Dominating the picture

Well this certainly can't be O'Neil....

who not only completely dominates this page but also has the rest of his arm over the previous page

But, it must be someone important right?  The size of a person normally indicates their importance, right?

Not always in this adaptation as we have seen many times already

Let's fill this in with some ink and join the pages together and then we can finally figure out whats going on here

Next week

Shuttle in Transit

So here we go with only the 2nd (and final) comic adaptation nod to Outland's infamous clock

Which as I earlier mentioned seems to serve as not only a technologically modern update of the old town clock ringing twelve (high noon) but also as a tension device by fading in and out constantly counting down the time (and clattering away) while O'Neil prepares to meet the assassins

The clock here can't really be said to be that in your face, well not more than anything else, the thing with skewed perceptions is objects can loose their consistency particularly when something else is dominating almost the entire picture - which is certainly the case above

So what preparations is O'Neil making above.. we are getting closer to the answer

The eye has it

That's O'Neil's wife's eye here of course...

which looks about a 1000 times better than poor Lazarus below or the tiny tiny O'Neil...

Wait if that is O'Neil who's arm is this?

Find out starting tomorrow

She's hanging on the videophone..

Yes, in the top panel here...

We have the super sized back projected video call, part 2 from O'Neils wife...

Okay in terms of plot one wonders why another video call scene was necessary... But this time it makes even less sense for O'Neil to hang around - after all he knows professional killers are after him?

Is this what he prefers?!

Maybe we will find out... possibly

Meanwhile let's pour some ink all over this...so its ready for tomorrow

Within a arms reach

That's the expression that's used to indicate something is safe, as it is close by

But then a arm that's this big...

Has to make you wonder, particularly when compared to Lazarus above

Yes it's another example of what I have begun to describe as extreme perspective

Which as usual will make much more sense when combined with the page following, which will be started- next week

See you then

Down the Stairs

Let's pause a minute to look at the staircase here

To me it looks like it has been Based on Escher's optical illusions of never-ending staircases going either up or downwards into infinity never reaching any destination.

But it looks like there must be a end point as several people have met there.

Who are they and what is the meeting about?

Find out beginning tomorrow. 

blah blah blah

Listening in

So here we have it..

The finished tunnel...

Complete as a two page spread as Steranko intended

So after receiving his obviously redundant death threat from sheppard, O'neil decides to enter the belly of the beast, the pipes of Outland  themselves to cross a whole bunch of wires to be able to listen in on sheppard. 

The assassins have to come from somewhere as O'Neil has already taken care of the local roughs.

This time Sheppard is deadly serious and plainly asks for the best. Proper professional assassins who will be loaded for bear and armed to the teeth.

The contrast in Shepherds behaviour here as opposed to his golf themed death threat is clear.

Here shepherd is clearly nervous and worried about the damage O'Neil has already done and particularly that he had to make this call.

A point firmly underlined when the unseen voice says to shepherd you muck this up and the next lot of assassins will be coming for you.

So O'Neil knows what's coming his way, so what's he going to do about it?

Find out tomorrow.

Subject to interpretation...

That's this drawing here...

Subject to interpretation

Like all the drawings done to date have been degraded by my lack of skill, but that's the whole point to learn by continually trying.

But this drawing here had a number of elements which simply was not even visible when I put it on the light box, particularly the tiny end of the tunnel.

So I looked at the original and drew in what I thought approximated what Steranko intended, which was a bit tricky as these details was barley visible even on the original.

So I made these details bigger so they would show up on my version.

How is it looking?  Not too bad I suppose, but it would be great to hear what anyone else thinks!

For now let's get on with the black out and then we will see what it all looks like completed tomorrow.

It's a "Jefferies tube"

At least that's what it looks like to me..

A "jefferies tube" being the name given that that tunnel that James Doohan would be famously inside trying to fix the engines of the Enterprise perpetually in many episodes of the original series of Star Trek..

I can almost hear the cry of "captain, she cannae take anymore" from here... anyway..

according to "wakipedia" (as i call it, in reference to its accuracy...) the "Jefferies tube"

"are narrow tunnels or corridors that provide access to critical starship systems... "

and are a

"reference to Original Series art director Matt Jefferies, the man who designed the original starship Enterprise."

