JL8 #26 - Creator Commentary
Added 2022-05-23 20:52:51 +0000 UTCJL8 #26 by Yale Stewart
Originally published on March 23rd, 2012
Sorry for the lack of commentaries everyone. Turns out I've tested positive for COVID, and while I'm doing fine, I have been a little on the tired side. But anywho, onto the comic.
I'll go ahead and get the complaint right out of the way: Bruce's noggin in panel three is ridiculous. I'm not sure why it's so peanut shaped, but it's bothered me for years. Unfortunately, this commentary might draw it to folks' attention who otherwise may not have noticed it and proceeds to ruin this strip for them, and for that I apologize, but man I wish I could re-draw that panel. But, I'm not George Lucas, so...
In the grander sense, this is the first real swerve into "drama" that JL8 took, which was always intentional. The strip is meant to be a comedy first and foremost, but I thought that it could serve as an interesting method of examining what makes the characters tick, including their struggles.
I've talked about it in interviews, but it's bothered me for a long time that the death of Batman's parents has been turned into a meme ("My parents are DEEEAAAAAADDD!!!"). Like, on one hand I get it, but I felt like looking at Bruce through the lens of him being a child would help refocus how traumatic a loss like that would be, mostly in quiet moments like this one: seeing his friend go home to a loving father, knowing that no such greeting awaits him upon his return.
I lean into this pretty hard for both this strip as well as the following, #27, and I think I did an overall decent job. It certainly seemed to take a lot of readers by surprise, but also seemed to further endear the strip to them by letting them know it was more than just silly jokes about superheroes as kids. I was actually trying to say something.
I'll talk a bit more about it in the commentary for #27, which I'll try to get up later this week.
Take care, everyone!
-Yale
