CONTENT

In this update I´d like to share a panel, probably the first panel of the first page of the upcoming chapter.

I want to talk about it a bit as well.

My dream is to accustom you, dearest viewer, to ex-pect complexity, to ex-pect depth, and ex-tend to IN HELL the all-important BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT.

Meaning: allow yourself to think about each panel, each detail. Allow yourself to do the opposite of what is often prescribed as necessary in order to enjoy fiction and art nowadays...

"To turn your brain off"

Such a pathetic idea.

Of course I get that people say that at times while meaning "suspend your disbelief" etc and I have nothing against that sort of thing. You know, getting into the spirit of something that is perhaps silly or childish...No problem at all with THAT.

But to truly "turn your brain off" THAT I cannot abide. NO. Turn your brain ON, your heart ON, allow yourself to pour your precious self into a worthy, dynamic mirror, have a proper adventure, feel en-dangered, truly en-gaged.

To illustrate what I mean, allow me to talk briefly about the following panel:

The sketch for this was shared in a previous update. Here, you can enjoy the completed picture.

Christine and Johnny have an interesting relationship, as characters. Of course the brave girl was victimized by the demonic villain in dramatic fashion, after offering herself up heroically in order to shield Barbie from his sexual aggression.

Beyond that, it´s important to notice that they both look rather similar, as they both sport outlandish pompadour hairstyles (both meant to look like phallic horns) and, more importantly, they both represent different aspects of the rebellious/individualistic archetype.

Johnny is meant to be a "rebel without a cause" (a wounded individualist) while Christine is a "rebel with a cause" (a Marxist/feminist).

They both wear rebellious attire; biker leather garb, and, in the case of Christine, traditionally male clothes (a suit, complete with pants instead of a dress or skirt).

I elaborated on this during a previous update on the Kickstarter campaign site, a post I am quite proud of: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geladaa/in-hell/posts/3671581)

The image above, the panel, explores that conflict, that relationship further.

Of course it is possible to read the sleeping girl´s face as threatened by Johnny´s terrifying demon-form. She is about to be devoured maybe. It is ALSO possible thought, to read the interaction here in a more ambiguous way. Christine may very well be the demon´s SPEECH, his statement.

He may be in a way giving birth to Christine, just a Zeus gave birth to Athena, or Satan gave birth to his daughter; Sin, in Milton´s "Paradise Lost".

Please notice: the sculpture shared above could easily be read as Athena overpowering Zeus, or humiliating him by stepping on him. Instead, the reality here is that she is his triumph; the manifestation of his thoughts, his daughter, his creation.

Isn´t that interesting? Feel free to comment in agreement below. I hope I managed to convince you to consider extending the benefit of the doubt to cultural products you deem worthy of your support, and even more importantly, worthy of your precious time and attention.

Let me add a final note. If you enjoyed this update, please, consider, like I said, leaving a comment, and sharing it with someone that might find it interesting. I am swimming against the stream by extending respect to you, dearest reader, and producing products of this sort. If you can direct people to my site, to my books, I will be very grateful. If not, I´m very grateful nevertheless that you read my words. See you next week!