New Page #46!
Not Nathan's finest moment, admittedly.
Remember that time Nathan put his foot his mouth and got punched in the face for it? Yeah, apparently Alan hasn’t forgotten, either.
Joseph Warren was already famous before he died but martyrdom sealed the deal. After his death, Warren became a legend. When I visited Forrest Hills Cemetery last summer, I found an interesting inscription on Mary Warren’s grave. It reads, “She was… an object of general interest in the town of Roxbury.” Of course she was. She was the great, fallen General Joseph Warren’s mother.
In Dr. John Warren’s biography (written by his son Edward), the following story is told. This tale is funny because apparently Dr. John was a speedster (multiple such accounts are in the bio), but more importantly, the final line reveals the regard he was held in for being the brother of Dr. Warren, even 20 years after his death at Bunker Hill.
“When [John Warren] drove in a sulky or chaise, he drove very rapidly; sometimes fearfully so. On one occasion, Dr. Danforth accompanied him to a consultation. He afterwards declared in very strong language that he would never ride with Dr. Warren again. ‘He would sooner ride with the d—l.’ The streets of Boston were not very much crowded in those days; rapid progression was easier. A military company sometimes barred the way, and on one occasion, a captain who knew him and perceived his rapid approach, gave the order to open to the right and left; either respecting the surgeon’s haste, or paying this honor to the brother of the slain general.”
Nathan’s taunt makes more sense now, right? So does this scene.
If you didn’t read the blog last week, click to read what that skull is all about in today’s update. Dr. Warren’s brothers as well as Paul Revere were present when his body was exhumed to be moved to a more appropriate burial site. He had been in the ground on Breed’s Hill for a year after a British Officer, in his own words, “stuffed the scoundrel with another rebel, into one hole, and there he, and his seditious Principles may remain.”
Well, he and his Principles remained there for only a year until the British evacuated the city and left Breed’s Hill unguarded. Paul Revere was able to positively ID the body once it was dug up as belonging to Warren.
John Warren was no stranger to corpses. In college he was a part of a secret club at Harvard called the Spunkers who would dig up bodies to dissect and study for medical purposes. Because of this, I’ve always wondered how he responded that day. He took the news of his brother’s death very, very hard. So my guess is that his response was less than clinical. None the less, it must have been closure– there could be no more doubt.
I know the two deaths are unrelated, but I’ve often pitied the family of another of our favorite patriots who got no such closure after rumors of his death circulated unconfirmed.
But I get ahead of myself…
VOTE to preview the next page!
I’ll be at a brand new convention next month in Huntington, WV. Tristate Con is a one day show, June 9th. I’ve been asked to be on the webcomics panel. So if you’re in the area, make plans to come!
One word: Awww!!!!!!!!!!!! “I can’t lose another brother.” MEEP!
And Oh look! Nathan! Though not really my favorite memory of him, or probably for Alan. Though I like knowing the background for Alan’s reaction.
VI: Another old, familiar face. Now that’s a page I think I’ll like. :D
Ditto on the VI. :)
*overlooks rest of page* NATHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 I missed yooou!!!!! Now show up in my dreams tonight, ;3
*rest of page* Poor Jack, poor Alan, poor Bea, gah!
Poor John :( You hear that, Lora? You can’t let him lose another brother.
June 9th is my birthday (and the 149th anniversary of the Battle of Brandy Station). I’d so try to come out to Huntington (it isn’t that far)…except I’ll be in Alaska then. Sigh. I will make it to one of your conventions someday, I swear.
VI:
Knowlton: Now Mr. Warren, one final question before we make this enlistment official…how do you feel about tea cozies?
*LIKE*
How about this?
VI Caption:
Knowlton: Okay, just put your John Hancock right here.
Alan: Um… That hasn’t happened yet.
Knowlton: Oops! All this shifting back and forth in time is REALLY starting to get a tad confusing!
