This was an intricate page to get to grips with. Quite tiring. I had to have a nap afterwards. Shelley’s seen enough weirdness in her life not to find the Victoria’s clientele intimidating, but I think that, rather than a bonus, this is a dangerous blind spot at this point.
Archive for comic
You can never be sure which Brian you’re going to get. His erratic diet of strong drink, pills and powders, and complex carbohydrates, makes him a moveable feast. Courtly uncle… or perverted beast man? Or both simultaneously? Tread carefully. Especially during certain lunar cycles. (I think Coal Board might be the name of his band.)
Cool to see Shelley fans in Tredregyn finally getting the chance to meet their hero. Better to wait until the next day than risk an awkward encounter with a worn-out Winters, eh?
Poor, bashful Brian, a man of many sides. Sharp-eyed readers (and Patreon subscribers) may recognise a red-trousered figure from “Cattywampus” in today’s comic. Let’s hope he’s just passing through. Shelley’s sweater is based on a real garment, though I’m not sure where you’d find it…
There are so many Tibkins books that I have irresponsibly thrown into panels without a second’s thought. Here we see “Tibkins On The Road” which may or may not have anything to do with the interminable “beat” novel of a similar name. I’ve been trying to collate them all but some are hard to find. There’s even a Tibkins movie at one point.
Hilary Mantel comes up whenever I explore Shelley’s literary adventures. I picture her as a brawler, very much the Mailer or Hemingway of our times, taking no nonsense from anyone in her pursuit of the life artistic. This is not, I have to say, based on her public persona as experienced through interviews &c. More a twinkle I see in her eye.
Shelley’s agent Barry first appeared in Murder She Writes (get it on Gumroad here), and has popped up on various occasions since. I think Shelley has prepared her own emergency protocol, by the looks of things. It’s high class, it even has an “obi”.
An important player has just arrived on the pitch, maybe they will kick a goal and take the pennant. Or maybe they will be sent off for an “early bath”. How about that local sports team?
If the rooms at the Victoria are themed around the three items on top of that cabinet, I’d avoid room 2. And I hesitate to imagine what pressing that red button does. UPDATE: Lottie’s age has been rectified following a thorough review by the committee.
Spare a thought for poor lovelorn Brian in panel one. I don’t think his insides are ever going to be the same again.