Hey, all you necrofowliacs! Welcome to the next installment of this “Dead Duck” episode, “ALL ALONG THE LUNCH COUNTER”, or, “All Quiet on the Western Omelette!” Here’s your trivia fix:
- Again, I’m very proud of the passing of time in these panels. I attribute it to studying European cartoonists like Moebius and Dave Gibbons who really knew how to draw the tiny blips in a moment’s radar.
- Gavrilo’s expression in the third panel was totally inspired by a scene in “The Road To Perdition” (2002), where the gangter Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) delivers a note to speakeasy owner Tony Calvino (Doug Spinuzza). Unbeknownst to Michael, the note says that if Tony kills Michael then and there, that all his debts to the mob are paid. The look in actor Doug Spinuzza’s face, as it slowly twists from confusion, to gradual realization, then cold blooded hatred without speaking a word, is awe inspiring. I had that in mind to the end as I drew this panel.
- German lugers are about the only type of pistol I can draw from memory. I used to have an orange and purple squirt gun when I was a kid that was in that style of gun. It wasn’t until years after that I realized how weird it was that they sold a gun based on what German soldiers used.
- It was with this story that I started realizing the subtle nuances you could get from drawing eyelids. I’ve always been capable of drawing the heavy lidded expression to show boredom or skepticism. But around this time I began noticing how animators drew bottom lids to show fear and sadness. It really helped me convey the shock and horror that Franz and his wife must have been experiencing, as well as the hatred that Gavrilo must have felt.
See you on the next page!
–Jay
For some reason, my favorite part of this page is Ducky hopping the fence. I think the reason it sticks with me is the fact that I’ve seen Ducky move around, sure…but here he is leaping into action. It’s a great panel.
The little rat is a nice touch.
I agree with you entirely about how expressive eyes can be. One thing I’ve learned while working on my own toons is that no matter how you draw them, the eyes of a character can speak volumes…or a couple sentences (depends on the toon I suppose).
I’m glad that stood out for you! At the time I drew it, I thought it was fun to draw Dead Duck in action, since I so rarely got the chance. The rat on the garbage can is an old device I’ve used since I was a kid–a good way to convey a seedy locale, and a nice visual, too. Glad you agree about a character’s eyes, too. It plays a big part in my own cartoon characters, that’s for sure.
This is certainly one of the most purely dramatic pages I’ve seen from you. Only the “Pants Hamburglar” comment brings one out of its tragic arc for a moment. The sequence of faces is brilliant and evocative.
Gavrilo’s hair always looks alive to me — the white inline gives it a fractal-geometry quality that suggests constant movement, like an omeba seen through a microscope.
I’m glad you can appreciate what I’m trying to do here! I liked being able to instill a small sliver of humor with the “Pants Hamburglar” line among all the tension and tragedy.
And holy cow, that is one impressive analysis of how I drew Gavrilo’s hair! Science is so far above me that I still subscribe to the “troll bowling” theory of how thunder is produced, so to have such as astute, clinical analysis of Gavrilo’s hairstyle is a thrill and an honor!
I also like the drama in what is (by definition) a comedy strip.