Issue 1, Page 13
Transcript
1: Melissa is playing with the fridge, its glass door behaves like the window does, allowing her to see inside.
Melissa: I liked our old stuff, with buttons and dials.
Eric: And burnt toast.
Melissa: I like burnt toast!
2: Eric is drinking the coffee from his glass.
Eric: It’s a lot to take in, but our lives will be better now. That’s why I took this job, to get us into such a nice house, and to get you in such a nice school.
3: Melissa is hanging out with Julia later that day, Julia is dressed in a red shirt and jeans that has a rock music look.
Eric (in flashback): How’s that going, by the way?
Melissa (in flashback): Good! I made friends with this sophomore girl!
Julia: I’m not a sophomore, Melissa, I stayed back a year. Remember?
Melissa: Oh, right… but you’re a year older than me.
Julia: You do know what it means to stay back a year, right?
4: The two walk past the door to the school’s old library, which is kept locked with chains.
Melissa: Huh, what happened here?
5: Julia is checking her phone while Melissa inspects the door.
Julia: I dunno. That’s the old library, they won’t tell us why it’s locked. Wasn’t locked last year.
There’s a rumor going around that an art teacher went crazy during winter break and wrecked the place. My friend Rhoda’s been trying to find out but no one’s tellin’ her shit.
Oh, hmm, so it sounds like the job *and* the school are Lovecraftian.
Re-reading this chapter after so many years, I realize now the significance of that dialogue in the last two panels and confirms to me how this whole comic was completely or almost completely scripted out since day 1.
That takes some serious skill and planning!