Book 1, Page 200

First of all: WOO-HOO! PAGE TWO HUNDRED!!!

It's so gratifying to have a few pages to just draw the heck out of this highway. Especially since Barry lets me ignore his script:

This page is divided into three panels, one on top of the other, each taking up a third of the page. There are also a few narrative captions floating over the panels.

Panel 1 shows the car stopped at a scenic lookout point alongside the highway. Some of our six are still in the car, others have gotten out. They’re all looking at the waterfalls.

Panel 2 is a shot of the car going through Mitchell Point Tunnel (or something very much like it).

Panel 3 is a distant shot of the car moving along a high road alongside a big cliff or drop-off, beautiful scenery. Or some other beautiful scenery - in chat, you just suggested “Could be neat rocks on the water or a mossy tree or a lodge.” Anything you want to draw is good.

A word balloon comes from the car (it can be Kansas speaking, but it isn’t important we be able to tell that).

I started laying out the page by dividing it into three panels. After sketching within the panel lines for a bit, I concluded that a waterfall would look more impactful in a very tall narrow panel. I tried the waterfall panel on the left and the right of the page, and preferred it on the right. I thought that a tall majestic nature-panel would provide a moment of quiet and a natural point for someone to realize they're hungry. For the panels on the left, I chose sights that would bring the car down the mountainside, from a scenic viewpoint to the bottom of a waterfall.

I'm glad Barry brought up Mitchell Point Tunnel, but it's too cool for one throwaway panel and deserves a cameo later.

A good way to convey the grandeur of the scenery within the confines of a comic panel is to show relative sizes. The scenic point is very high up because the boats look so tiny next to the people. The rock in panel 3 must be huge because it's so much bigger than the car.

Panel 1 may have sent me into a rabbit hole about boats and barges on the Columbia River. Paddle-wheels were on the way out in 1941, but still around. They were gone for a few decades, but came back in the 80's as a tourist attraction.

Panel 3 is a spot I saw on previous bike trips. I just love the shapes!

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