BONE CHINA pt.23
…and thus ends the first torrid love affair of Scapula. Will Bone China ever return? Will we ever learn her story? Will the two of them ever reconcile, or become bitter enemies instead? Will I ever get enough of these soap opera cliffhangers?
In any case, I hope you all enjoyed the BONE CHINA storyline. The ‘romance angle’ opened up a lot of previously unexplored story possibilities and rest assured, this may not be the only relationship Scap will ever have.
…and for those of you who HATE melodrama, long-running storylines or even Scapula himself, you’ll be happy to hear that our next tale has NONE of those things! Tune in next week for a little taste of something horrifying.
Next Week:
MY LLORONA
I love long-running storylines!
Scapula’s okay.
Not too big on melodrama.
I love doing the long storylines a lot, since they give me room to expand certain aspects of the stories that I’d rather not rush. Unfortunately they’re hard to introduce new readers into the series (then again, that’s why there’s an Archives button) and sometimes even the regular readers need something short and sweet.
Next week’s tale is just that, only scary! It’ll be like an early dose of Halloween candy!
I think I like Bone’s neko friend just for the fact that she’s the only person in the whole joint actually happy to be there.
Maybe a little TOO happy…egad! Maybe she’s in the wrong comic! Get her off the set!
Then again, it’s not like everyone in the world needs to be a grouch (but it helps them fit in to the SCAPULA-verse).
So often we get more out of a character by what they DON’T say. Wonderful “long” panels at the end.
Glad you enjoyed. I sort of worried that this final installment was too ‘short’ (in that it’s a quicker read), but it felt right for the mood.
That, and I got tired of typing out dialogue. Look how much the cat girl blathers on!
“MY LLORONA” Horrifyingly hard to pronounce.
Great story….Hope she doesn’t become a crazed ex girlfriend and tries to take over the world in a revenge plot.
Remember, the double-L is pronounced like a ‘y’.
Bone China will be back (make your own James Bond reference), but not for a while. There’s a lot of other fish in the sea, and maybe Scap will have learned something in his next relationship (well, if there IS one).
If bone china is known for its high levels of whiteness and translucency, how come I’m left feeling blindsided and in a fog?!? [wink]
Wha…..wha….WHAAAAAAAAAA?
Scott, buddy, the confusing comments are MY specialty! When you baffle me at my own game it makes me seem somewhat less nonsensical! THAT is a low blow!
Impressive what you managed to express in the three last pictures : alone in a crowd. Wow, that’s not obvious. Your next tale might not be romantic, but this update is surrealistic.
Surrealistic in that there’s melting clocks and freaky dreamscapes and a woman getting her eye sliced open and…no, wait, that was some OTHER Surrealist.
Actually, I made a confusion with impressionism. The depiction of people in background is “impressionistic” . But I like the word surrealism because it suggests “more real than real”. And not this sliced eyes things.
hmm we are all used to scap hating himselff, but i wonder how pissed he’ll be now that he can actually hate himself with a reason 😮
Once again it’s up to you whether or not this is the rotten world kicking poor ol’ Scap or if this is a stupid man getting what he deserves. No strong fictional character (or real person, for that matter) should be 100% right or 100% wrong.
Hate to be the only one here to take this stance but…… Wah! Wah! Goth girl is still goth!
Not going to comment one way or another hun…… it seems appropriate to the character, and I’ve seen a lot of writers ruin something by having the character act OUT of character right at the end. So, congrats on sidestepping that little hole with tact!
I like the longer runs myself hun, but a little boom kapow action is always nice between to break up the pace!
No worries. Again, it’s all up to you if you think Scap is being an idiot, or if it’s Bone China who needs to think this whole situation over. Most of the break-ups I’ve seen or been through in my life were rarely about one person being entirely at fault (although I have seen that, too), so it’s up to you who you side with (if either of them).
We’ll be getting a little bit of ‘boom kapow’ action (wow, that came out wrong) in the next story.
I thought this was a really good story… The romantic storyline was an interesting change from what has gone before!
Thanks, Jerry! I can only hope everyone else liked it; this was personally one of my favorites, even if it does have its issues (I refer you to some of the previous weeks’ worth of rants!).
Love those last 3 panels. Nothing to say.
Thanks! A friend of mine looked over my shoulder while I was drawing them and said, “Is that Mystery Science Theater?”.
