New Page #5!
I’m back from Boston, and posted two blogs about my trip so far. Visit the “Blog” tab to read them. I’ll post more about the rest of my trip in upcoming blogs–the trip just got better and better!
VOTE to preview the next page! Look who’s back!
Aw, my heart just breaks at those panels. He knows he’s gotten in over his head, but he’s gonna do it anyway.
And what’s with Sleeping Beauty Bea in the VI?
I’m loving your blogs, keep ‘em coming!
And I love the trunk. :)
Oh Nathan I will miss in later issues.
Hmm the VI is interesting, it looks like maybe Bea is back in the past? Or perhaps that’s what she wears to bed in modern times? hmmm can’t wait for more.
FACEBOOK LIKE! :P
What is this talk of missing Nathan in later issues? He’s right here. :)
Such a powerful page with so little said. LOVE panel 3! And all the little buttons and quills and buckles and trunks…
I’d gotten behind on reading updates. I didn’t know that four pages could make me cry so much.
Nathan! Before you go, just know that we all love you!
Such a heartbreaking page. Let it be a testament to your talents, Lora, that you can put that much meaning into a page that hasn’t a word on it.
Oh, Nathan ….. I think my favorite part is how the last panel is a mix of fear and nausea. Very appropriate.
And the VI….well, that’s just all kinds of beautiful, regardless of what century we’re seeing.
INCENTIVE CAPTION!!!
Bea: Alan? Come back….stop….please don’t kiss Ben….I….AH! What….where did this pillowcase with Hamilton on it come from?
Oh Bea, you know you totally want a Hammy pillowcase.
Oh man I just had a freaky thought-what if Ben started dreaming like Bea did. How would she explain that!?!?!
Ben: I had this wild dream with you in it last night!
Bea: O.o?
Ben: And you were with this older guy with blond hair and it was insane!
Bea: O.O!
Busted.
@Caera: Yeah, I keep waiting for him to pop up as like a plantation owner’s slave or something, but then he sees and recognizes Bea somehow….that’d be cool.
Ahh, I didn’t know you were in Boston! I’m a regular reader and go to Emerson. Man, sucks that I missed you. Hope you had fun in Beantown!
Oh my gosh… this page very very VERY nearly made me cry…! ;~; I love how you can say so much without saying anything.
@Caera @Brent – *mind blown*
History can be rewritten… right?
Oh wait. That’s Doctor Who. D:
@Faith: You know, I have considered on more than one occasion writing that particular fanfiction…but I can’t justify it in my head. :P
Oh, Nathan! I just want to hug you! Poor man…
Poor us. :(
By the way, wonderful artwork as always. You really brought the seriousness of his mission home with those subtle colors…
@Faith: Sure, why not? It turned out okay for Marty McFly (not counting Biffworld — he fixed that pretty quick), so why not here?
Thanks everyone… I redrew panel 4 about 10 times before I was happy with it. I wanted to nail it. :) It’s nice to know I did!
p.s. Bea was hoping you’d all keep the secret about her Hamilton pillowcase! Poor Alan is on his deathbed, the man doesn’t need anymore bad news….!
@albone: You’ll recognize all those little trinkets from the last time we were here. You know, “Naked Nathan.” No one could forget that: http://www.thedreamercomic.com/comic.php?id=80
@Caera: Anyone who’s ever been to the Nathan Hale Homestead House in Coventry will recognize that trunk! :) (They have his shoe buckles, too, for anyone planning a visit!)
Awww, Nathan needs a hug. I’ll hug you, Nathan! My husband won’t mind…. :)
The VI makes me really curious, as it appears Bea is actually sleeping. I betcha we’ll see Alan gazing fondly (and sadly) at her as he leaves camp, before she wakes up.
Isn’t there some other kind of illness that would bring on symptoms similar to consumption but not always be fatal, even in the 18th century? Considering the quality of military field medicine back then that recent bayonet wound may not just be a mere coincidence.
