Ronsonol
Mikey’s always there when Claire needs him. He’s a minuteman, in a constant state of alert.
Claire’s history as a firebug is well established in The Case Of The Simple Soul. Sonny works it out at the end of the story, and tells the other mystery boys (who don’t believe him). But I have always worked on the assumption that Lottie knows (because Sonny will have told her too, or told Mildred). I didn’t used to declare things as clearly as I do now; put it down to being pinned to the wall in the comments day-in-day-out. What we have gained in narrative clarity, I have lost in sanity.
Claire’s hollow eyes in panel 5. Magnificent.
A whole drawer full of matches!
From a firebug to a popular bug
I really admire your dual responsibility to your creation and your audience, and while I am not sure it’s best for your peace of mind, I am sure that it contributes to the quality of your work. Best wishes!
Typo hint: “I didn’t used to declare things as clearly as I do know; but it down to being pinned to the wall” should be “I didn’t used to declare things as clearly as I do NOW; but PUT it down to being pinned to the wall”.
also they didn’t have fire in England until 2016, so that’s a huge inconsistency there
A common misconception; 2016 was just when we adopted decimal fire as a result of European standardisation. Many people were hoping to go back to the old Imperial fire with Brexit, but that proved to be one more broken promise.
Typing with sausages again!
Sanity is much over rated.
Oh, dear. Does she just mean he saved her from committing a crime, or was she thinking of immolating herself? 🙁
I think he saved her from giving in to her darker impulses.
Very much the former. Claire has a well documented history of pyromania. Although I have no expertise, I don’t think pyromania usually gives way to impulses to self-immolate.
It’s pretty final when it does.
Keeping a fully stocked drawer of combustion enhancement is perhaps a sign that Ms Claire Little is clearly a little too close to crossing the line at any time, not just because of such a significant conflict
My mother quit smoking when my older brother was born. She told us she continued to carry a pack of cigarettes for some time after she quit (by the time I was born, two years later, she didn’t feel she needed to do that any more). Claire’s predilection to setting fires is clearly an addiction of sorts- maybe she doesn’t feel ready to completely cut off the possibility yet?
I still have half a packet of Gauloise from when I quit, which is coming up to 39 years in July.
I’ll bet it would taste just the same if you lit one now.
Oh that’s ^ cruel and irresponsible
…despite how amusing it is
…or just a fact about Galuoise.
R.I.P. Mikey (Remember the Important Pact)
Mikey is cringingly pathetic. It’s depressing to watch.
Lottie knows? But she’s still convinced that “a jealous french girl” burned down her shed?
I suppose it’s not an automatic line from “known firebug” to “culprit of a specific fire”, especially since she thinks she already knows who the perp was. For all we know it could have been years after the fire that she found out, so had no reason to link the two.
A couple of mods burned down the mystery shed under the orders of a jealous French girl.
Claire was also not responsible for the cricket pavilion burning down.
If my memory has failed me that much, guess I have to go read it all again!
Not to discourage you from reading it all again, but the doom of the mystery shed is here. Camille reveals her responsibility a few pages later.
I just reread the end of Modern Men, plus all of Space is the Place and Missing Piece. I hope you’re happy.
Yeah well, maybe she inspired “copycat arson.” In this universe, there are no coincidences.
Just because Claire burned down a few empty barns in one story doesn’t mean she was responsible every time a structure burned down for the whole series.
When all you have is a can of Ronsonol, everything looks like kindling
This. And Lottie was both in a deep depression and had no reason to suspect anyone but Camille or one of her minions. Even at her lowest Lottie won’t miss the obvious in a mystery.
This page is good and haunting. I almost feel bad for pointing out Claire’s culpability: turns out she knew it…boy did she. Poor kid. That 5th panel is so disturbing as is the fire drawer. Claire’s trying to carry the team but she can’t. They never asked her too.
I agree completely about Panel 5. John, you are a master of drawing expressions for moods that may lack a name.
The crab claw peaking out over Claire’s arm in panel 3 looks like a little cartoon fire.
It’s Watchmen-esque!
The holiday in 100% Cuddles happened in November, and this story ends around Christmas… I don’t think Wobbly Head advanced comic time by a year, so it’s only been about a month since this happened. “Worryingly intense” would likely be an inadequate description of what Claire was contemplating here before Mikey showed up.
That’s quite the collection! I wonder what Claire’s roommate think about it. It’s scary seeing Claire so on the verge of set something on fire. Maybe not only Claire, but the whole place was saved by Mikey.
It’s a single room – remember when Lottie stayed, she slept on the floor.
You mean a whole drawer full of very inflammable things and non one knows about it!? IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME!
Frame 3 is just life.
That panel 3 expression is so good, agreed.
Doesn’t everyone have a drawer like that somewhere? Nothing to be ashamed of.
We are all crabs, but some of us are looking at the crabs
And yet, we all seem to have evolved into crab-like shapes independently.
Carcinization FTW.
This is a medieval illustration of a crab.
Apparently even crabs have undergone carcinization.
Can’t help feeling it’s a medieval illustration of an axolotyl
Perhaps someone has mislabeled it
I don’t think anyone can come away from the 18-image gallery that bears that picture without feeling better about their day.
https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beastgallery100870.htm
There’s our little firebug!
I’m wondering if the next page titled ‘How have you been?’ is Mildred entering the scene
(fingers crossed)
Or Lottie feeling amazing for all the time spent with Bobby. Perfect time for tell her about Dean’s nice gift.
Renewed gratitude for the story that gave us the Minister for Fire, the Grampus 80 Fire Destroyer and “WHAT PRICE FIRE SAFETY?”
Does Claire maybe need an Intervention? Could that be somewhere in her future? I’m just a bit worried she has all those fire tools so close to hand.