New Page #22!
So many legs, so little time.
Welcome to the cast, Dr. John!
John “Jack” Warren is the youngest of the Warren boys. Dr. John has been a fan-favorite on DeviantART since I posted his character design a long time ago. In fact, I checked the date– I posted the first drawing of him November of 2007! And Alan has been looking for John since issue #3.
John was 12 years younger than his famous older brother Joseph Warren. Joseph had just started college when their father was killed after he slipped out of an apple tree and broke his neck. John was only two, but he was the one who discovered him. Unlike his brother who had an easier life, John had to put himself through Harvard, working odd jobs to pay for it since the family could no longer afford the tuition. But after school his plans were much the same as his brother. He apprenticed with Joseph in Boston for several years, then set up his own practice in Salem, Massachusetts. (Yup, that Salem.)
During his time in Harvard, he was a part of a secret club of Body Snatchers called the Spunkers. You have to read about it to believe it.
When the British evacuated Boston at the end of the siege, March 17th, 1776, they left behind stores of medicines. The Americans, who were stripped bare of supplies of all sorts, were ecstatic when they discovered it. But it was Dr. John Warren who found out (in time) that the medicines were tainted with traces of arsenic. Uh… good call, John. The dastardly deed was more than likely done not by the British Army, but by their really angry wives who lost a thousand of their husbands at Bunker Hill. Hell hath no fury and all that…
And if you’re still not impressed, after the war he went onto found the Harvard School of Medicine.
Welcome aboard at long last, Dr. John! And we sure do hope you can fix Alan before it’s too late. Actually, now that we think about it, put your lancet away. Bea might be more qualified for this job after all…
I have special fun for the Voting Incentive this week. A few months back, John Warren’s medical kits were put up for auction. One was allegedly a gift from his big brother, Dr. Joseph Warren. If you look in today’s comic, you’ll see I drew it in there. My favorite part of any amputation kit is that circular knife the apprentice has in his hand. For cutting flesh away to get to the bone. So. Disgusting.
VOTE to see the real John Warren’s amputation kit!
SQUEEEEEE!!!! FINALLY!!!! And what an entrance! I love how he knows, right off. Not hard, though.
The VI: Though it’s not like I didn’t know about any of this, I am still going to have nightmares tonight; thanks.
I know. Just the thought of going through that ordeal while probably fully conscious totally gives me the creeps! Real cute VI, Lora. Yuck!
Honestly I’d rather die, at least back then. Nowadays its easier, with modern medicine and bionics, but still traumatic enough. Back then, no, just let me die…
Don’t worry–the whole thing took less than a minute.
If you were lucky, you’d pass out anyway and wake up when it was over!
IF you were lucky! Otherwise you’d be “biting the bullet”, or musket ball in this case!
But I would still be without a leg forever. :-(
Then you’d just have to put your best foot forward!
Yay pun!
Well, nobody could say you don’t “have A leg to stand on”.
Do we finally find out if allen is gonna be ok. I don’t want him to die :(
Please don’t die Allen !
I think it’s rather amusing that he can recognize Bea’s voice over the cacophony of a hospital tent…
Amputations didn’t get much better. I did a lot of research for my Civil War book, and it was still barbaric. There’s a doctor’s kit at Chatham House here in Fredericksburg that’s enough to give you the willies. I read the rust was because they never cleaned their instruments…
STOP TALKING!!! lol
Oh, I thought the rust was dried blood. Silly me!
Um, it’s both. Yes, the description for these items when they were up for auction (they were pulled before they were sold) proudly noted the blood and guts on all the instruments because they weren’t washed between uses.
Uh… selling point…?
For those looking for that perfect touch of authenticity, maybe. At least it’s less likely to be a fake if there’s blood on it (and if it’s still a fake…oh my God, what do these people do to make it look like that???)
No, it wasn’t pulled for being a fake. There was a question of who actually owned it I think.
And that would explain all the infections the poor victims got later on in life.
You mean the stuff that helps fight infections was compromised by those amputation germs, or something like that?
So they got infections by having people fight infections with infected instruments? I think my mind just blew up…..
