Otherworldly Goods – Page 3
The Raven is a motif in a lot of my work. This is the second time he has appeared in Fetch, the first being the strip “Raven” where he picks at the dark parts of Kevin’s brain. (Or “my” brain? The Kevin of Fetch is both me and not me, so even I get confused.) Here he acts as both messenger and guide to the Underworld, roles he plays across many of the world’s mythologies. And he’s fun to draw.
Speaking of getting “me” and me confused, some readers might pick up on parallels between this story and events in my own life. That is purely accidental. I think. Back when I studied literature at U Buffalo, they always told us to avoid the Biographical Fallacy. “Look at the Ding an sich, the thing itself!” So even if Kafka’s father was a brute who bullied his son, don’t think about that when analyzing “The Judgment.” Okay. I think it might be a bit puritanical to deny any influence of personal experience in an author’s work; artist’s take what is at hand and recombine the elements to say something, or many somethings. In my case, the raw material is there, stews around, and comes out as story. But Otherworldly Goods won’t be an anthropomorphic roman à clef. It will be much too silly and absurd for that.
DEMON: A letter? Old school!
FETCH: It’s from my sister! How did she know I was here?
RAVEN: She didn’t. She thought you were with the humans.
PANEL 2
Raven talks while Fetch reads the letter.
RAVEN: When I couldn’t find you there, I had to fly across the whole Underworld
looking for you.
I went to Tartarus, Nakara, Sheol, the Egyptian Kingdom
of the Dead, Niflhel — I almost gave up until someone mentioned you
were part demon.
PANEL 3
Fetch focused on the letter while Raven thinks.
FETCH: Huh. My mother is sick and needs help.
What’s the quickest route to the Otherworld from here?
RAVEN: From Hell? Easy. Go back to the human realm and find a lake or a burial
mound. Walk in and you’re there.
PANEL 4
Fetch looks up from letter, Raven looks surprised.
FETCH: Okay. And the longest?
RAVEN: Uh, well, there’s an underground entrance on the River Styx. You’d have
to take Charon’s ferry through Hades to get there.
PANEL 5
Fetch puts letter in his pocket. Raven points page right.
FETCH: How do I get to the Styx?
RAVEN: Head that way and keep going until you get to the river.
There is a ferry stand right outside the gates of Hell.
PANEL 6
Fetch heads page right. Raven watches.
RAVEN: In no hurry to get home?
FETCH: Ha! Have you met my family?
UB? Can you work in a Ted’s or Mighty Taco reference?
Fetch starts his evening with a chicken souvlaki at Kosta’s, heads to Central Park Grill for a few pints and a local blues rock band, meets friends at the Old Pink until they kick everyone out at 4am, where they meander to the Towne for gyros and rice pudding.
The next morning Might Taco helps with the hangover.