The Jernegan Solution: Buildings and Things

 

title logo 4 color  B  w shadow jpgMy current comic, “The Jernegan Solution” is a true historical story set in 1898 in Lubec, Maine, the eastern-most town in the United States. I’ve only been able to visit Lubec once, so I have otherwise worked from historical photos for location reference, as well as for period props. Some examples are below. The comic will be ready for MECAF in Portland, on May 17th.

WATER STREET, LUBEC

The main commercial street of the town:

Water Street 1911
My sketch of it, and some architectural details:

water street 10-12-14
architecture sketches 10-12

 

THE STAPLES BUILDING

Staples Building 1895

A new office building at the time, home of the Lubec Herald newspaper office, where my journalist character works. It was located on Water Street.

The first “adjustment” I made from the photo was to have painted “Lubec Herald” letters on the window, instead of the sign leaning against the baseboard.  I assume that sign was later put over the door, anyway :

Staples building 1
staples 2

Here’s how it looks in the final inks. I also added in another, more “picturesque” building to the right, based on one of the buildings in the other Water Street pictures (I think that the Staples Building was at the end of Water Street, not in the middle of the commercial district).

Jernegan p4 v2 jpg

 

THE COMSTOCK MILL/”THE KLONDIKE PLANT”
KLONDIKE PLANT
An old grist mill, which was purchased and transformed into… well, you’ll have to read the comic to find out!
Klondike Plant final 3

 

 

SCHOLES AND GLIDDEN TYPEWRITER

A key prop (journalist character).  This machine was available at the time.  Would a small-town newspaperman have been likely to have used one?  I don’t know for sure. But I couldn’t resist using this beautiful typewriter, with the amazing painted decoration.  I wish my PC looked like this.
sholes and glidden
old typewriters

In the end, though, I felt I had to simplify the decorations somewhat, to be readable at the size of the image:

typewriter 2

 

“The Jernegan Solution”: Character development

My principle characters in this comic are based on real historical figures. As far as I know there are only two photographs of my lead personage, Reverend Prescott Jernegan.  Starting from the photos, this is the look of the character evolved:

Photograph of Prescott Jernegan
Photograph of Prescott Jernegan

Photograph of Prescott Jernegan
Photograph of Prescott Jernegan

I especially like the one on the left, capturing the visionary quality I wanted for the character.  Some early sketches:

early jernergans

early jernegan 2 early jernegan

Gradually I moved toward a more stylized version of the character, and I wanted to give him a mysterious, impenetrable quality, and make his body angular and elongated:

jernegan rough

A sketch of Jernegan in the throes of ecstatic vision.
A sketch of Jernegan in the throes of ecstatic vision.

Here are some panels featuring the character from the final inked version of the comic:

Jernegan from page 11 Jernegan from p3 FLAT
jernegan 22 Jernegan from p12