‘I Knew Him’ Act 1 Scene 5

Dear Folks,

hello and welcome to the latest scene in my story ‘I Knew Him’, which
is a long story in comic book form published on the web. When you
click on the link below, it’ll take you directly to the first page
(page 20) of the most recent scene I’ve put up. If you click on
‘index’, you’ll be able to go back in the story. Also in ‘index’, you
can register yourself on the mailing list and find out each time a
Scene (or, alternatively, a longer Act, is published).

http://www.cardigancomics.com./iknewhim/comic.php?page=20

This scene was pencilled and inked up in Cairns on a recent family
holiday (August: so long ago now!), and on the originals, the ink leaked
into the paper a whole lot more than on previous pages, giving little
spider-lines running into the weave of the paper from the main drawn
lines, particularly towards the bottom of the page where the paper has
absorbed more sweat from my hands. Doesn’t really seem to be such a
problem in the reduced size web versions.

The scene is set in a great little cafe that used to be on Rathdowne
Street, La Casa del Caffe. It was one of my favourites, mainly
because of the amazing bamboo ‘cage’ that stood inside the shop. This
was the place I used to ride my bike to after picking up a fresh batch
of comics from Marty Trengove at ‘Dawg Gone Comics’. I’d sit under
that cage and read the latest ‘Cerebus’. It was there that I read the
infamous issue #186, sitting and reading open-mouthed that anyone
would have the gall to say what Dave Sim was writing. My reaction was
not so much condemnation, more amazement that he would DARE. That you
could.

La Casa got a makeover, a ‘spiffing-up’ in the late 90s or so, the
cage got the boot, and I transferred my affections to Brunetti, on
Faraday Street. It was here that I burst out loud laughing at a
sequence later in the ‘Cerebus’ series, but that’s another story…

My thanks in this scene lie with Susan for her close pre-publication
reading and advice, and John Retallick for the gen on PNG references.

Next scene: our three heroes finally meet up and are faced with a
voice from beyond the grave.

Thanks for reading,

Bernard Caleo
Proprietor
Cardigan Comics
www.cardigancomics.com