SPQR Blues 3 part LVIII

[spqrblues]

It is my understanding that "once a week" does not actually count as "mostly daily." Slowly, but surely, I will rebuild the momentum.

In missing episode #LVI, Felix decides to go out and get cleaned up....

Comments

[ashavah]

Oh, I love how you've done the colouring on the thumbnail like a Greek fresco!

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

I spent so much time this week looking at ancient depictions of Theseus and the Minotaur on the sides of vases, I'm seeing everything in red-white-and-black :)

[ashavah]

Three cheers for research!

[ndgmtlcd.livejournal.com]

I don't think I can express properly the divided emotions I'm feeling here. Part of me wants to just gape, stunned with joy at seeing this colored depiction of Ariadne, in a pre-apocalypse Minoan woman's costume, handing the yarn to Theseus. Another part of of me is going "uh, what?" "a non-anatomically correct Minoan woman?!"

Oh well, children could be looking at this on their school computers, and, as the comic proves so well, it really is a story meant to be told to small children, so making it a PG or G rated episode seems the right thing to do. It doesn't spoil the union of the tale and the telling, that's for sure.

anatomically correct?

[(Anonymous)]

By god, you're right, Ariadne has no nipples or navel. Thank you Klio for saving the children of the 21st century from the Nipple Monster! The masses will sing your praises for this mighty act of artistic self-denial. On the other hand, those of us who are traumatized by the omission can always print out a copy of the thumbnail and add all the details ourselves.
The thumbnail in particular is wonderful, but beyond that, it's great to see you back at work. DRW.

Re: anatomically correct?

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

I could add a teeny tiny nipple. I'm easy that way.

There. Let no one say SPQR Blues skimps on necessary anatomy.

I don't think you could see her belly button, though, especially if she's an Innie.

Re: anatomically correct?

[(Anonymous)]

you could have pixelated parts for PG purposes (hmm, "P" must be the letter for today), but how many pixels doth a nipple make?

Re: anatomically correct?

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Yeah... how do you pixelate a single pixel?

A philosophical discussion for our times.

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Well, I myself actually don't think that the presence of a nipple makes something non-PG, and don't want to join the ranks of that particular type of superhero comics artist who will show vast displays of low-cut decolletage without a hint of anatomical correctness. I mean, the nipple is just there, being a nipple, as innocent as a thumb or a nose or an eyebrow, not taunting the reader nor inviting one to do something untoward. What it's doing to Theseus is a matter of speculation.

When I was 8 or 9 and drawing my derivative superheroine comic, I showed a piece of cover art to the 7-ish niece of a family friend. I was so proud of how detailed it was, but she pointed right at the middle of the superheroine's v-necked uniform and said "My mother says it isn't right to draw cleavage." All I thought I'd done is show that the superheroine was anatomically correct, not overendowed. The statement caused such a disconnect in my striving-for-realism artistic brain, I actually cannot draw a woman without hearing those words, faintly rippling off the neurons deep in my brain.

As well all know, people are smooth as Ken and Barbie dolls under their clothes. But what do we do when they aren't wearing modest foundation garments? Cleavage! Nipples! Boy parts running rampant! Think of the children!

(original comment deleted and edited because I just remember that, at the time, I didn't know the word "cleavage," and so must have been younger.... I can't remember exactly how hold, but I remember exactly where we were--sitting in a car, on our way to the other girl's house, where she gave me her large collection of silver-age comics.)

"how old"--my fingers have an accent today

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

In fact (poking at the memory further) I recall that, as we sat in the car and the 7-year-old assured me of how improper my art was, I erased the offending lines, but felt very weird and uncomfortable and wrong making the compromise.

Later, I drew them back in.

[(Anonymous)]

and since when has a nose been innocent? My mamaw told me the serpent was a nose with a tail and we all had noses to remind us of the Fall.

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

When I was a kid trying to draw decolletage, another thing I had to teach myself to draw were noses, which I could up until then only handle in profile and simple left off otherwise. Noses still vex me. Now I know why--they are eeeeeevil.

[b2creative.livejournal.com]

I'm absolutely certain that she didn't draw nipples originally out of respect for my tender sensibilities. After all, she was drawing the woman that my 8 year old daughter is named after! Ewww!

So you see - she did it for me. Right? Yes? Probably? Perhaps?

Well, no.

:)

[kyleen66.livejournal.com]

It is beautiful!

As always. :-)

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Much thanks. I'm still having a big fight with my pencils and pens to get them to do as I command, but I'm going to try to do the next one today :)

[la-colere.livejournal.com]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Poor, poor Werebull! Never had a chance! Never did, uh, anything wrong...!

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

At least nowadays if the neighbours object to one's infrequent bar-be-ques, they just go to the neighbourhood council or zoning board instead of sending some snotty spotty hero after you with a sword and an attitude!

[la-colere.livejournal.com]

OH SNAP! I forgot to call "BOOBS"! (It's sort've like "SHOTGUN!" but instead of claiming the front seat you claim a pair of totally awesome illustrated boobs!) IS THERE TIME? CAN I STILL SHOTGUN THOSE PERKY PEAKS?!

(Ugh. Ignore me. I've been celibate since...uhm...way too long, and I don't even think I'll be fit to break the long, dry spell at Midsummer! *FACE*)

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

The only action in my life is what Felix gets.

(Did I just type that out loud?)

Ah well, for a while I was punishing all my characters by forcing them to live lives of lonely desperation, but even Mus has other ideas, and everybody suddenly seems to want to marry everybody else.

