Stuck - Five X Five
Posted by Vito Delsante on Monday, December 18 2006 at 10:00 am
You’ll have to wait another two weeks for the next chapter of STUCK to begin, however, if you’re new here, just checking out STUCK and The Chemistry Set for the first time, then Five X Five is just for you. Five X Five includes a review of the last chapter, an interview between the two creators regarding the past 12 pages and a preview of what’s to come. So without further ado…
Chapter Two Review:
In Chapter Two of STUCK, we meet Frank Pastone, former NYPD, who does his best to take control of the panicked situation on the train. But things go from bad to worse for everyone as Carlos, a teenager, pulls a gun and accidentally shoots someone. As a nurse tries to save his life, Frank holds the teen at bay and tells him that if the passenger dies, so does he.
Five X Five:
Vito asks Tom…
Vito: In Chapter 2, we were introduced to Frank Pastone, NYPD. Or is he? Anyway, Frank just retired from the force the night before and is heading into the city when the train gets stuck. What do you think of his character development throughout the chapter?
Tom: He’s pretty complex: Sickly wife, and that dark side that came out at the
end there.
Vito: When you first drew Frank, you drew him a little older and…shall we say pudgier than what he became. You described him to me as looking like Terrance Stamp in The Limey. What drew you to that movie or to that character that in turn made you think of Frank?
Tom: When that sketch was nixed, Stamp in The Limey was the immediate pairing in my head. (He’s) quiet, but tough.
Vito: Now, I know I haven’t revealed it to you yet, but I allude to something being wrong with Maddie, Frank’s wife. Any guesses?
Tom: Bedridden. (It) could be a number of things.
Vito: Chapter 2 also introduces a ton of new characters (Jerry Thaler, the news reporter; the teenagers; and Ramona). Any of them stand out to you?
Tom: I like the teenagers. (It’s) too soon to tell though.
Vito: Finally, at least from me, I threw a little curveball at you with the whole gun angle. Did you have any problems with it from a storytelling point of view?
Tom: Nah, I dug it. It really added something to the Frank character.
Tom asks Vito…
Tom: What lead you to go with Frank in this chapter (as the focus)?
Vito: I needed someone who would naturally want to be in control. I figured it’d be between the rookie firefighter (Hector) and the retired cop (Frank), but I went with Frank because I needed to bring a new voice in for the chapter.
Tom: Did you do any research into the NYPD for Stuck? If so how did it color
the character of Frank?
Vito: Not really. I know a lot of cops (some even in my family) that I could figure out what first reactions would be. And I have this great book, Police Procedural, that explains a few things. The part that gave me the biggest problem was the retirement party…where would they actually hold it? So, I made that up.
Tom: Will Shaggy make a cameo?
Vito: Oh, dude…you know I’m a pro. Shaggy ain’t coming anywhere near the N Train. However, we might have a cameo in the near future of a character related to another Chemistry Set comic!
Tom: Will we get to hear more about Frank’s wife in the future?
Vito: Next chapter, actually. She’s not the most important part of the story (as a whole) but she really colors the character of Frank, and that’s why she’s needed.
Tom: What lead to making Frank a newly retired cop?
Vito: Going back to your first question, I needed someone who was going to be an aggressor. Frank had to be the opposite of Eric, who is kind of passive, and he had to be a little more decisive than Hector. All in all, I needed a bad guy, even though he’s not a villain.
Chapter Three Preview:
In Chapter Three, we meet Ramona Lake, a nurse who unlike everyone else on the train, isn’t going to work, but going home after a long shift at NY Methodist Hospital. She is asked to save the life of a passenger who has been shot, but will she be too late?
ALSO:
YOU DECIDE! For the first time since A Death In The Family, two creators are putting the fate of a character in the reader’s hands. Will Wesley, the man who’s been shot, live? Or will he die? Only the fans know! Starting January 1, readers of STUCK will be able to vote on the fate of one of the passengers of STUCK by e-mailing vito@chemsetcomics.com. Votes will be tabulated and the results will be seen on The Chemistry Set on February 26, 2007. Voting will only last for six weeks (until February 5, 2007) and readers will only be given one vote…so make it a good one!
*****
Next Week…something special…
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