Infection Inception…
*dies laughing*
Hated the movie, love the jokes.
Not even later in life. Like, within a week, often-times.
OMG, 18th century surgery might as well have been in the freakin’ Dark Ages! Blood and guts everywhere!
Woot! Dr. John When-the-subtitle-of-your-biography-has-an-Etc.-at-the-end-of-it-you-know-you’re-an-overachiever Warren! My man!!!
lol – your comment just made my night!
Love the new icon! Jack’s bestie!
The Eustis Family: Helping John Warren Unclench Since 1771. (or thereabouts)
ahhh such a geat moment! Loved how he recognized Bea’s voice instantly!
It must not be just in the army that she’s “always somewhere she shouldn’t be” because he’s not *too* alarmed to see her there. http://www.thedreamercomic.com/comic.php?id=304
So, I was eating a midnight snack of strawberry cereal when I unwisely clicked on the VI. Done with my snack now. lol Gotta love 18th Century Medicine!
Eeww. Strawberry milk + amputation. Yup. I’d have lost it too!
I was also having a little snack, which mostly consisted of a baloney sandwich. Helluva time to be thinking of amputations while eating sliced meat!
Eww. This keeps getting worse and worse.
Is this where I’m not to mention I was eating beef stew and potatos while I read the page???
I suppose that’s what we get for trying to check for updates around dinnertime.
heh, ^.^” I checked at like 12:30….right after i got home from work
Hm. My hot cocoa and double chocolate brownies are still appealing to me! *pops another brownie*
Yeah…..i was just having mostly liquid pudding, so I’m suddenly real thankful that was the case. Eeeee….. X-(
…was it pus colored? XD
Thankfully, no…..though since it was chocolate it might loosely be called rust-colored.
I…don’t know if that would be any better.
I suddenly seem to have lost my appetite.
if the purple swollen leg in today’s page made my stomach woozy, i’m so afraid to look at the Vote incentive. :(
which BTW the look of that leg is kind of gross. can someone tell me why they couldn’t save limbs back then, or why people need amputations even today? because of risk of infection, right? eek!
but YAY! finally we get to meet dr. warren! (please, please Save Alan!!)
(is it just me or dr. Warren looks like a combination of our dearly missed Nathan and a grown up frederick?)
Don’t quote me on it, but if I recall correctly, it had to do with medical expediency. Consider that there might be tens or even hundreds of wounded to process all at once after a battle and the lack of anesthesia or antiseptics made a VERY good incentive for doctors and surgeons to just do what they were doing as fast as possible.
Was amputation nasty? Yes – I’ve seen some contemporary descriptions of it and…it’s not pretty. But at the same time, operating as quickly as possible as opposed to taking the time to heal limbs that could very well have been shattered by their injuries (musket balls and artillery alike left VERY messy injuries) was often your best chance at saving the guy’s life before he went into shock and bled to death.
They didn’t understand disease. So infection was rampant. Nothing was sanitized.
Also, the musket balls were slow but heavy. They’d shatter the bone on impact. There was no putting it back together, those limbs had to come off.
When they cauterized veins to stop the bleeding, they unknowingly killed the germs and saved a lot of lives, actually. Happy accidents.
It’s amazing how much damage could be caused by such a small object, and it didn’t get any better with the invention of the Minie Ball during the Civil War.
I heard about the Minie Ball on The Story of America on the History Channel
Really? I thought the Minié ball actually led to even more casualities because its use with a rifle increased the chances it would hit somebody and it still packed that serious bone-shattering punch….It was designed more for the efficiency of the shooter in mind than any mercy for the victim, I think.
The high amputation rate from Civil War musket fire pretty much speaks for itself.
That’s why the minie ball was so deadly. Muskets were so inaccurate the only way to effectively fight a battle with them was to line up all your troops and shoot a massive volley into the other side’s line of troops. When the minie ball was invented it was in conjunction with improved rifling technology. It was still a slow, heavy round but could be fired further with greater accuracy. But the “rules of war” still called for the massive presentation of troop formations lining up politely to take turns firing en masse at each other, leftovers from the Napoleonic wars. So they were so much more deadly. It really wasn’t until the last year or so of the war, and then the Indian wars to follow, that military tactics started to catch up to military technology.