There may be some competition for SPQR Boobs around here (see ndgmtlcd's comment above), but I'll try to provide enough to go around, usually in pairs.

pause for admiration

[(Anonymous)]

damn you're good. retelling of the story of the Minotaur (with or without nipples or as my wife says, "useless as tits on a Minotaur") is a wonderful summation that carries much of the detail in a very concise way. Then in a blink, you're sitting on a bench, probably in an atrium, a cooler refuge from the heat of the day. Children sitting, squirming on tile floor, listening with rapt attention to this soldier who had killed people with his sword in a faraway war, far further than they could imagine. Like all children of all places in all times, when the storyteller makes a mistake in the telling of the tale, they point it out and when he corrects his mistake, they feel comfortable knowing their world is in order once again.

piedoggie

Re: pause for admiration

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

:)

I'm going to be saying "useless as tits on a Minotaur" to myself and chuckling for weeks to come....

I would add, I'm sure Felix hopes that these children will never have to face killing people in a faraway war--but he wouldn't like the way fate is going to make that come true. I'll just let them enjoy a placid afternoon of storytelling under the shadow of the mountain.

[cheqyr.livejournal.com]

I continue to be amazed at how beautifully you draw.

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

aww, gee ::blush:: One should of course realise that, except for the rare occasional panel, I look at the comic and think lousy lousy lousy I'll never be any good I'm just a poser doom doom doom... I blame the decolletage incident for irrevocably rewiring my brain. Or, possibly, low blood sugar. Most days that doesn't stop me from drawing anyway. Brains are such complex things. But, in any case, thank you very much :)

[kit-the-brave.livejournal.com]

OH, MY GOSH!

This is so wonderful! The way the story goes across the top panels while Felix is telling it in the bottom panels... and that he's telling this story... and then the ending: the king thought his son was dead but he wasn't... *snif* Surely Felix is hoping the same thing.

Awesome!

[amedia.livejournal.com]

then the ending: the king thought his son was dead but he wasn't... *snif* Surely Felix is hoping the same thing.


YES! That was the analogy I was thinking of, too. It's very elegant and understated and it rips your heart out.

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

All hail, Klio! She of the Broken Wall Between Frames, using the art to slip seamless into a multidimensional reality of meta-storytelling.

Guess I came in after Nipplegate -- without even 1-pixel nipples, the woman wouldn't look right, so good call there.

(Maybe they WERE pixelated before, and we've all just shifted our gaze one pixel to the right...)

(Beginning to sound like the directions to The Time Warp...)

(I'll go quietly now.)

Dr. Phil

[b2creative.livejournal.com]

Until you go in-say-ay-ay-ane ...

Oh wait - I'm already there.

[lovesfunnies.livejournal.com]

And may I say you do noses beautifully? I never had any trouble with drawing boobs (my family is plentifully "endowed" with them, (Snrk)), but noses were always a problem. My family is German-ish so we have NOSES! But I could never get them right in my drawings.

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

My well-endowed nose is the bane of my face. I think it might still be growing.

I find drawing little button noses a real challenge. I may have commented once before that I'm not sure how that perky nose got onto Iusta's face. Maybe it just hasn't finished growing yet, either.

[ladyqkat.livejournal.com]

Odd little factiod I can't remember where/when I picked it up - noses continue growing throughout your life. Not by much, but they do.

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

I am doomed.

My nose is evil.

[palusbuteo.livejournal.com]

*gasp*

I *LOVE* the red-and-black look of the colored teaser! *squee*! That is sooo cooool!

..Although your little Minoan boy has way too much clothes on...No wait that didn't sound right, nevermind.

boobies...
Ok I'm good now.

It is too bad you had that experience. When I worked at an Art Museum as an assistant, helping give tours in the galleries with schoolkids for art classes...There was the inevitable boob or nipple OMFG that was going to happen...SIGH... When they get totally wound up over something that really shouldn't be a big deal...It's nearly impossible to get them to calm down, nevermind try and explain WHY they are seeing it. I [hate] it when I get some kid "Mommy says I'm not supposed to look at that" or "That's not correct/polite/acceptable/right"...Ok Kid, so LOOK AWAY. Telling on me isn't going to change the painting, and besides, you've already seen it...So deal with it...You'll probably be seeing more in 15 years or so.

Anyways.

YAY!

[palusbuteo.livejournal.com]

"Useless as tits on a minataur"

Oh, yes, that's awesome! Hehhehe!

That too makes me giggle just reading it.

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

What, you mean they didn't hand out a sack of fig leaves to tour guides so you could slap them on inappropriate parts as necessary? Think of the children!

Yah, I saw various sky-clad versions of Theseus on those research vases, but opted for the wet t-shirt look as more practical for labyrinth-crawling. Myself, I wouldn't want to fight a Minotaur without at least a wet t-shirt between myself and it.

[palusbuteo.livejournal.com]

"Myself, I wouldn't want to fight a Minotaur without at least a wet t-shirt between myself and it."

heheheheheh

You or a particular Etruscan lady or Spendi or that Minoan lady...hehehehe.

*flee*

so glad you're back

[(Anonymous)]

I just found this comic, and I was so excited to see that you are updating again. It's wonderful - thanks!

Re: so glad you're back

[meritahut.livejournal.com]

Thanks, and glad to have you here! The next episode has been (roughly) pencilled, and I should be able to post it tonight. Maybe veeeery late tonight, but I'll get it done :)