’s straight Al Williamson in Secret Agent X-9. He was a master at that.
- JEP
Jesus, Potts…
We’re getting picked apart over at AH for assuming people have read The Great Gatsby, and here you are raisin’ the hell out of the bar with an Ed Bergen reference. South Carolina lays down a history lesson. You are my hero.
Beautiful page, by the way. And the dialog’s tops!
Great Strip.
Is Rashid Jeru The Damaja’s father?
Seems that not even The Gentleman can ensure full trust in his organization. I’m not surprised, though; loyalty is hard to come by in such circles.
And is it just me, or do the passersby in the second panel suggest an air of uneasiness to anyone else? I hope we’ll have the privilege of seeing more sides to D’Urville. Thanks again, Jay!
Like the reference to D’Urville Martin. Not sure if anyone else has brought that up yet, but he’s a staple in the blaxploitation genre.
I just can’t get over how amazing your inks are!!! Are you using a brush?
Edel-
Thanks! I do use a brush, specifically a Kolinsky Red Sable #2 with Sumi ink. Sumi really stays nice and fluid a lot longer than other inks I’ve used and the quality of a sable brush is without peer. However, I do use technical pens for the mechanical/technical stuff, since I don’t have a steady enough hand to render those lines with a brush.
- JEP