Picking up from where we left off before, Rusty gives a witty retort to his mother’s question.
Sam’s reaction there really helps to make the joke work and to signal to the readers that this is funny. In fact, this was meant to be her role; Rusty and Sam are the age-old comedy duo of the wise guy and the straight man. Sam functions as the straight man; she’s there basically to provide reaction to Rusty (as we see here) or to set him up for something funny.
Of course, Rusty is really pressing his luck so Sam snaps out of her laughter long enough to get Rusty out of there before things really heat up. Trust me, this won’t be the last time in this story that Rusty’s mom yells at him. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
I’m particularly proud of that toy you see in the extreme foreground in the bottom panel. It was rendered completely with a Speedball C4 nib. This is yet another example of the art technique repoussoir, which I have used before. As you may have guessed, it’s a French word referring to an object place in the foreground of one’s composition to give the illusion of distance and depth. I feel it gives the reader the feeling as if they are facing into the scene.
That’s it for now. I’ll have more pages up next week. In the meantime, stop over to DriveThru Comics for digital copies of Sunnyville Stories. Copies of Sunnyville Stories Volume 1 are still for sale on Amazon, both in print and Kindle formats! While you’re there, be sure to pick up Sunnyville Stories Volume 2 and (if you love Gothic horror) Von Herling, Vampire Hunter! And now available is the latest installment of the saga, Sunnyville Stories Volume 3. Get them today!
Copies of all the above titles are available to the library trade via Brodart Company and to retailers from Ingram and Baker & Taylor (via BCH Distribution). Copies are also available direct from the publisher. For ordering information, contact maxwestart(at)gmail(dot)com or write to:
Different Mousetrap Press LLC, 1100 19th Avenue N, #108, Unit J, Fargo ND 58102-2269 USA