@Lora: Yeah, that’s what I meant with my first comment — he looks like he’s about to pray, but he ends up in a position that says, “Oh, God, what am I doing?”, which is probably pretty close to how it really was.
some quotes for Nathan:
Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die. ~G.K. Chesterton
Courage is never to let your actions be influenced by your fears. ~Arthur Koestler
Courage is being scared to death… and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne
Courage is fear that has said its prayers. ~Dorothy Bernard
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon
I think those last two are the most appropriate for our boy’s situation.
@David: Perhaps. But I’m no doctor… hopefully Dr. John will be able to sort it all out if they can ever find him!
@Brent: Wow, some powerful quotes there! I have a doc where I quote dump stuff I find that might be relevant for upcoming Dreamer title pages. I just pasted all of those in there. Thanks!!
This has such a Garden of Gethsemane feel to it. Oh, to be a comforting angel!
@Caera – DOOO IT. I might use it as therapy.
They might be too fancy for an out-of-work school teacher, but you’re trying to impress the ladies, sir.
And they’re not too fancy for the ladies.
@David: I had blood in my cough during a very bad respiratory infection, and I’ve also heard it happens in untreated influenza cases. We just need to send him some tamiflu and he’ll improve. ;)
@Brent: I love those quotes
@Tamesin: Gethsemane is definitely the right name for this page. *misty eyes*
@Faith: Which companion and Doctor do you think would be right for the fanfic? I’m still not sure it’s justifiable but…
@Trevor: LOL!!!!
@Caera: Eighth or Ninth Doctor, definitely — 8 seems to have a bit of an old-fashioned feel to him, while 9…..well, he’s basically knowlton with enhanced cruelty.
I can safely say, Brent, that I have never heard anyone describe My Doctor that way… (9 is mine because he was my very first, after years of listening to hype about the show. I do love 10 and 11–heck I love 1-8 as well).
And this fanfic, if I ever write it, will be available by request only. lol No more ff.net for me. ;)
@Caera you can always post it on http://archiveofourown.org!
@Caera: Well, I meant it all as a good thing….though in all honesty, the only Doctor I’ve ever been a regular companion of is number Eight. My knowledge of other docs is basically limited to what I find on wiki.
i can’t believ u were right there :D
@Emily: What’s that site?
@Brent: So you’ve only ever seen the movie? Or do you get into the literature as well? I know 8 had some of that along with the movie.
@Caera: Movie and some of the novels. I grab ‘em when I sees ‘em, which isn’t too often, but considering there’s about forty of them….
Check that. I just did a search for the exact number, and I am waaaaaay behind.
Not 8? Paul McGann is 8:
1. William Hartnell (Loved him)
2. Patrick Troughton (Not seen him yet)
3. Jon Pertwee (My Mum’s Doctor)
4. Tom Baker (I’m still working through all of his episodes!!!)
5. Peter Davison (Win)
6. Colin Baker (Need to see more of him, :/)
7. Sylvester McCoy (Same, but what I’ve seen he’s awesome)
8. Paul McGann (The movie was soo 90′s I loved it. He was awesome)
9. Christopher Eccleston (MY Doctor lol)
10. David Tennant (My Mum’s “New” Doctor, one of my favorite actors in general)
11. Matt Smith (Sexy hotness)
The fact I know all that is a testament to how hopelessly nerdy I am…
lol sorry Lora; we turne this into a Doctor Who convention…
@Caera: Yeah, I was talking about the number of novels….73 for Doctor McGann, according to wiki. Also, David Tennant in Fright Night is epic win ^U^
@Caera: Hey I uust realized — over yhe past few pages, we’ve turned them into Trek discussions, Doctor dissertations….what next?
Well I know Lora likes BSG…
73 novels for 8 is brilliant. Gotta get my grimy hands on them someday. lol
I’ve been tempted to see Fright Night just because of Tennant but I don’t know if I could bear another vampire story…
Oh no, what have I done??
;)
I’d say 10 or 11. (I will always have a special place in my heart for 9, however.)
10 because he struggled the most with wanting to change history in the name of saving everyone (or so it seems to me). Also, personality-wise and all, I could see Bea running off with him at some point. *ducks the Roxbury Russet apples thrown by Team Alan* And didn’t he mention Benjamin Franklin at some point in the series, as if he knew him? Ha!
