Comic Report #80 - Persuasive Argument

Hello again!  I'm reporting in this week fresh off my vaccine dose, so if this and the following article run a little short please understand.  This week I worked to try to get as much stuff prepared as I could before I expected to feel not-so-great, and the first thing I did was tr to knock out the pencils for the next page.  I'm planning to focus on a bunch of minicomics this week since it's low-impact and I think I can do it while impaired somewhat, but this hospital scene paints up quicker than even the diner pages did, so I should have a quick turnaround on it once I get a clear moment to begin inking and toning.

This page specifically is sort of the payoff to a lot of build-up moments in the comic.  The yellow poncho guys have popped up frequently throughout the comic, featuring often in intermission pages and being responsible for a lot of the calamity at the Omni-Mart before they turned up outside the gates of Tombstone.  Despite them popping up a lot, not much is known about them besides them being organized, wearing a makeshift uniform and referring to a leader lady named Karen who gives orders in mnemonic rhyme.  In light of this, the long-term goal of arriving at this page has been to have a way to produce a full rundown on the group, who they are and what their goals are.

One point I really want to ensure I convey with these strips is that Marv is always going to be taken care of no matter the outcome.  Alice is a bright and sunny person but Marv in particular put someone she cares about in harm's way, so we can see a side of her willing to turn the screws a bit to get some useful information out of him, but I want to try to avoid making it seem too mean.  The tone is important and I think I can strike the right balance to make Alice's suggestion feel meaningful while still maintaining her character.

The idea here is in the top row of the comic, Alice is like, "Okay!  So we had you penciled in for surgery with Dr. Parker to get your busted jaw fixed up.  She's taking a personal day today, so Dr. Pheiffer is handling her cases."  If Marv wants to wait the extra day, he could write down what he knows about the people in yellow, otherwise he's up next to get patched up.

The underscore here is Dr. Pheiffer popping his head out of the OR to ask Alice if she could get him a pair of needle-nose pliers.  He'd been lost in Tekitha's lyrical river and, wouldn't you know it, his scalpel slipped and fell into the patient, and the darn thing's so slippery he can't get a good grip on it.  The panels below I have my notes penciled in, with Alice asking if he'd like the ones with the blue or the yellow handles, like this is a regular thing that happens, and Dr. Pheiffer is like, oh the yellow ones.  The serrations make it extra grippy.  The shot ends with Alice tipping the notebook out from behind her clipboard, and so all of the yellow poncho secrets will be revealed.

That's what I got for today.  It might be a bit before I can start finalizing this strip but I wanted to get the sketch for you as soon as I could.  Thank you for your patient support of my work, I should have something to share next Friday.  Until then, stay safe and take care.