Annotations for “Leatherjack” written by Nick Margerrison with contributions gratefully accepted.
– Chapter 4 –
First published in 2000AD Prog 1453 Aug 24th 2005
Script by John Smith
Art by Paul Marshall
Colours by Chris Blythe
Page #1
Notice the meter and sound of the words used on this page. "Blitz-bomb [...] Thunder underground. [...] then skyfall" has a very satisfying ring to it. There's a strong visceral feel to this whole sequence which ties in with the extreme violence it depicts. The use of these devices emphasises the contrast which is about to come with the second page.
Panel #3
"dentist's drill" - arguably one of the most unpopular noises known to mankind. Notice how the rocky landscape of the next panel looks a little like a tooth being decimated by this instrument of torture.
Page #2
Panel #2
"Shit. This isn't skril." - The poetic meter of the previous page is subverted to almost comic effect.
Panel #3
Notice how the concept of hell, something which in our mythology usually burns, is juxtaposed with the visual opposite of extreme cold.
Page #3
"a viking's funeral. Full scorched-earth tactics. That foul library will be their funeral pyre"
A pyre is usually a sort of bonfire which is used for burning a body as part of a funeral. Like an early form of cremation.
In a Viking funeral this was done on a ship. The ship would be floated out to the sea as it burned.
According to Wikipedia: "Also it is a humorous term to refer to the destruction of any mechanical object, especially a vehicle, by fire".
Page #4
The three images which are placed over the backdrop of the icy hell in which Leatherjack stands are recurrent in this story. The apple on a child's study aid, splattered with blood, serves the symbolic purpose of reviving the idea of lost inocence. This works both in terms of the stark image of a kid's book covered in blood which implies violence. Secondly the symbol of the apple works to recall the biblical story of original sin, as I have explained earlier.
The biblical reference is further emphasised by the next image of a male and female dangling from a tree by their throats in a pose which recalls one of society's favoured methods of capital punishment, hanging. Here the image of a tree could symbolise the "tree of knowledge" which is used in the biblical story of original sin, being the tree from which the fruit is picked.
Furthermore it inverts the symbol of a "tree of life", giving us instead a 'tree of death'. The tree of life is an image which is also used in the biblical story of original sin but it is less well known. The story goes, that if you ate from the tree of life you could live forever as does God and his angels. Adam and Eve are banised from the garden because, having eaten from the tree of knowledge it may be the case that they'll next eat from the tree of life and become as God.
Neither of these ideas are unique to Christian mythology. They are supposed to by symbols which are deeply engrained in our collective subconscious.
This page also refers to the concept that "language is a virus". This quote is commonly attributed to William S Burrough's who once said: "Language is a virus from outer space". However, the idea which I feel is being reffered to here is the concept of a 'meme' which was famously put forward by the hugely respected writer and thinker Richard Dawkins. Mainly known for his popular science book "The Selfish Gene" Dawkins is an evolutionary theorist whose influence on modern science fiction, both subtle and explicit, is enormous. A 'meme' is a concept or idea which passes from mind to mind replicating itself like a gene does. Dawkins writes;
"Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperms or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation. If a scientist hears, or reads about, a good idea, he passed it on to his colleagues and students. He mentions it in his articles and his lectures. If the idea catches on, it can be said to propagate itself, spreading from brain to brain"
- The Selfish Gene, Chapter 11.
Recently this idea has caught on in popualr culture, even being mentioned of "Big Brother's Big Brain". (Erm, so I'm told. I didn't watch it. Erm...)
We will return to this idea later in the story.
Page #5
Panel #1
It's commonly said that 'talking to yourself is the first sign of madness'.
Panel #2
Visually, notice how it is being strongly emphasised that Leatherjack is entirely alone. By surrounding him with a white background Smith and the artist Marshall are cleverly using the comic book medium. In many other pictoral media (TV, film, internet) whiteness would suggest brightness and a full energetic scenario whereas here it suggests a blank page. A sense of absence which cannot be put over as clearly in film or television.
Panel #3
Notice the continued juxtaposition of "ice and snow" with "the green house heat of skril".
Panel #4
Notice how Leatherjack's expectations of Qwish are an interesting predication of what actually occurs. There's about to be a revelation about the misunderstanding concerning the nature of their relationship, this panel sets it up nicely.
Panel #6
"No food. No Shelter. No sky or horizon" - and of course no memory. The Anglican Church recently defined hell as 'the absence of god'. Already there has been an implication that Leatherjack's situation is a form of hell. It's interesting to see how Leatherjack is being tortured by the absence of anything, other than his thoughts.
