Just in time for dinner

Text and image © Michael Chevy Castranova 2016

 So if you’ve read chapter375 of “Slipped,” you might be wondering what’s happening in that last panel.

The first three panels tell how the Chancellor has succeeded in sending his giant and remarkably mad rat soldiers off to terrorize western Europe — from Paris to Tzanicor, he vows — while holding the Scarlet Sparrow in his grip, and now having captured Pip the dog, too.

And his next move is to make a meal of them both.

But then — this is an adventure series, after all — something unexpected happens: Tyler appears to have a sudden out-of-body experience. (Yes, they did consider such phenomenon a very real possibility in 1926.)

What actually is going on will be explained in next week’s chapter, when a surprise villain returns … with an extremely dangerous offer.

More dangerous than Tyler getting her head bitten off? Take look next week.

S’il vous plait.

Peter Arno, meet Pip the dog

Image & text © Michael Chevy Castranova 2016

Hey, just out is the new biography of legendary New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno by current New Yorker cartoonist Michael Maslin.

A copy just arrived on my doorstep. The cover is rather dire, but I’m hopeful Arno’s story is well told.

Inside are some samples of the man’s great, elegant work. One of my favorites is of a couple in bed, the man clearly snoring and the woman yelling angrily, “Wake up, you mutt! We’re getting married today.” Ha!

Meanwhile, in chapter 374 of “Slipped,” the Scarlet Sparrow’s dilemma is even more dire. Though Pip the dog prevents Delacroix from reentering the fray, Cartier Tour appears to be long gone, and Tyler’s sister, Mendacity, is who knows where, fighting her own battles.

And Tyler? The Chancellor now reveals that his half-mad, giant soldier rats intend to devour as much of the population of Europe as they can.

And he tightens, tightens, tightens his grip on Tyler herself.

Take a look.

Love and Rats

Image & text © Michael Chevy Castranova 2016

 

A couple weeks ago, I interviewed Fantagraphics Books co-founder Gary Groth.

He talked about convincing the Hernandez Brothers into letting him publish “Love and Rockets” — they agreed pretty easily, apparently — whatever happened to the Comics Journal — it still comes out, in book form every other year — and why he’s excited about an upcoming release, “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters,” by Emile Ferris.

You can read that interview I wrote for the books section of last Sunday’s The Gazette here.

Meanwhile, in this week’s “Slipped,” Cartier Tour has legged it, and the Chancellor, now growth to an immense size, reveals to the Scarlet Sparrow his master plan — he believes his scientists have perfected their genetic formula and he’s used it on other Rongeur. He’s created a battalion of giant, angry rats.

And they’re howling for a taste of Tyler.

Please take a look at chapter 373 of “Slipped,” the adventure comic strip.