Second to last panel mirrors a flashback, and I wanted the page to radiate out from that. All of Eve's sorrow originates in that moment. She's trapped in the same place, forced to broach an uncomfortable topic. So what if Will wants to connect; any ground ceded in this area almost guarantees the same betrayal.
I think the last panel muddles things a little - not intended to show Eve braking, just driving through the fog with lights on. This was more of an atmospheric panel, that ended up reading to some as an action. It sticks in my craw now, but is probably not a big deal, especially if you're reading it all at once.
10 thoughts on “#947 – past this”
cwbuecheler
Another very excellent webcomic once said: "Love is giving someone the power to hurt you terribly … and hoping they don't. And we never really trust anyone as easily as we did the first time."*
This is exactly that. This is Eve not trusting easily but, over the next few pages, figuring out what she wants and giving Will that power. It's terribly scary and, if you're lucky, also maybe the best thing in the whole fucking world.
* http://www.threepanelsoul.com/comic/on-companions…
Rezmason
I never expected a Mac Hall story arc to surface here! 😀 Good parallel.
cwbuecheler
I was always glad they gave Micah some closure in 3PS. 🙂
bryanew710
Her silence is deafening.
Emily
Wait.. is Eve driving on the left? Are Will's questions about whether she ever learned how to drive … pointed?
rikushix
It's an on/off ramp and thus single-lane. Hence the guardrail on one side but not the other.
Lela
I agree, that's not clear. The solid white line on Eve's right and the guard rail on the left make it look like Eve pulled to the shoulder of the road onto a scenic overlook. I always thought that, especially with the parallels to Eve's breakup with Park in the car.
Rezmason
"All of Eve’s sorrow originates in that moment."
Which was an autobiographical moment. Holy shit.
Not to be preachy about it, but this a big reveal— an almost direct statement from Gran that she built a defining tragedy in Eve's life from her own lived experience, *and* that it is the origin of her main character's sorrow.
Is this pain what led Eve to seek comfort in James, and then fomented into her cynical outlook early in the comic? http://www.octopuspie.com/067
Joe
Love OP. Have loved the re runs. Thank you Meredith for the 10 years of story and this excellent recap and extra insight. For me, and I assume others here, I grew into young adulthood with this comic and am living the struggles concurrently with the characters even now. The tension and emotions are palpable in every exquisitely crafted page. Thank you to all the colorists and bonus artists. There really can only be one such piece that fills your life at the pivotal time where emotional intelligence and maturity is aware but undeveloped enough to strike a deep chord like this. Bravo. Thank you. A thousand times thank you.
Gaby
I bought the original art of this page! I found it very poignant to have on display. I need to have it on the walls again – we moved recently and it's still protectively wrapped in its frame. I like how it always makes me think about where me and my husband are at.