Hark! A Vagrant - Comics Writing Time

I am going to take you to Scotland at the turn of the 14th century, one of the more interesting times in Scottish history. We all know the time I am talking about because we have all seen Braveheart, a movie that made historians tear at their hair and weep and gnash their teeth but did well to put some pride into the chests of modern claimants to Scottish heritage, my own classroom of snotty nosed grade six patriots included. And so we all know the last scene where Robert the Bruce goes to meet the English on the battlefield and tells them 'listen boys you can't kill Mel Gibson and get away with it' and he was right! Someone throws a sword and they all yell and it is Bannockburn, Bannockburn and then it is all over. Hooray!

I feel that John Comyn is a man slighted by history. I mean, Bannockburn was pretty sweet but the lauded independence it secured (eventually) lasted less than a decade. In a country so starved for a real, great, victory of its own however, this will do. Statues, memorials, myths- the Bruce gets a good ride from here on out (there are those who hate him but I mean in general, you know?). John Comyn is a man who could have given us a Bannockburn, and could have had all these things. He had a better claim to the throne, he was a supporter of William Wallace, he was a guardian of the country like Robert was. He had already given hope to the country by a victory at a battle called Roslin . What a guy! He did not get to give anyone a Bannockburn, however, because he was murdered in a chapel by Robert the Bruce. There can only be one king, after all.

Man, you say, Comyn gave his allegiance to the English king! Yup, yup, as did the Bruce before him. That seems to be a thing everybody did sometimes back then. Reading Scottish history up to a certain point makes you slap your hand to your forehead because every time anybody went and finally secured themselves the Scottish throne, somebody else wanted it. Whoever that was usually went to the English monarch looking for help, which that dude would gladly give, in exchange for allegiance. Welp, there goes the neighborhood.

But I digress! The point is, even though that sort of shit happened all the damn time in those days, well if John Comyn were a little pissed about how it all ended up I can't say I'd blame him. Now it is time to make a comic!

I haven't made any comic and might not even yet, but if I do, you are getting to know a whole lot about it before I even draw anything. Here it is in my head.

Ain't nobody know who John Comyn is so we are down to me and the ten other people who give a shit. That is what we call appealing to a wide audience! But I thought of that scene in MacBeth, which is another thing most people know of because we have sat through high school english classes. MacBeth kills Banquo because he cannot have a rival for the throne, as the Bruce does to Comyn. I thought it would be interesting to have the ghost of the Red Comyn give a visit to king Robert in the same manner, basically to harass him and we will see what sort of reaction to get out of him. Referencing and cross referencing! What a time we are having!

So there you have it, because I have been asked how I write comics. I can tell you what happens next! After thinking about this for some time to the point we are at now, I think about it some more until it is written in my head, and then it sort of gets drawn furiously so that it looks like maybe I hadn't been thinking about anything at all. I am impatient and don't have a lot of time for polished work so there we all are! I am ok with this arrangement for now. 


Comics, amirite!?! Please everyone refrain from rolling in the aisles at once.