Not much to say here. After the work has been done the page kinda feels like filler to me. It’s not, not by a long shot – yeah, it’s ultimately another transitional page… but it’s more than the typical scene shift. Focus moves to Jesse for the next couple of pages, marking the first time in DCR that the camera isn’t in the same space as Whitehouse. He’s still the main character, mind you – but (if you’ve read The Dualist) you knew something was up with this girl when the elevator doors opened.
The plot, it thickens.
Strip 168 – Jesse’s more accurate (or Less Raven) than she was on the last page, at the expense of Whitehouse. He’s not off, he just doesn’t look good. Oh well!
Strip 169 – In my experience, when you shut somebody down this hard, this fast, it just doesn’t register – if anything, it makes ’em even more tenacious. On a related note, I still have to figure out exactly when the pig-tailed nameless girl in chapter one is going to stinkeye Jason. It’ll happen at some point – if only to clarify that Whitehouse has just now stumbled into The Great Templar Conspiracy.
Strip 170 – Right, like I wasn’t going to go there. Intentional semi-repeat of strip 148, and the first I’ve broken up a double-height strip. The end of chapter one doesn’t count – that breakup was for the DCR website only. I have no idea why I did that, mind you – I’ve had no issues with posting bigger strips these days… but these days, DCR isn’t my homepage. I’m not as anal about the shape of it.
Need to do some more modeling work to get the next page out the door. Like Whitehouse’s apartment, the intention is to do the absolute bare minimum, and flesh out the environment (Jesse’s apartment) as – or if – needed. At this point it’ll only be needed for one more scene after this one. This one’s already laid out – just gotta fill in the bits.
Two days between pages? It’s a new (old) record! Another day of grinding away on the comic while my PC grinds away on renders for Work 2.0. Oddly, I’m done a few hours earlier this this time, and I feel tired. Like, the “bleh.” kind of tired. Post-hangover, probably – though given that 31st serves the weakest whiskey I’ve ever had in a bar, I suppose I should be surprised that I got drunk at all.
Relating to that and having nothing at all to do with this page – man do I miss Ceremony. Nights persist (fortunately), but Bar Nights really aren’t Nightclub Nights. It’s a different vibe, and it’s that time of life in which I’m hoping Happy Happy Fun Time isn’t completely behind me. Though if the Let’s Try This Again near-repeat of events I’ve been going through is any indication, there’s more fun on the horizon.
The horizon’s pretty far off, fun or no – and between here and there? More pages. Hopefully next week.
