Another page, another thing I forgot to draw (hint: how are Ichiro’s bow and quiver attached to his back on the outside of the blanket?). I have my editing work cut out for me.
I’m trying to do something with the last panel here. After the encounter with the samurai, Ichiro’s attention is drawn to the castle, where the daimyo lives. Technically, his duty is to report in and accept the daimyo’s judgment (either taking him on as a retainer, or executing him for his family’s crime of attacking their neighbors without permission). In either case, his status (such as it is) is restored, and he is no longer a ronin–but that means giving up Resunotek, the only person who has been nice to him in recent memory. This is his last chance to choose the daimyo, and he doesn’t.
I want to use as little text as possible to convey meaning. Let me know in the comments if it worked.
Full page below:
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Forward to Page 74 (forthcoming)
Image description:
A five-panel, black-and-white comic page.
Panel 1: Ichiro and Resunotek make their way through the crowded town, Ichiro with his head down and Resunotek staring openly. Other people are indicated by silhouettes around them. One is wearing a conical straw hat.
Panel 2: A pair of samurai, each bearing a sword and dressed in a sort of vest or tunic over their kimonos. They give sidelong glances in the direction of the viewer.
Samurai 1: What’s this?
Panel 3: Framed similarly to the previous panel, Ichiro returns the sidelong glance, a hand emerging from the blanket he’s wearing as a poncho to rest on the hilt of his sword. Resunotek is slightly behind him, obliviously looking around.
Samurai 2 (off-panel): Another damn ronin come in from the hills.
Panel 4: The second samurai, seen from behind, knocks into Ichiro with his shoulder. Ichiro grits his teeth, and Resunotek, shoved halfway out of frame, looks surprised. A burst of action lines indicates where the two men collide.
Panel 5: The castle against a darkening sky. Snow begins to fall.
Resunotek (off-panel): Are you all right?
Ichiro (off-panel): Fine.
Resunotek (off-panel): What are you looking at?
Ichiro (off-panel): …Nothing.
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