And in fact, the Civil War was responsible for a lot of advances in medicine.
Oh god! I just saw that! Can’t eat now.
Why don’t we change the subject to something less gut-wrenching? Like tea cozies, maybe?
Glad to see John Warren for real in this comic – we’ve been waiting for you *salutes*
And reading your description, Lora, the only thing that could come to my mind was, “Dang it…doctors back then had BALLS!”
As my friend a doctor reenactor told me, the requirement to be a surgeon was simply thus: “Students in Surgery should not only be furnished with Strength of Body, but constancy of Mind [so] that they remain unmolested and unmoved by Stench, Blood, Pus and Nastiness that will naturally occur to them in their Practice’. ~ Lorenz Heister, A General System of Surgery
Whatever. When I got to the part about body snatching my first thought was “Hah! I like him already!”
Well…I think I’d still fail those requirements. :P
Ditto! I just draw this stuff. I can’t even watch those TLC medical shows.
Well, I think I can look at, say, pictures of it or documentary clips or something…but I doubt I could handle the real thing without breaking down into tears at some point.
When I saw the preview on the blog, I totally took the quote out of context.
It looked to me that he was feeling insecure about his usefulness and he looked so determined…”Everyone needs John Warren.” xD. Spoken in third person too. Of course, I talk in third person all the time…we’d get along, I’m sure.
AND YAY ALAN IS GOING TO BE SAVED. :D! JOHN WARREN TO THE RESCUE!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*I* need a John Warren!
Why? Something wrong with your leg? lol
“So many legs, so little time.” Soooo wrong. Either way you slice it.
Yes, I did just go there. Puns are my specialty, followed by snarkiness. XD
Given the collective wince we must have all had upon seeing that panel (or the VI pic if nothing else), I think we can all use the humour right now. :)
What can I say?? He had me at “Body Snatchers”.
(Okay, okay. I was actually a goner the moment I discovered Lora’s first drawing of him. I mean, yum.)
Me too!!! But when I first saw it I totally thought it was Joe, not John,(but then again, I didn’t even know he exsisted before I found this comic sooo…..)
I suppose now you intend to add John to your ever-growing list of “conquests”, hmm?
Nyet. I try to stick to only one boy per family ;D
She had me at “James McAvoy”
As much as I love James….I don’t really see it in this page
That too.
Maybe not so, but still. James McAvoy. lol
I’m actually seeing a little Christian Bale, especially in panel 3. No? http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ler6jly4ca1qg6wv9o1_500.jpg
http://bestof.provocateuse.com/images/photos/christian_bale_91.jpg
Caera…..that’s just wrong. Also, HA!
Bwahahaha!!!
So glad to see Dr. John! (And so glad that leg is not Alan’s!)
And the VI: AAAAAAAA!!! Note to self: do not check the Dreamer blog before going to sleep, in case of surgical implements.
You were warned! ^_^
yay!
Oh heavens! I’m clutching my chest. I may have fallen in love!
In all seriousness. I love this page. What a way to introduce a character.
It’s all about the introduction. Ha ha, if you go back through the Dreamer, I’ve tried hard to give everyone a memorable moment befitting their character. You should learn a lot about someone in the first page! If not, it’s a missed opportunity to make your readers connect with this unknown character right away. Not that you have to know everything about them, think about that first shot of “Strider” hanging out in the darkness at the Prancing Pony with his face lit by the pipe light?! Beautiful! But misleading, right? Visual storytelling. I love, love, love it.
A few of my Dreamer favs…
Knowlton: http://www.thedreamercomic.com/comic.php?id=24
Alan: http://www.thedreamercomic.com/comic.php?id=4
Fred: http://www.thedreamercomic.com/comic.php?id=92
John: http://www.thedreamercomic.com/comic.php?id=7
Benjamin T: http://www.thedreamercomic.com/comic.php?id=301
Hamilton: http://www.thedreamercomic.com/comic.php?id=238
You forgot Nathan!!!
I will never forget Thomas Knowlton’s first entry. Speaking of him, you just reminded me that he is dead. *sniff*
Actually Nathan makes his debut on the same page!
