To read issue 5, click here!
(click on image to enlarge)
The fifth and final issue of the Virginia Gallery was produced in time for Summer 2002. It contains sneaky references to the TMNT, and the movies 'Candyman' and 'Jaws'. Two main plot elements were added since I originally wrote this part of the story back in the early '90s; the 'wolves' monologue and the climactic piece of poetry.
The origin of Courtaut and the wolves of Paris is an embellishment upon real events, recounted by Swinburne and Villon in their article 'An Early Portrait: City of Fact, City of Fable'. It bears quite a few similarities to the Beast of Gevaudan, who featured in the brilliantly nutty french movie 'Brotherhood of the Wolf'.
The poem 'Do not stand at my grave and weep' is of controversial authorship. It is largely attributed to poet Mary Elizabeth Frye, although Native American origins have also been suggested. I think the poem largely came to the attention of the British public when a soldier who was killed in Northern Ireland left it for his family.
The noirish frontispiece shown above was produced by top up-and-coming small-press creator Oliver Lambden. Along with co-creator Laurence Powell, he was nominated for an Eagle comics award this year, so the picture is a prodigious addition to the Gallery! The eye-popping frontispiece at the bottom of this page is by small-press rising star Andy Waugh. I'm told he used himself as a body model for this piece. Huge thanks to both artists for their contributions!
The final issue of The Virginia Gallery was also reviewed in Comics International, where it recieved the highest rating of the the series. The reviewer had this to say about it:
"The conclusion of the first story arc of the Virginia Gallery. Essentially four days in the life of a mysterious vigilante rabbit and the detective trying to track him down in the big city. As a one off issue this will seem a little confusing, but as the final part in a series this is a satisfying and well executed piece of work. Well worth reading but I'd recommend shelling out a fiver and reading it from the beginning. (AS) 7/10"
To read issue 5, click here!
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(click on image to enlarge)