Such a treat! To be featured in the first splash panel, and moreover, identified as “La Luna Cavalier! The Moon Knight! The dashing, daring, strolling troubadour Moon Knight!” Wow! From the start, I knew this was gonna be a good one.
Grateful thanks, MK! This was one cameo I was really frantic to have work, and it means the world to me that you're pleased! And to compliment it, you've fashioned a masterpiece of a reply! I, like you, shall proceed in orderly fashion:
The introduction of Aileen was an interesting affair. An anthropoid sheep? Why not, when humanoid felids abound! And what secret torment is she off to endure at the hands (probing fingers?) of her mysterious “landlady”? A sheep girl tickled? That should be a novel sight, and great fun at that!
Aye likely requires a little explanation. She's the creation of Relent, an artist who posts only (as far as I know) at the TTC. The resident of a Mother Goose-themed fairy tale world, her landlady (Miss Muffette, pronounced "Mu-Fay") owns a pair of pet spiders who delight in webbing up victims for tickle fun! Hence the reference to "clearing away cobwebs". It was an inside comment, familiar only to those familiar with Relent's work... sometimes I get a little too cute for my own good!
As ever, the text is a treat in itself.
“Happily tended good sir…coin sufficient for an endless assemblage of mugs! Please do not retain any trifling return…my current lucrative endeavor makes a mock of miserly grasping…”
What a line! The Bard himself would approve (if he read tickle-lit, that is!) And even the names of the characters are little treats…Klept…and in “klepto” Clever! And Miss Tingle? LOL…well, that speaks for itself!
I can't tell you how neat I find it that you take the trouble to quote passages of chapter dialogue, MK! Special thanks: it's a huge compliment to me that you think the language worth repeating! I am, in fact, a big fan of Shakespeare (hardly an exclusive group!) I've slipped one line from
Macbeth into Jen's lips during Chapter 14 ("... men must not walk too late"...) and plan another, more recognizable lift for Chapter 16. Well... not a "lift", exactly; he'll get direct credit this time!
Very pleased you like the character names! "Klept" was a last-minute decision... I realized he finally needed a moniker, and that it had to be something both criminal and petty. Tessie Tingle actually hearkens back to Chapter 5... she's seen briefly in an illustration gracing one of Sparrow's news columns. We're far from done with Miss Tingle... she bound for a date with a dissatisfied former pupil...
And speaking of the tickled teacher she was cute in her lime-green dress…smooth underarms at the ready….and based on her frantic/jubilant expression and less than earnest pleading (no to mention her inquiry of if “we” were “all done”, the “we” making her a participant, not an unwilling victim) I’d suspect her two-faced teaser was right!
Glad that didn't slip past unnoticed! Of the chapter's three tickle participants, none of them found themselves in any genuine agony, however much they protested! Tessie, in particular, could never cop to enjoying her torment... far too staid, conservative and respectably employed. With her it was always going to be, "No! No! A thousand times No, you brute!" Damn tease!
And on the subject of willing ‘lees, might I say that Mercy’s surrender to the probing fingers of her friends was a charming delight. Both the words and the pictures conveyed her initial nervousness, her pure enjoyment, and indeed the love involved, with every stroke…err…of their fingers and their creator’s pen! Bravo!
Thank you! This was a big step for Mercy... first time in the series she's voluntarily submitted to a tickling (yeah, she's beefing alright... on the other hand, she's not fighting it very hard) and the first instance in which she really seems to be enjoying it. Angie tumbled to tickling pleasure far sooner, but she doesn't have Mercy's fighting spirit. The Mews (Mercy and Sephie) hate the thought of being dominated; the loss-of-control aspect is far more daunting to them than the actual sensuality. But Mercy trusts Jen and Billy: this allows her to lower her guard safely. She knows that if she asserts herself, they'll stop. Control is never an issue.
And then we come to the climax! The Moon Knight’s tickling of Sparrow was almost to wonderful to do justice with the written word. And indeed, it was the wordless fourth panel of # 28 that brought across the message with the most eloquence. Her exceptionally wide, gleeful, spasmodic, and tortured grin! Her tear dabbed eyes! And the joyous expression of the man with his hands on her netted feet! Brilliant, sir, brilliant! A symphony worthy of Amadeus!
