*HUGE sigh of relief that we might find out if sugar is actually alive*
also, another iteration of "i stopped for me, because of you." i wonder if that'll end up being echoed by sugar if we ever hear from her again?
I just want Lola to get home safe but they don't really have anywhere to go (that we know of) and Im more worried for them now than when i was worried they were going to die.
thinking abt that conversation about the little things brought along in the trip everyone had a while ago... that one cigarette is the very last. looks like lola may have left the lighter behind?
This page really captures the feeling of night well I love your shading and color choicesssssssss~
Also it's a really neat touch of the panel Lola has he reyes closed and the truck interior disappears like, is it a visual representation of dissociating? i know like sometimes i'll get in moods and will close my eyes to just kind of, feel like i'm falling in a void in space.
I love this bit with the cigarette and missing lighter. Very simple and ordinary, yet there's a lot of shades of meaning that can be read into it.
It may be a little too on the nose to draw a parallel between the lighter and Sugar being "the light of [Lola's] life" (p. 109), but the loss of Lola's bic unmistakably echoes Sugar's absence. Lola hasn't even begun to process what happened at the canyon, and not even having a lighter reminds us that nothing is normal or okay.
It's worth remembering though that Sugar bought those cigarettes, and that the gift was a pure expression of her feelings for Lola. The cigarettes are still here, even if they're unusable, and so a reminder of Sugar's love and presence still remains.
This contradiction betwen Sugar's symbolic presence and absence is mirrored by our uncertainty as to whether Sugar is alive or dead, and if alive, whether she even wants to see Lola again.
Desiree says she quit cigarettes to do what's best for herself. Lola may not have *wanted* to quit cigarettes, but I suspect they're thinking a lot about what's best for themself as they reach out to Sugar.
the research you do (or knowledge you have) is really on point, like with the whole trucking thing. just last year i learned a lot about trucking... (somehow) and its pretty accurate. you can't legally drive for more than 30 hours in a row or something, you have to stop and take a break and go to sleep.
also just my onion, but i feel a little bit uncomfortable with shipping of lola and desiree. it's not like desiree has blushed or is hitting on her; it feels like she's taking a motherly role. like i can imagine one of the reasons desiree picked her up is like, "well, better me than somebody else unsavory" because lola was looking really vulnerable.
you're correct.
relevantly, on the last page, the script originally had a line where desiree told lola she could put her shirt down, to the thinly veiled embarrassment of lola. i decided to cut it in the end because it seemed a little mean to do to lola, but desiree is past her mid-life and has no interest in someone the age of her kids.
some other lines cut here were desiree asking lola if she had anything that would get her in trouble in her bag, and lola responding with "are clothes illegal in arizona?", to which desiree responded "yeah, i'm an outlaw, haha."
desiree also originally mentioned that she isn't supposed to pick anyone up while she's trucking (you need a permit to have a second person riding and can be pulled over for it).
both of the mentioned bits of dialog were cut for various reasons, mainly brevity/time constraints.
the panel with desiree saying "sit tight" and the background having stars to me feels like lola's feeling a pang of like... someone cares for her, and shes not used to someone coming off perhaps in a motherly way
just the idea of a complete stranger being so accommodating and trying to protect lola in small ways like that
i also appreciate that desiree keeps small talking about stuff like her past relationship, that also shows a lot that she's trying to be accommodating
that lighting change on the panel where lola is dissociating/"spacing out" (pun intended) is gorgeous, holy shit. it's the little details that make me fall in love with this comic all over again
this is kinda a silly theory but like what if the comic ends with them getting some sorta closure on the reasons(people wise) why they came on the trip. Lola's main reason was her mum and now they have a motherly figure helping them,, Sugar's was Angel, if sugar does die maybe she meets a nice angel in heaven/becomes an angel herself,,, or a guardian angel for Lola ?
( either literally or metaphorically )
also I really like the colour palette in this page
Sugar being an angel and followin Lola in a "Vicky Angel" style would be so fucking cool, however drop out is quite realistic as a comic and portraying heaven as an existing place (esp since sugars an atheist$ would be... weird
Thanks Lola for making me feel less self conscious about the dark circles constantly under my eyes cause I am loving panels 8-10 and understand that eye bag look. Lots of emotions over that red lighter being gone too.
i can feel the pain of not having the lighter, sometimes you need your smoke to feel okay and having that taken away is just the shit cherry on the shit cake
The lighting is always so well done. Can I ask, do you draw them with normal lighting then edit it later or do you just have a REALLY good eye for color palletes?
no. if she had been, the text history would have responses like the ones on the last page.
she sent 3 messages in a row about her whereabouts, after realizing she'd need to add more information for sugar to find her, but they were all within a few minutes of each other.
also, another iteration of "i stopped for me, because of you." i wonder if that'll end up being echoed by sugar if we ever hear from her again?
Also it's a really neat touch of the panel Lola has he reyes closed and the truck interior disappears like, is it a visual representation of dissociating? i know like sometimes i'll get in moods and will close my eyes to just kind of, feel like i'm falling in a void in space.
It may be a little too on the nose to draw a parallel between the lighter and Sugar being "the light of [Lola's] life" (p. 109), but the loss of Lola's bic unmistakably echoes Sugar's absence. Lola hasn't even begun to process what happened at the canyon, and not even having a lighter reminds us that nothing is normal or okay.
It's worth remembering though that Sugar bought those cigarettes, and that the gift was a pure expression of her feelings for Lola. The cigarettes are still here, even if they're unusable, and so a reminder of Sugar's love and presence still remains.
This contradiction betwen Sugar's symbolic presence and absence is mirrored by our uncertainty as to whether Sugar is alive or dead, and if alive, whether she even wants to see Lola again.
Desiree says she quit cigarettes to do what's best for herself. Lola may not have *wanted* to quit cigarettes, but I suspect they're thinking a lot about what's best for themself as they reach out to Sugar.
also just my onion, but i feel a little bit uncomfortable with shipping of lola and desiree. it's not like desiree has blushed or is hitting on her; it feels like she's taking a motherly role. like i can imagine one of the reasons desiree picked her up is like, "well, better me than somebody else unsavory" because lola was looking really vulnerable.
relevantly, on the last page, the script originally had a line where desiree told lola she could put her shirt down, to the thinly veiled embarrassment of lola. i decided to cut it in the end because it seemed a little mean to do to lola, but desiree is past her mid-life and has no interest in someone the age of her kids.
some other lines cut here were desiree asking lola if she had anything that would get her in trouble in her bag, and lola responding with "are clothes illegal in arizona?", to which desiree responded "yeah, i'm an outlaw, haha."
desiree also originally mentioned that she isn't supposed to pick anyone up while she's trucking (you need a permit to have a second person riding and can be pulled over for it).
both of the mentioned bits of dialog were cut for various reasons, mainly brevity/time constraints.
i feel like desiree is taking more of a 'fostering' role than a romantic interest role
Small victories in these trying times.
just the idea of a complete stranger being so accommodating and trying to protect lola in small ways like that
i also appreciate that desiree keeps small talking about stuff like her past relationship, that also shows a lot that she's trying to be accommodating
( either literally or metaphorically )
also I really like the colour palette in this page
she sent 3 messages in a row about her whereabouts, after realizing she'd need to add more information for sugar to find her, but they were all within a few minutes of each other.