Panel #7
Leatherjack is of course set to find his life's direction. The isolation he's in allows him to find himself. It's interesting to note that this montage of pictures shows him initially facing the reader and then finaly walking away from us. Could this symbolise the fact that he is now starting to turn his back on who he first appeared to be?
Page #6
Panel #2
Notice how Qwish's uncomfortable protrusions extend outside the panel and off the page. This makes them uncomfortable even for the reader. I suspect this is done to comic effect but it does slightly force us to empathise with this unpleasant character.
Panel #3
Qwish's analysis of Leatherjack's actions reveal more about his character traits than than those of his footsoldier. Notice how there is a floating goldfish just in shot. Goldfish are thought to have short three second memories and are often seen as being unthinking instinctive animals. Leatherjack, being a type of fish could be being represented here. Floating in a sea of nothing, thinking little and not far from the angry active brain of Lord Qwish.
Panel #4
"Bonemasons" could be a tacit reference to the Freemasons, a private club reserved for men who like to dress up and carry out secret rituals. They are covered in more detail later. The episodic nature of the story requires them to be teased here.
Panel #5
The same goes for "Mr Whipcord". His name alone offers a tantilising glimpse at what will be instore in the next episode.
--
These notes are written to be used as a companion to the story. They’ve been written entirely for fun and are published here to encourage you to either contribute to them or start your own annotations to one of your own favourite 2000AD texts. I’ve gone for the ‘explain everything’ approach.
Annotations for “Leatherjack” written by Nick Margerrison with contributions gratefully accepted.
– Chapter 5 –
First published in 2000AD Prog 1454 Aug 31st 2005
Script by John Smith
Art by Paul Marshall
Colours by Chris Blythe
Page #1
Panel #1
We get a better look at this building/space ship later. It appears to have been modelled on The Palace Of Versailles and it is later reffered to as "The Versailles". The Palace Of Versailles is synonymous with Loius XIV King of France and then his successors Louis XV and Louis XVI. It is also a symbol of the French Revolution. This reference ties in with the style in which its captain and crew choose to dress. More on that to follow.
Panel #2
This opening line from Mr Whipcord tacitly recalls a famous quote from The Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare. The quote is taken from a particularly eloquent speech which is given to the Jewish character Shylock, a complex character who is cast as the villain of the piece but is given a sympathetic light;
Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs
dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means,
warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer
as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us,
do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?
Act III, scene I
At the time in which this play was written anti-semitism was rife in Britain. In many ways the Jewish Shlock has all the trappings of a classic villain however this is subverted in the play as he makes a plea for redemption towards the end. This quote will hold resonance later on in Leatherjack.
Panel #3
"Formalin" - better known as Formaldehyde. A chemical solution used to preserve dead biological specimens.
Panel #4 I suspect that the hairstlye we see here is called a Queue. From Wikipedia.com; "In the second half of the 18th century, most men in Europe and North America wore their hair long and tied back into what we would now describe as a ponytail, although it was sometimes gathered into a silk bag rather than allowed to hang freely. At that time, it was commonly known by the French word for "tail", queue. It was a mandatory hairstyle for men in all European armies until the early 1800s, after most civilians had stopped wearing queues. The British Army was the first to dispense with it, and by the end of the Napoleonic Wars most armies had changed their regulations to make short hair compulsory."
Panel #5
This recalls the ending of the previous Chapter.
Panel #6
Interesting to note that this complex character's face is first presented to us through the reflection of a handheld double mirror. Partly it suggests that the character in question is "two faced". Secondly, to me, it suggests we might be being asked to empathise with him on a subtle level. The reflection points towards us and this implies it could be ours.
Also, notice his "beauty spot". It was believed that these spots were an indication of where the devil had touched you during your time in the womb. One on your face suggested devilish, sinful beauty. They were often applied as a make-up accessory.
Page #2
Panel #1
Notice how the narrative speaks directly to "you". Although it's clear that we're seeing Leatherjack's internal monologue here there is a suggestion that we are now being made to empathise with this character and their position.
Panel #2
Later on in the story we learn that this last statement is not true and that Leatherjack has actually landed on earth.
Panel #3 -#5
This next letter in the alphabet follows on the patters which was started in the previous chapter. It's interesting that no direct association is posed against this word, unlike the previous two and the one on the next page. There is a slight suggestion that Lord Qwish is soon to be playing a game of cat and mouse with our protagonist but it's a tenous one.
Perhaps this is because Leatherjack's forceful command "IGNORE IT" is successful despite his later admission that "YOU CAN'T IGNORE IT".