“Boo.”
Have I mentioned that I’ve said “boo” as a greeting since ROTC in the 9th grade?
We already knew you were soul mates. Now you’re just showing off.
Then Nate has MORE than one soul mate!!! ;P
Aha! Competition! That should liven things up a bit!
lol no comp. We share him…and Jeremiah :D
Benjamin Tallmadge’s is my favorite. “Hear anything good?” So perfect.
He clearly has no moral dilemma to spying. Could that be important…?
John kind of reminds me of somebody, but I can’t quite place it. Does anybody know who it might be?
Nathan, maybe?
Hmm, yes. There IS a resemblance, and others have noticed that, to. Wouldn’t it be funny if the Warren and Hale families were related somehow?
I think the resemblance comes from me drawing them all. LOL. Don’t give me too much credit. No conspiracy theories here!
I’ve been wondering about that. I figure you take your best guess as to what certain characters would look like if no real-life likenesses are available. But if they are available, do you try to try to make the characters resemble them as much as possible or do you just use “artistic licence” in depicting them?
If there are portraits, what I do is send them to my BFF Beth who is amazing with knowing obscure movie actors.
She’ll take a look at the portraits, and then send me a bunch of names of actors she thinks has a similar look.
We usually go back and forth on it till I find someone who inspires me. Then I make a folder with photos of that actor (profile shot, different expressions, etc) as well as historical portraits and just have that folder open while I’m drawing.
Pretty much every character in The Dreamer has an actor connected to them, whether or not you can tell.
May I ask, who do you use for Nathan???
Young Jamie Bamber.
Maybe sometime you could make a list of the characters and the actors they resemble?
Hey, it’s Jack! Hi, Jack! Where the hell ya been? (“Saving lives, you 21st-century ingrate!”)
I love how Bea seems to recognise him despite never having seen or heard him before. Veeeeeeery inter-estink…..
Also, I saw the incentive and that is not what I want for my birthday Sunday. Makes me think of something Jigsaw would leave for his victims….
So, what was Jack like anyway – rough, kind, determined, what?
OMG, are you kidding?? There are few things I might want more for my birthday. In fact, John Warren’s amputation kit gifted to him by Joseph Warren? That even outranks that $8,000 eyelash of Alexander Hamilton.
What was Jack like? He was a worrisome, arrogant, brilliant, ambitious… hypochondriac? LOL. Love. Him.
(You could add passionate, loyal, and devoted to his family to that list too, to be fair.)
$8000 eyelash?!?! I’m more amazed that the eyelash hasn’t disintegrated after so long!
Owning it is mostly about the power to clone him in the future.
O.o Hammy clone????? *swoons* Now where can we find Nathan’s DNA!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Under a skyscraper somewhere, I presume. Yeah… not gonna happen.
“Under a skyscraper somewhere, I presume.” – Am I the only one who actually found that MORE disturbing than all this talk of 18th century surgery and stuff?
@Lora: Please, DON’T REMIND ME THAT HIS GRAVE WILL NEVER BE FOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I was thinking maybe the Homestead had his comb or something….?
@KitakLaw: no, you’re not. =’(
Buried under a skyscraper would be kinda cool but I think I’m going to stick with my “cast my ashes into Puget Sound” wish.
And that’s if you can’t get legal permission to give me a Viking Funeral all around…
@Lora: Wait a minute, how do we know that eyelash really came from Hamilton? And how would anybody get ahold of it even if it did?
Oh, faulty memory! I was mixing up the eyelash of John Wilkes Booth that Sarah Vowell owns with the 10 strands of Hamilton hair I’ve been coveting for years.
Why no one has snatched this up yet is beyond me! http://www.historyforsale.com/html/prodetails.asp?documentid=250630&start=1
p.s. My birthday is coming up in April. You know… if anyone wants to get me “something.” ;)
Ummmm…….yeah, right. I can’t afford THAT price tag.
Lora, if we all pooled all our money, it would cover about half the cost of what you deserve.
@deb: Actually, hair can last a really long time under the right conditions, I’ve personally seen a full head of hair AND a beard on an Egyptian mummy in a museum, and he was around a lot earlier than Hamilton!