Ha! *like* that’s awesome
*like*
Ahhhhh, I love these fever dreams!!! These are my favorite pages EVER!!!! It’s so aWeSoMe!!
I love all the historical goodies these pages and blog posts are filled with. The time and dedication you give the Dreamer shines through everywhere.
This comic really is just getting better and better! Even comparing this page with the one you linked, the art’s improved so much.
I just love it, love it, love it! I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Oh, he called Alan his brotherrrrr….. *tears up….really*
…and that’s what an exhumation looks like, apparently….yeah, I’m with Alan here.
So, I guess I like how Jack just totally ignores Bea’s rambling as too-concerned-to-know-better, and……wait a minute, were there TWO punches? Because it looks like originally he punched with his left but here he’s using his right — WHAT is up with that?
And Lora…….totally with you on that other family. ( COUGH nathan! COUGH ) Just saying….
INCENTIVE CAPTION!!!
Alan: “Sam, the memorial for Joe is in thirty minutes, we…..what are you doing?”
Sam: “I’m writing Lora to ask her favorite color again! She’s got to answer me sometime, right?”
Alan: “Yeah….right….”
Wait, is that Tom? Craaaaap…..
Okay, an alternate
Knowlton: “Oh, hello Alan! I was just getting set to ask Lora what color she’d like her tea cosy. Have any guesses?”
Yup, two: http://thedreamercomic.com/comic.php?id=137
Oh yeah….. *feels a little silly now*
Don’t feel silly. That happened like three years ago! I do mess up on consistency from time to time. I was just happy this wasn’t one of them!
It seems Brent has joined the Lora Favorite Color Quest. I’m starting to suspect your keeping mum about it means it could be some kind of plot spoiler. Oh, well, at least you showed restraint with Alan’s reaction to Joseph’s exhumation. I can handle the skull, but gratuitous depiction of vomit really grosses me out! Yuck! :P
@David: Yeah, but if that camera had been positioned one foot or more lower…….yeesh.
Gack! I hear THAT!
Again, you decided to take us in all sorts of different directions emotionally, Lora. John’s statement about Alan’s fever isn’t comforting, nor is his plea that he not lose another colour.
But…Nathan, what happened to YOU? Maybe it’s because I’m so used to seeing him being depicted as a tragic hero and a martyr (that story’s known even here in Canada), but…that was some serious derp.
Well in his defense, he had just been called a giant coward by his bestest friend, so….
Oh. I thought this was a separate incident from that one and spoken when they found Joseph’s remains.
No, on these pages Alan’s memories are all bleeding together. They’re not supposed to make total sense.
This is Alan remembering punching Nate back in issue 5, mixed in with other memories about Joseph’s skull.
Okay, then. Thanks for clearing that up!
Oh look at that…Nathan got punched out…again. Hmm.
:P
Hey! I know that dude in the 5th panel! He’s always trying to woo Aussie bad girls.
And Hey, awesome Voting Incentive! (I actually almost used the phrase, ‘killer voting incentive.)
That would be so inappropriate right now. XD
Ah so he wasn’t just being a hothead when he slugged Nathan…apparently it really, really bugged him if he’s having half-delirious dreams about it…
Sigh. Nathan withdrawls. Please bring him back sometime soon, and when I say that, I mean ALIVE… </3
Nice job making John human, just by having him worry about Alan…. :')
Well, Nathan did say, “It’s a good thing your cousin died.”
I think Alan would rather have Joseph back than his promotion. It’s been a long time but Nathan didn’t take that promotion very well… http://thedreamercomic.com/comic.php?id=61
It was a long day, everyone was tired. But somethings you just can’t take back after you’ve said them.
True. But I didn’t like Alan very much during that scene; he was jumping all over Nathan for something that really wasn’t his fault, and when Nate got tired of it, he mouthed off and got punched for it. :P
Well certainly O_o Who *wouldnt* want their dead brother(../cousin..) back?