And her head poking up to try to catch a glimpse of her tickler through bleary eyes as the audience exits the window. Sublime.
Tremendously gratifying of you to say so! These panels were great fun to draw (well, character close-ups always are, actually, but these in particular)... extreme reaction to tickling torment inspires any fetish artist to his best effort! Your compliments become lyrically rhapsodic, but the way... an effervescent equal to any images I may have produced!
And then the rooftop owl that’s nabbed the actual sparrow. Set to tickle her with one of his own feathers! How cute! Let’s hope he devours her with spasms of laughter only!
Take your own bow here! That little tableau was inspired by your PM quip about an Owl (the Moon Knight's insignia) preying on a Sparrow (as in Hall)! It was also meant as a clue to the truth behind the "bogey" attack, though one would need Holmesian insight to suss that out from the meager clues I'd provided!
But it wasn’t over yet! Seeing Mickey Mouse (or a close relative) bust Officer Growler in the head with a brick was a small treat, but ultimately, it served to lead up the Moon Knight’s ladder where he busted the wandering minstrel foot-in-hand! Sparrow has some idea of her own eloquence, but the fellow who truly crafted the words, “It’s all up with me now…and I could care less! Sparrow Hall fades into vapor with a blaze of vermilion glory!” is to be lauded indeed. If only she could write this down? Fret not, Gorgeous, someone did! And then, since a picture’s worth a thousand words, it’s only right that this little bit of prose should be eclipsed by the expressiveness of the panel beneath it: the Moon Knight’s expression of trepidation as he’s nabbed by the coppers, and Sparrow’s innate curiosity at work as she strains, wide-eyed, to see who’s at the door even through her ticklish ecstasy and the gloom! Spectacular! Worthy of Kirby, sir!
Heady praise! Jack Kirby is a longtime luminary favorite of mine, the only artist of any kind I ever consciously attempted to imitate (early and poorly. I soon gave up, which did nothing to sour my admiration!)
I'm delighted you've devoted so much virtual ink on this turn in the plot! The revelation of perpetrator MK is the key moment of the piece... had this failed, the chapter would have failed. Production of these chapters is so involved, requiring so many diverse and disconnected stages, it becomes increasingly difficult to know if some art I happen to be working on captures all the impact I planned at the concept/script stage. To have you delineate events exactly the way I'd intended them, with all subtext intact, is the deepest, cleanest breath of fresh air I could ever draw! However I manage to muck things up in future, this at least I got exactly the way I wanted! Confidence grows!
Side note: the brick-pitching rodent is actually Ignatz mouse from the
Krazy Kat comic strip (easily mistaken for Mickey in silhouette... the ears are identical), there to honor longtime (and now absent) TTC member Ignatz. It was a below-the-radar tribute, not meant to be noticed except as a piece of non sequitur.
And just when the reader thinks he can stand no more…Growler’s assumption that the two are lovers at play is priceless, screwball comedy. Moreover, the Moon Knight’s eloquent plea of insanity is surpassed only by Sparrow’s fixing him with a withering glare through tear-stained eyes, as more of the stuff flows down her cheeks like rivulets of seawater. This panel, 34 b I guess you’d call it, is a small masterpiece.
Heh heh! Growler's a good Joe! Maybe not the super-cop Sephie is, but probably a better all-around policeman with more tolerance and better horse sense (Sephie would, for shear cussedness, likely have hauled 'em both off for disturbing the peace!) Thanks so much for commenting on Sparrow's scowling demeanor on page 34! She's had an active, angst-filled night, and should seem pestered by conflicting emotions: embarrassment at being publicly discovered, relief to learn she isn't in any actual bogey danger, irritation at having been tricked. No one could expect the lady not to be at least a little exasperated, if only through pure exhaustion!
Feel free to use the Moon Knight likeness in any stories you might dream up in the future. I’m honored, flattered, and supremely pleased indeed! ... Yes, use the character in any way you like. I have a feeling he’d be keen on hanging about at Sparrow’s “heels”. Perhaps she could even tame him of his wanderlust. Or they might collaborate on her investigations and wander together. But such matters are in your able, able hands!