I agree with Michael, it’s what you don’t say that makes all the difference. Those quiet moments you so effortlessly dropped into this storyline to me are what made it so potent. All the word and text balloons in the world couldn’t match them. When you look at this story in context with what has gone before, it truly is an acheivement. Only the bravest could have attempted it in the first place. And you let Bone walk out and didn’t bother to shut the door behind her. Great job, Aidan!
Very kind words, Mark ol’ buddy ol’ chum. I can only hope I’m getting better at storytelling and art, and not just making a lot of happy mistakes (there was a Benny Hill sketch about an esteemed film director whose ‘artistic choices’ were actually caused by stupid accidents or cost-cutting; “We switched the film to black and white because we ran out of color!”).
In any event, I’m very honored that you and some of the other readers have enjoyed this story, and here’s hoping I feel brave enough again to do more romance and drama (in between all of the action and idiocy, of course!).
I love how no words need be said at the end. Alone can speak pretty loud. Bone China really was a real find for Scap… and a real loss as well. Oh the sad.
Good ending, there, Aidan. Smiles.
Aww, thank you, Brig! Some things in life are too good to stay (which is why the SCAPULA comic will probably be around for a long while!).
.ps… I like the Snape look alike there… is he looking at something on his hand?
Maybe he’s looking at a decoder ring, like the kind you find in cereal boxes back in the 80′s! Très chic fashion in the Goth/industrial scene.
Man,. Aidan, this one really hit me hard. I wanted a nice, solid, happy resolution but, as in real life, it doesn’t always turn out that way. Thanks for keeping it real. Maybe Scap will bump into her again one day. There are lots of places to rob where she could be an innocent bystander. Hmm….maybe he’ll have to rescue HER.
Yeah, reality’s a bitch, but it makes for the most invigorating stories. One of these days I’ll do something out of complete fantasy and have Scapula get the girl, live in a castle and be loved by all…but it will only be (cue music sting) A DREAM!
As for the two of them meeting again someday…it could happen! That’s another aspect of reality: running into people you were certain you would never see again. Trust me, it happens.
Compared to what reality really can be to people, calling it a bitch is more of an insult to bitches and a compliment to reality.
I think an epic reconciliation is in order! Hopefully in the future, DadaHyena? The last three scenes were so beautifully illustrated.
Maybe I’ll slap on a bonus page where they make up and go get ice cream…heck, EVERYONE will get ice cream! HOORAY!
…as long as Toby the chinchilla isn’t expecting them to pay for his ice cream fix. That’ll break anyone’s bank!
Yay, chinchilla flavored ice-cream!
Storyline was awesome! I like how you ended it
Thanks, man! Nothing pleases the crowds like goth melodrama!
hey, that cat girl looks kind of familiar… XD
also: i have been waiting for the llorona story for a while — can’t wait!!
She’s an evil, awful cat and deserves to be spanked!
Glad you’re excited about the next story; it’s been on the back-burner for a while while BONE CHINA ran its course. But hey, new tales await us!
And this is the time on Sprockets when we dance!
I never did see those SNL skits, so I’d like to offer a substitute reference: “I am thirty-five years old, I am divorced, and I LIVE IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!”
Like melodrama.
Enjoy, or at least endure, long storylines.
Love Scapula (in a non-homosexual way, mind you). 😛
So now hey walk the same street, reconcile, Scapula repents for all his life of crime and they both live happily ever after, right?
No one loves Scapula in a homosexual way! Do you really think LGBT readers would lower their standards enough to think that he’s hot?
The chances of Scap repenting and giving up crime are the same as, well, someone thinking that he’s hot…boy, I’m really ragging on my own fictional character today! I wonder if Charles Schulz ever got any pleasure out of making Charlie Brown suffer.
She is great character. I really liked her.
Glad you enjoyed!
Aidan. As usual I didn’t know what to expect from the wrap up page, but don’t think that even unconsciously I expected poignancy. But that’s what you delivered. Along with the kinds of unanswered questions that will keep this arc alive in my mind for some time to come. Masterful storytelling, man. Really well done. I especially appreciate the expression on B.C.’s face in panel three.
Also, should I go look up “Llorona”? Have no clue, but that’s a nice painting.
Now on to the next story arc. I seem to have lost a week somewhere…
Awwwwww, you’re so very kind, Jande. I’m very happy that you enjoyed the story, and if I’ve made an impact without the use of blunt objects then I’ve done my job!
And yes, scuttle on over to the next story! Trust me, you’ll want to see what you’ve been missing…