THE MARK IN AMERICA, ISSUE #4, PAGE 4

THE MARK IN AMERICA, ISSUE #4, PAGE 4

On this page we see Dr. Steward pursuing the vanished Helda even though his boss, The Archon, thinks Helda died in last issues bus crash and explosion.

Dr. Steward is searching for Helda in the American mid-west. I had fun, in the second panel, with the tourism posters on the front of the clerk’s desk. I especially like the poster for Pocatello Idaho, which references the Judy Garland song, “Born in a Trunk”. The poster for “Gary Indiana” of course, refers to “The Music Man” musical. The circular sign behind the clerk (“We Don’t Give a –mn”) refers to the “We’re #2 But We Try Harder” campaign.

The editor on the Mark, Bob Schreck, was letting me amuse myself. I don’t think the writer, Mike Barr, liked it. At one point he criticized me as being “too arch”.  He was possibly correct, depending on what one’s overall was on the project. I was deep in my Hitchcock and Lubitsch phase; I wanted to alternate the drama, suspense and humor in my work.

This is page 4 for "The Mark" issue 4, volume 2, otherwise known as "The Mark In America", published by Dark Horse Comics in March 1994. Written by Mike Barr, Drawn by Brad Rader

Previous pages from “The Mark in America” are archived on the blog page of my website, www.raderofthelostart.com