For all the things that John Warren did, he’s remembered most for being Joseph’s brother. As much as I adore Joseph (and I do), I feel a bit sorry for John. Not that I really think he would mind.
Brilliant art, as always. And thank you for the Nathan fix. :D
Yes. But Joseph Warren’s other two brothers have all been forgotten except for people really interested in his life. But there is a reason Dr. John Warren is “Dr. Warren’s brother” in our collective memory, and not Sam or Eben. That’s because he went on to do great things. In part this is a piece of his brother’s legacy, but it’s also wholey his. He never followed his brother into the political realm. But he did have a huge impact on medicine, not just him but his descendants. Much more than Joseph Warren did.
There is a reason there are books about John Warren and sons, but not poor Ebenezer or Samuel. So maybe it’s one part famous brother one part earned. ;)
We’ve already speculated about what might have happened to Joseph if he had survived Bunker Hill and the Revolution, such as his possibly becoming one of our first Presidents. Do you think he still might have gone into politics if the Revolution and the events that caused it never happened? Maybe he might have become a Colonial representative to the Btitish Parliament or something like that? I know that’s going into the “Alternate History” area but I thought I’d bring it up anyway.
That would have been epic. He would have ended up campaigning against Jefferson and Adams, both sticklers to beat.
I just realized something. If the Revolution had never happened then KitakLaw and myself would now probably both be citizens of an expanded British North America, or as she might prefer to call it, the Dominion of Greater Canada!
No… That is not quite true. The idea of a commonwealth like Canada and Australia came about because we won the war. Great Britain decided there must be a better way to handle their colonies. Also remember that one of the reasons why we fought the war was because England would not give us representation in Parliament nor give us the same rights as Englishmen. We would probably have ended up more like Ireland than anything else. In fact, that is what Great Britain was discussing in 1780: “A viceroy of a Lord Lieutenant and a privy council of Loyalists. Colleges would be supervised, town meetings banned, oaths taken to ensure true and full obedience to Parliament.” -From the book Perils of Peace by Thomas Fleming.
So.. yeah… :) Sorry for the lecture, ha ha. I always get told by people who know me that I should be a history teacher. Lol.
Oh, and I forgot: London did not really accept Americans as Britons, or America as just another branch of England. America was a colony, a possession, a piece of property, and its people were not British citizens but dependents on Britain. There could be no seat in Parliament for a foreign people under British rule.
When the Americans realized they would not be given a say in their own government, including what taxes were levied on them, their willingness to help pay for the French and Indian War evaporated and a rallying cry was born: “No taxation without representation.
Ok…. I will stop now. LOL!
What the…? Don’t put words in my mouth. ;)
Oh, and I should say that I agree with Amber here. Canada got a number of its rights at the time BECAUSE of the shenanigans going on in the Thirteen Colonies leading to Britain’s willingness to compromise (Quebec Act and all that). So were it not for you guys and the Revolution…the Canadians of the time would have been completely Anglicized and subjugated. Not necessarily in an overtly oppressive manner, but with a clearly segregated society based upon language, culture and religion.
A Canophile, eh? I’ll take that as a compliment :)
And now that I think about it, the “Dominion of Greater Canada” might not be as pretentious as I originally thought – after all, a dominion is really something that’s…half colony, half independent nation. Plus, Canada really was called that for a while.
Joseph Warren for President!! :) I’d vote for him…and I usually ignore my right to vote.
Also, I’m going to be giggling all morning about your spelling of British…”Btitish” indeed! *gigglefits*
@Amber: Very interesting. Well, let’s just say that my little scenario is in an alternate history in which the British government of that time handled their American colonies more wisely instead of behaving like a bunch of stubborn, thickheaded JACKHOLES!
I also still like the name “Dominion of Greater Canada”, but then I always have liked that country. OMG! Does that make me a Canadophile?
