The Process: Second That Emotion

(Note: This is an entry in an ongoing series of bringing a new twist to an old story.)

Still Life's auction for Gigi Gutierrez' final pose has begun. Her friend Diane Westerbrook feels powerless, knowing that any minute a winning bid will be offered to keep Gigi's beautiful body as a permanently petrified prize. However, in the nick of time someone gives Diane hope to save Gigi:

Lettering is important here.  Varying the lettering allows the mind's ear hear the words (and sounds) in a way without actually hearing the sound. It's the job of the letterer to add a distinctive flavor and emotion from a script that may start off bland -- not that my script for Pretty Vacant: Final Repose Part II was boring in any way -- but the technique saved me a panel by not having to show the actual message on Diane's phone.

This technique also works in media other than comics.  Time and money is saved on a television show by not having to film a seperate scene with a message on a phone.  This is smartly done on the BBC-PBS series "Sherlock":

And I must give a tip of my baseball cap to perhaps the most influential film of all time, Citizen Kane.  The literary device of using lettering to futher the plot owes a debt of gratitude to that movie:

Good lettering may never be given its due (Lord knows I've ranted about it enough), but somedays it can be fun!

And kudos to you if you know the song that this post's title was based!

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