Original Commentary

Terrence is writing this arc, thank goodness (I only had time and energy to write one arc)... so I can't really say very much about this, as I don't want to give anything away.

Lola is definitely a lot like Kimberly and this comic really showcases it- anything to save a buck, right?-Isabel

Modern Commentary
The lightbulbs have probably been out for two weeks. Lola doesn't really do building maintenance. She's great if you need a shoulder to cry on or some wise advice or leniency on the pet rules. But not so much if you need to see where you're going in the hallways- Terrence

Original Commentary

I wasn't quite sure where they were supposed to be in this comic... Terrence has been very busy at work, so I figured I'd leave him be. I decided that in the main hallway (by the Lounge Guy's lobby) would be a good place to set it.

Sofia must buy Brent some cheap-o tuna and carrot Brent-chow... I can't recall ever having to use a can opener to feed our cats. Of course, Sofia is a single woman making minimum wage and trying to save up for a good apartment, so I can understand.-Isabel

Modern Commentary
I've taken to buying cheap screwdrivers in bulk, because I never remember where I put them. Better to just buy ten of them for a couple bucks each.

You just can't get too attached to them- Terrence

Original Commentary

Brisbane's vaudeville past surfaces yet again. I actually checked first to make sure there wasn't a widely known vampire/lightbulb joke. If you find out, let me know. This started out as a "Lola is old and therefore confused by the wide variety of bulbs out there" joke, but that just seemed unnecessary - Terrence

Modern Commentary
That first panel - where Lola asks what Organic Lightbulbs are - was almost certainly switching an old Peanuts comic.

In case the link stops working, Lucy walks by and says "They're having a sale downtown on hi-fi jump ropes!". There's a beat panel and Charlie Brown, alone, turns to the audience and asks "How can a jump rope be hi-fi?"

The vampire lightbulb joke, I can't blame on anyone else - Terrence

Original Commentary

This was what the arc was leading to the whole time. The hard part was explaining why Brisbane would have his wallet out but not be paying attention to it. I asked Isabel what's behind the counter at hardware stores, she suggested spray paint - Terrence

Modern Commentary
Yeah, this is a local shop. The big box hardware stores all have their spray paint locked in a cage these days.

I think part of this was that I wanted to do an action sequence. When I write, I usually think in terms of dialogue, occasionally with various business in the background. From there, it's up to Isabel to figure out how to make the pictures interesting. I'm a bit jealous of folks who do exciting, dynamic staging so I wanted to do something that was centered around an action sequence- Terrence

Original Commentary

I considered dividing this into two comics: one where you see him running towards Lola and it looks like he's going to push her down. In the next one, she'd throw him. It seemed a little too contrived that way. This is, I think, the most action we've ever seen in You Say it First.

In the first draft of this story arc, Lola's purse got snatched instead, but I couldn't get the action to work out - by the time she'd be able to do anything, the robber would be out of her range. She's still old, slow, and doesn't have much reach. If someone grabbed her from behind, maybe, but that struck me as too violent - Terrence

Modern Commentary
"A judo throw" is one of those things that's easy to write in a script but I admit I didn't have any solid ideas about exactly where Lola would have grabbed the thief, nor in what direction he would have been thrown.

I should provide for those kinds of details - with photo references - if we do something like this again.- Terrence

Original Commentary

I think Brisbane has been reading too much Manga (not sure if Kimberly would approve). Lola came out really pretty in this comic... I get the feeling she's beaten up quite a few men back in the day (and I'm sure she likes to get a shot or two on the Lounge Guys).-Isabel

Modern Commentary
Was I thinking of Akane Tendo from Ranma 1/2? Probably. I probably had a dozen other examples at the time but they have all escaped my mind.- Terrence