Your fertile musings never fail to stimulate productive narrative possibilities! As you know, I would indeed like the Moon Knight to appear in the next two chapters... I can now see potential far beyond that! Sparrow deserves such ongoing richness in her life!
And then, just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water, we’re treated to Mercy and Jen in overalls and naught else! Heavens to Murgatroyd! Barefoot even! And Jeni tickled, however slightly? And Mercy’s plaintive musings about her sister? And was that her sister in the ninja garb? And don’t think I didn’t catch the significance of the spelling of “altared”...
Your perspicacity can be scary! Without being specific, let me say that you're dead on target about one tricky piece of speculation! I have no idea how you figured it out... I can only hope that if I'm ever guilty of murder, you aren't the one conducting the investigation!
The "shower" scene (cue
Psycho music) was great fun to dream up and execute! Mercy's been wrung through the wringer pretty thoroughly up till now, and subsequent events won't prove any less brutal... I wanted at least one pleasant breather for her, a chance for her to relax completely and forget her cares. This chapter was mostly sedate, a perfect place for calm before the coming bogey storm. Chances may not be so easy to find later... I'll fit them in where I can.
You shouldn’t be apologizing for this episode being extra long, old friend, you should be charging admission! Perhaps I’m a bit biased, but every panel, even those not featuring Sparrow, was an extravagance for the senses! I thank you most heartily!
Kindest of compliments! And my greatest reward is your satisfaction with the cameo appearance! It's recognition you've earned, my friend, and it's been too long in coming... I'm endlessly pleased (and super relieved!) that my faulty printer held up throughout production! Making you wait any longer would have been unkind and nowhere near the honor you deserve!
Too tired to give as good feedback like the others but I will say that once again, the use of language is one of the best things about this series. The way you use English in this is nothing short of excellence.
Art ain't too bad neither. 😛
I fully sympathize with your fatigue, DEV! Please don't fear that you're stinting; your words of praise ably warm the heart! So happens you focus on that aspect of the production most critical to me... I never pay a single thought to artwork until I'm totally satisfied with the script! It's much more important to me than the graphic aspect of the story! A clumsy image, I may be able to live with; a clumsy turn of phrase, never! Thanks so much for recognizing my effort in this area of production! It couldn't mean more!
Of all the ongoing series out there in tickledom, Low Roads is by far and above my favorite; an awesome story that includes some of our many favorites of the other genres, and a drawing style that (to me at least) is 'unique' while still being 'good'.
Yeah, Low Roads FTW.
You're very kind to say so, Featherfall! I'm greatly honored! Also most gratified you like my art style! By rights, I shouldn't have one. I've never studied graphic art... basically, I just throw everything I can think of at the paper and hope that some of it works! For my purposes (that is to say, non-professional and directed solely at these stories), it seems to work well enough. If it does for you too then I'm fully satisfied! Thanks so much for the confidence builder!
Incredible thats the only word that came to mind as i read thru this new chapter in the Low Roads saga. Keep up the good work
Most grateful for your kind compliments, JCushman! Please rest assured that I'll offer up new Low Roads chapters just as soon as the bum shop printer will allow (my gripes notwithstanding, I don't think that will take long. I wouldn't need to start artwork for about a month in any event... surely positive steps will have been taken by then! If not, I'll figure a way around it. There's
always some way to get things done!)
Anyway, thanks so much for reading, enjoying and commenting!
ITS FINALLY HERE!!!!
i have been desperately waiting for this for ages and its here!!
i was fantastic.
better then i expected.
i didn't expect to see it so early either.
thank you so much for adding this little ray of pure ticklish delight into my untickled life!
I was able to finish up a little earlier than even
I expected, Wishfoot! The last week of production can be pretty frantic; I frequently overestimate how much time is required (well, better than
underestimating!) I'm delighted this chapter proved pleasing! I'll have the next one ready soon as I can possibly manage. Please don't neglect your own art contributions! I'm keeping an eye open for your newest pictures!
