I remember this one being a pain in the ass logistically. I should’ve gone more minimalist with the BG. There’s just so much going on with the characters and props already. I sent Valerie a single template of the BG in hopes that it would minimize the work she’d have to do. Nothing I did as a timesaver seemed to really help. Plugging everything into the final page was a whole lot of work. Anyway, I was trying to capture a true story of getting a tattoo with my friends, and watching them peace out one by one as their work schedule demanded. Reality was just too much for the energy of this idea. It’s still one of my favorite tattoos, and that deflation is part of the sweetness of the memory. I used to stay out late with this crew and sleep on the bus ride home (we lived on opposite ends of the line – what’s a little inconvenience to a memorable night?). Every year we’d meet up less and less, until we split off into our own little units and moved to different cities. When I do see them, we have the groundwork of those years, as indelible as the anchor on my forearm. |
I just realized… Where did Larry get the hat? He didn't have it the first two pages of this chapter! Though I guess we can maybe fill in the blanks and assume that it was a birthday present, and there's a sticker on the underside so it's brand new.
I've only been with a friend to get a tattoo once and it was just a small piece of flash that took about an hour. I honestly don't think I'd hang out for a session that took longer than like 2-3 hours, I've got shit to do
I have often played the part of the "30" glasses guy, staying far past the tighter relations (see also: Eve at Dom's party that time). But you're right, this (and that particular sleep deprivation) is harder to do as I've gotten older.
The 'busyness' of the panels just made it more fun to reread. I loved tracking every character changing placement, leaving, cups stacking. It's actually one of the more depressing pages to me seeing the deflation of a party distilled so accurately like this, but I'm happy the actual memory it's based off of was a good one!
Stalwart 30-shaped-glasses-guy, the last holdout of the supporting cast, we hardly knew ye. I needed your weird drunk gimmick energy on my thirtieth.