It's a good thing that the surnames of people who invent things aren't that silly... well okay almost all...

So this certainly would seem be a "Jefferies tube" to me...

So what's O'Neil doing inside it? There's certainly no engines to fix here ?

Surely by now you know I am going to say - you will find out beginning of next week?

Well you do now!

the foot at the beginning of the tunnel

At least I figure that is what this must be?

and the rest of whomever this is must be on the next page?

Stil lets pause a moment to contemplate the unfeasibly large amount of fixtures and fittings in this tunnel and that for me at least there seems to be a certain "kirbyness" to them...

Urban legend would have it that Steranko was a bit touchy about where a letterer would place dialogue over one of his drawings- well having done that much detail I can certainly understand that...

The splash page of "The Blunder Agents" from "Not Brand Ecch" parodies "Nick Fury Agent of SHEILD" and Steranko quite clearly...

With the first dialog box just under the big banner saying "but (shades of Jaunty Jim Steranko) we're scared to death we'll cover up a vital bolt or nut with a word ballon and you know how uptight an artist can get about that!"

and then to reinforce the point - well just look at how many things you can spot in the background - yep even the Kitchen sink (as well as "bless our crowded panels" sign in the style of the cliched "bless this house knitted" piece) all rendered by Marie Severin - but this was all obviously in the spirit of fun

Still in Outland as Steranko was designing his page to accommodate what lettering he himself wanted and was going to render he would not have to worry!

Which reminds me those letters remain missing from what I have done so far....

Okay so lets get on with the next page before I get tempted away by this seldom cited panel..

So okay, that was British sarcasm... unless someone actually wants to see the above - yet again?

Comments welcomed!

How many tube lines are there?

Yes over in the UK we refer to the London Underground system as "The Tube" and there is quite a few lines..

But possibly a few more lines on this drawing.... of a tube

That is some dedication to the stylistic rendition of machinery and detailing of a tunnel - it must have some kind of purpose?

Down the tubes

Ah a nice, understated background....

is the last thing you will see here!

or here - hopefully...

once its had a bit of ink on it, of course - which will be done - tomorrow

You're a dead man...

Here we go with the finished page of O'Neil...

and here together as a two-page spread, as it was meant to be seen...

So after surviving a couple of vicious attacks and his deputy being murdered O'Neil finally confronts the big bad apple of Shepherd himself, who likes to put on the appearance of being not particularly bothered, not he would rather not have his game of golf interrupted by such "childish" antics...

And offers a bribe to O'Neil to keep quiet

That is until he finds that O'Neil has destroyed the whole entire shipment of illegal death dealing drugs, then the air is filled with menace and Shepherd threatens O'Neil's life

that threat does seem a bit redundant as if Yario choking O'Neil wasn't obvious enough ---

but ah - that happens after O'Neil sees Shepherd in the movie...

in either case Shepherd is out of assassins, it looks like he needs to order some more to be sent over - how - find out - next week

Keep the green tidy?

I can't think of any particular reason why O'Neil would be crouched down and picking up a golf ball here..

Except of course that does happen in the movie...

But I guess the point of crouching would be to appear to be smaller, using Shepherd looming overhead as a storytelling device?

The stylistically beautiful over proportion Steranko brings to any scene - and O'Neil here...

Kind of looses the point of oversizing Shepherd from the movie if it that what is was - or maybe O' Neil was just keeping the green tidy...?

I dont want to talk about it..

Was that Rod Stewart or Everything But The Girl...?

Well in the picture above there is clearly a full on conversation - with proper finger pointing and everything - yes it's confrontation time - but how will that go down?

Find out some more - tomorrow

Out of blue comes green

So goes a song from a-ha's "Stay on these roads" album...

well, okay not a lot of blue, but plenty of white - soon to be replaced by a lot of black

Which once done will show the green in question - being a golf green...

Yes we even get to see green fields and trees in Shepherds office, of course it's just a photo projected onto a screen.. rather badly in the movie...

But quite cleanly here.. I think I will have to leave that background as it is so its more obvious it is just a projection, I mean perish forbid someone gets the idea there is a field outside...