@KitakLaw: So when did Canada stop being called a “Dominion”? I’m asking because I have an old encyclopedia from 1950 in which it’s still referred to as that. Now that I think about it, that fancy name I came up with probably would have fallen out of use by now even in an “alternate history”!
Speaking of cool things Dr. John did I thought this blog post was timely http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/ No direct mention of him, but a bit about Harvard Medical School, which he was more than a little involved with.
The two nerdy history girls are great. They’ve helped me out before!
Re: that building, I’ve been there! Sam Forman took me by there when he gave me a quick tour of the Revolutionary Era part of Harvard’s Campus. It’s a very tiny building. Some kids on orientation were there at the time getting lectured outside the door so I didn’t get very close. I’ll have to pull out my photos and zoom in to see!
Nathan!!!! <3
What else could be said?
Oh, and John: Aww!
That is right, Alan! Fight the fever! Fight it for John and for Bea!
And Bea……. Get the blankets to help sweat the fever out. Alan needs all the help he can get. :)
Check me out, appearing in panel 5 of this page. That blanket Bea’s stealing? The yellow one? That was the color of my childhood “banky.”
Treat that blanket well, Bea. I cuddled with it to sleep every night growing up. :)
Now that you mention it… That guy in panel 5 DOES look like you! Too funny!
ha. That really *is* Trevor. The Dreamer is full of hidden cameos of my friends and family. The guy who helps Bea find Dr. John? That’s Alan “Albone” Evans, who hangs out in these parts. My parents are at Ben’s football game in the bleachers. I could go on and on…
Ha, I found him. :-)
That you did!
Alan’s been a HUGE behind scenes the help to The Dreamer for years. You guys don’t even know…
So I thought it was fitting that he be the one to help Bea in the comic since he helps her out so much in real life.
I have a feeling once Alan is through with it, you won’t want it back! …not unless disinfectant is suddenly invented in 1776.
But…but it’s my “banky!” :(
[Yeah, that's right...I never grew up]
I like how Alan’s dream sequence looks like he’s at the brink of Death and just barely holding onto dear Life. A lot of red these past issues, slowly becoming my least favourite colour in the Dreamer-verse.
That’s on purpose. Redcoats? Also suck. XD
I’d noticed the reddish tint on the flashbacks recently, too – this isn’t a new spin on that “ominous red outline”, is it?
Wow………I wish I could draw like you. I love the red tinge, John and Bea actually managing to cooperate, It’s awesome! Please dont kill Alan though.
I know. Don’t hold your breath, I’m sure they’ll be at each other’s throats again soon.
NOOOOOO Allen can’t die please make him like. He dosent deserve to die please. Also lora thanks for the drawing love it. :)
Catherine who I met at Packrat this weekend? If so, it was lovely to meet you and I’m glad you liked your sketches! <3
alan not allen
You’d better scramble for those blankets, Bea. Or John’s gonna take you for a chaise ride!
At some time, I knew I had read a description of John actually fainting when they found Joseph’s body. Couldn’t find it in the first seven books I checked in my room, so I went online. And there it is, published in The Tioga Eagle (PA) of 1839: “His young brother, Dr. John Warren, at first sight of the body fainted away, and lay for many minutes insensible on the ground.” Could be, as Sam would say, apocryphal. (The author also has one of Warren’s brothers identifying Joseph by his artificial tooth… and a missing fingernail.)
Missing fingernail? Gross.
Thanks for the tidbit, Tammy! Who knows if it is true? It is a believable reaction, though.
And thank you, Lora, for leaving all of his fingernails on.
Caption:
Knowlton: So, here we put down your special skills. Got any hobbies? Knitting? Cattle-rustling?
Alan: I stampeded some cattle through the vatican once…..does that count?
LOL *like*
Blazing Saddles, man….
-”Oh, baby, you are so talented…and they are so dumb. “
Yeah it was Catherine from packrat my little sister also said thanks for the portrait.