11 because he’s been to America the most! Okay… lame reason.
Side note: What is it with moms and David Tennant? My mom started watching the odd episode with me, and despite my attempts to explain his regeneration into Matt Smith, she keeps harkening back to “the ones with the young, nice-looking Scottish guy”.
I don’t remember for sure on Franklin but I know he mentioned Jefferson–he had the first draft of the Declaration of Independence in his Tux-Coat Pocket. Series Three. The Lazarus Experiment episode.
Yeah, I’m really, really nerdy…*sheepish grin*
I’m not sure about Mum and Tennant. But then again I don’t know a soul who doesn’t at least like him as an actor, if not as the Doctor, so…
…..!!!!!..
Lora, I am left gasping and breathless for words at the power and emotion you’ve evoked in just one single panel. Nathan……my heart hurts for him in so many ways, I can physically feel it pull when I look at that last picture of him…..I have a feeling he knows his mission….and what it will entail…..
I barely know of this man; never heard of him until this comic, but I want to stand by him, and hold his hand in this hour of darkness for him. This…..this is the magic that you have: to bring these historical figures–these people back to life; back to such brilliant vibrancy that we readers care.
We take an interest at the biggest turning point in this country’s history and the people who weaved it because of great storytellers such as yourself. You take us on such an exciting, mythically plausible journey, that we yearn to know more. We want to know what really happened. We crave that fantastic possibility, and strive to understand more of these characters that sometimes….. perhaps….. lead us into falling in love with them (as a character)–for happiness or heartbreak.
Lora, don’t ever stop telling stories. Your fans love the world you spin.
That said, I hope Nathan gets a kiss from Bea, once. Something like a happy memory to hold on to.
@Leina: Thank you!! I love hearing readers say things like that… And don’t worry on two fronts: 1. The Dreamer isn’t going anywhere and 2. Nathan has had *plenty* of kisses from the ladies… just not his BFF’s girl, which is probably for the best. ;) There are surviving letters between himself, his friend Tallmadge (who we met in issue #12) and another friend of theirs from Yale where the two friends are scolding Nathan for his romantic pursuits–rumors of which have traveled to their towns. LOL!
@Leina: Do you know that’s how I’ve felt since I was 5 years old? I’m with you! Lora, this page does it right.
Okay, so earlier I wrote a somewhat lengthy message on here, but my computer was acting up so it got deleted. But to summarize what I wanted to say, I’d like to reiterate everyone else by saying you’ve done a brilliant job with this page and it nearly made me cry. It’s so heartbreaking to know what’s going to happen and to see how scared Nathan is but how determined he is to do what he must, regardless of that fear. Nathan Hale is such a hero of mine because of his extreme bravery. You really have done him justice.
And when you mentioned Tallmadge a couple posts above this, I got pretty excited. Are you including the Culper Ring in The Dreamer soon? Because if you are, that’s one of my favorite bits of the American Revolution because it’s so freaking clever the way it worked!
Oh, but I understand if you don’t want to answer that question.
This is a great comic and I’m quite enamored by it. When I realized a few pages ago that he has tuberculosis, I looked up whether or not it was plausible for Bea to find a way to synthesize a remedy from items available in the 1770′s.
As it stands now, Nathan is right, he’s going to die. FYI TB was the #1 deadliest disease before penicillin was discovered in the early 20th century.
Even if it would be possible for her to brew a remedy, I have a feeling Bea wouldn’t be the type of character that would even occur to. It doesn’t fit with the overall theme of the comic. I foresee a touching and heart-wrenching goodbye between the two of them.
@Caera archiveofourown is an alternative to ff.net, and usually has much better writing!
WAAAAAAHHH!!!! NO, please, I’m already emotional today! I gonna cry, I’m GONNA cry!
We love you, Alan!!! We’re gonna miss you to death! Literally! NOOOOOO!!
And to my dearest Nathan Hale: DITTO!!!!!! x’O