“Everyone needs John Warren… Bah. Humbug!”
Hee. I love how he goes from grumpy scowling busy doctor to “Good god, Alan’s in trouble!”
He did not like the army surgeon life. Tried to get out of it but was denied. He wanted to be a solider.
Then again, if Joseph Warren was *my* brother, and he died at Bunker Hill the way he did, I would want to be a soldier, too.
All I can say is that it’s not easy being a Warren, especially in this war, except for maybe Sam.
Ah ha ha ha ha ha.
Not entirely true. The Continental Army cut down their trees for firewood the winter they were camped at Roxbury outside of Boston. Poor guy. What has he but his farm?
His good looks.
His sparkling personality!!!
WOW!! John!!!!!!!!!! *Squee!*
Lora, I love the way you drew John. You give your characters so much personality! I also love how make them seem so real!
I also love the little details you place in your comic. I could see John’s bloodstained apron, the man’s damaged foot.
Oh boy, there are so many things to like in this update. Now I can’t wait to see how Alan is doing.. I hope John can save him in time.
Thank you! It’s so much prettier at high-res. Can’t wait to see it in print.
Wait, John, you have another patient…
“No time! Alan needs me!”
But it looks like you’re about to amputate this dude’s leg. That could be impo–
“ALAAAAANNN!!” (runs off)
Sorry, but I had to. x)
Patient: “So does this mean I can keeo my leg after all?”
The Leg: *falls off anyway*
Patient: “Ohhhh……”
All right I have to say this. After reading the comments, I remember this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOp3bZxCdKA LOL! I have no clue why…..
Hahaha, I was thinking the same thing!
Go save ‘em, Dr. Warren!
Apparently I’m one of the few not grossed out! Body snatching is fascinating, and if you want to learn about another famous duo, check out Burke and Hare. They didn’t just dig ‘em up, they made their own dead bodies!
It still amazes me that it wasn’t until the 20th century that a person had a better chance of leaving a physician’s office healthier than they came. Before that, it was probably better to stay home and take your chances with ‘home remedies.’
Also, for more crazy medical history, check out the Mutter Museum! Sweeeeeeeeett!!!!!
nah…I’m not grossed out. My dad used to come home after a 24-hour shift as a paramedic in Las Vegas and debrief over the breakfast table. Stuff like that doesn’t bother me much (at least, not in stories and such…IRL, not so good :) )
I’m not grossed out by this stuff. Not really – I just wince in sympathy for the poor souls who had to go through all that.
Oh God, medical treatment in the early wars…American Revolution and Civil War…so grotesque! I really hope those instruments in the kit were much less dull when the good doctor used them! And the strongest thing doctors had to subdue the pain during the procedure was alcohol, otherwise the patients were awake and aware. I get the heebie-jeebies thinking about it!
As for the comic itself, I love the brotherly concern and how he instantly knows, when Bea shows up, that something’s really wrong. Also love how you did include the kit in the comic and the splattered apron. Ew. You really do make the characters and the time period seem very real. Can’t wait for the next page!
They wouldn’t give you too much alcohol. I heard maybe a sip of wine or so. But alcohol is a blood thinner. Not good when you want the wound to stop bleeding!
Especially during the 18th century, when some surgeons would bleed the patient before starting the operation.
YAY! Dr. John! Finally!! And I must say….he’s really good-looking! :D
I have died and gone to heaven and now my spirit is lingering to leave a comment here. Just thought you should know. ;)
My Q&A journal asked me if I was in love today. At first I put bacon, tea, hot cocoa, the usual. Then I remembered it was Wednesday and just like a sign, there’s a gorgeous comic update featuring Dr. John Warren. HISTORICAL MEN, Y U NO LIVE NEMOAR!? Oh yes, and I crossed out the other things and put “The Warren men” because I really couldn’t pick just ONE.
I love everything on this page. Even the swollen foot and the blood spatters and especially the look on the assistant’s face. :P And in that last panel, I think he looks particularly Alanesque. :) I adore you for drawing these.
I made this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkNlvwuv7tQ