Original Commentary

This comic (and the next three) were written in an unusual manner. Isabel and I each wrote four comics. Neither of us was especially satisfied with what the other one wrote. Isabel's had a lot more energy and focussed on Kimberly's relationship with Brisbane. Mine was lower-key and dealt as much with Kimberly's relationship with her mother. So I reconciled both versions into one. The last panel on this one was mine; it's more lighthearted than the surrounding comics, but I really like the joke - Terrence

Modern Commentary
Regarding the original commentary, re-reading the comics, most of the good relationship stuff was Isabel.

Of course, Ms. Taylor wasn't going to have Brisbane show up. She wants to control how this conversation goes and bringing Brisbane in makes things far too unpredictable. - Terrence

Original Commentary

I had been thinking the last panel would have a medium shot of Ms. Taylor, her back to Kimberly (and the audience) looking out a large window. I like this better - Terrence

Modern Commentary
It's been at least two weeks. That's plenty of time to think about what went wrong and second-guess everything that led to the breakup.

Especially if you're not throwing yourself into video games in order to avoid coming to uncomfortable conclusions about where you are and how you got there. - Terrence

Original Commentary

I really like how Kimberly came out in the last panel with her hand to her head. She looks exhausted; exhausted with the situation, exhausted with her mother, exhausted with herself. What I wanted to show is that she's tired, she's worn out. She's shutting down as a person, which I think pisses Ms. Taylor off more than anything - Isabel

Modern Commentary
Kimberly is being reasonable here. Her first serious relationship just ended. She sexually propositioned her man and just got ghosted. That's not a bad time to just take some time to focus on yourself.

Does Ms. Taylor need her best saleswoman to get out of her funk and get back to closing big deals? Definitely wouldn't be a bad thing if she did that sooner than later. - Terrence

Original Commentary

Back when I came up with this directional change, this was one of the first comics that I could picture in my mind's eye, especially the look on Kimberly's face. Terrence wasn't too fond of the idea of Ms. Taylor being upset with Kimberly, but I pushed for it because I wanted the parallels between Kimberly's conversation with Ms. Taylor and Brisbane's converstaion with Kimberly to be there - Isabel

Modern Commentary
That parallel mentioned in the commentary would be this comic in the previous chapter. Dejected Kimberly, sitting alone at a table. - Terrence

Original Commentary

And here we see Brisbane's fixed-up illustrious apartment. By the by, when Robert mentioned that the apartment was furnished, he meant the wastepaper basket and the chair that Brisbane is currently using. Everything else, Brisbane brought with him - Isabel

Modern Commentary
It's Sofia! Brisbane's sister, from Unlike Minerva (and from the first week or so of this comic [and the flashbacks involving Brandie]).

I'm pretty sure we had always planned on bringing Sofia back, or at least had been open to the idea when we could justify it. We didn't have her show up in flashbacks periodically just so folks would remember that Brisbane had a little sister, but it worked out nicely. - Terrence

Original Commentary

And here we're showing that Brisbane is trying to have a normal Christmas by putting up the tree. But in the end it just make him look more pathetic. But when you have a place as pathetic as Brisbanes, you do whatever you can to cheer it up - Isabel

I spent half an hour trying to come up with something funnier than a paper toilet seat cover. I couldn't - Terrence

Modern Commentary
Yes, he mentions that they're siblings. Unrealistic, but I want folks who haven't read Unlike Minerva (and haven't paid attention to the orange-haired girl in the background of a few comics) to know who she is and how she fits into Brisbane's life. - Terrence