ONE:
Exterior of the PEGASUS, as CALLOW comes CRASHING out of the stern gallery windows, his clothes in flames, BARCLAY not that far behind him.
FLAMES glow inside the captain’s cabin.
1. CALLOW: —aaahhhhhh!!!!
TWO:
In the CABIN, PAYNE lunges at SABRE, trying to drive her back. SABRE retreats, parrying. PAYNE is pissed, hissing at Beaufort and Burley.
2. PAYNE: Save the map!
THREE:
SABRE counter attacks, cutting quickly at PAYNE, forcing him to step back and parry.
3. PAYNE: Quickly!!!
Kick his ass, Your Ladyship!
The comparison between the script and the page is intriguing. It gives us a glimpse at the writer- artist relationship for this comic. Must be nice to write such a terse script knowing that it will inspire the artist to such degree.
Given the lines that I am seeing there, she is the far better fighter. He is physically strong, but she consistently has the stronger position (and she is no weakling, as we know). She is keeping him occupied, not going for the kill.
Yep. Her smile in panel 2 speaks volumes.
So her plan is to destroy the map by burning her own ship? Surely there was a less expensive way to do this
But…do we know that the map was in the case? Perhaps this is just a ploy to make Payne and company believe the map is gone so they will stop searching for it.
I agree with Odo. The last two panels say it all: atop being outplayed by a much cannier opponent, that man is approaching a state of panic, and that’s putting him at an even greater disadvantage than he already was. Choice between death by steel and fire, and disappointing something like The Smoke? I’d be sweating too.
“1. CALLOW: —aaahhhhhh!!!!”
That’s a ‘Wilhelm’, isn’t it?
Ain’t it bout time for Farrow and minions to show up?
Also Drake and Drum. I am interested to see how concerned Drake is with the ship on fire and her ladyship aboard.
Just got caught up on the comic, and wow! I did not see this turn of events coming! I do really love this comic.
The look of panic on Payne’s face made me kvell.
I will repeat Payne’s last word in a request for the next page ….
Quickly!!
Side note I went to school with a Payne, his brother was a dentist. I always wondered if his patients were greeted with a “Dr. Payne will see you now” or if the place was called “Dr. Payne’s Dentistry”.
And when he retired, did his successor refer to the place as Payneless Dentistry?