"Cataracted with ice" - a cataract is a thin lense which grows over the pupil of an eye, usually occurring in the elderly.
Panel #6 -#7
Notice the book continues to change its cover, as it does its name. Visually its made clear here that the book itself is actually speaking to Leatherjack's thoughts as his internal monologue is made into a dialogue.
The final image of the book with "ABC" emblazoned across it suggests that it is trying to tune into Leatherjack's thought processes.
Page #3
Panel #1
Here we see a memory of Leatherjack's which like some of the others never quite becomes clear. As with the other ones which never really solicit an explanation we see he's in a situation which is dramatic to say the least. This motif helps to re-enforce him as an exciting dynamic character.
Panels #2 - #6
The internal monologue which started on the previous page now gradually escalates into a spoken dialogue. Notice how the flashback images are pasted over the top of the calm contemplative images of Leatherjack as he sits in a self-comforting pose. This re-enforces the idea that he has no control over the return of these memories. They are not being pulled up by his mind from the past but dropped onto him by a force above him.
Pages #4-5
Panel #1
"Congratulate us over tea and biscuits" notice how every subtlety is driven towards re-enforcing the image of the spinsters as quaint English women.
Panel #2
The effect of placing this image in the top right hand corner of this double page spread is in my opinion significant. Firstly notice how the speech bubble is not allowed to dominate, almost all of it lying outside of the panel. This allows the image to escape a too specific time frame within the narrative context of the spread. This frees it up to be reffered back to as the reader continues through the motage of pictures most of which are mainly portrayed in dull colours. Once finished the page needs to be turned and only the most casual of people will be able do so without looking at the top right hand corner where your eyes naturally lie as one lifts the page. The chances of a second glance once the page is finished are in my opinion increased by the fact that most of the image is done in an eye catching red. This second glance tactic hammers home the threatening nature of the spinster and also re-enforces his position above the action.
Panel #3
Notice how this panel is placed directly below the surface of the attack taking place above us in both terms of page composition and story location.
It's possible that "the heart of the world hive" could lie at the centre of this particular planet if the tale subscribes to the hollow earth theory which is becoming more popular in recent 2000AD tales. It was recently featured in The Red Seas. This idea has also been recently popularised by wacky conspiracy theorist David Icke who in his 1999 book "The Biggest Secret" argues that the earth is in fact hollow and inside it there lives a colony of giant shape changing lizards from the lower fourth dimension.
The use of condensed type here in the communication released by "superpheromones" is interesting; "-TheEnemyIsHere-TheTimeIsNow-".
It's possible that here this device is used to give the impression of binary code, a language used by computer programmers which consists entirely of "0" and "1". Using a combination of these two numbers any message in the world can, in theory, be communicated. Largely iradicating spaces between the letters in these sentences provides us with an echo of how these machine coded number patterns read to the human eye.
Panel #4
"Firecrackers" is used here as an alliterative metaphor which gives us a good idea of the sounds which the occupants of the hive are making as they move about in panic.
Panel #5
Larvae - Pupa - Nymph - Imago: The different stages of insect development.
"Chitin" is the hard substance which composes the shells of crabs and insects.
Panel #6
It is interesting to note here the use of the word "propaganda". It's a word which carries a certain ammount of baggage in light of the story's central theme. For me it carries hints of facistic regimes like Nazi germany.
Panel #7
The use of the word "swarmtroopers" also to my mind has a Hitlarian tone to it, recalling as it does the infamous Stormtroopers of the Third Reich. This fractionally subverts our preconceptions towards these initially sympathetic characters. I believe we are being intentionally confronted with the fact that they are not human as a direct contrast to the events which are about to unfold on the next page.
Panel #8
Notice the dull tones in this final panel though, our sympathies are still being ultimately drawn upon as we witness their apparently pathetic defeat. Note how it acts as a counterbalance to the insert panel at the top of the page.
Page #6
Panel #1
The image presented here is one which runs throughout human cultural history; the philosopher in the cave. There are many examples of this archetype, Muslim theology presents Mohammed as being given his first revelations while he was fasting in a cave. Further back there was Plato's famous allegory of the cave in which there are people inside one who are watching a light show instead of enjoying life outside. They are under the impression that the story being told to them by this lightshow is reality as opposed to the truth which lies outside.
This latter example prefigures the revelations which Leatherjack is soon to be subjected to as his reality is shown to be nothing but an illusion.
I'd suggest that this allegory is very obviously recalled by the use of his gun as a light sitting opposite the entrance with him in the middle. Notice that by looking at the book he is turning away from the light and therefore slightly closer to the mouth of the cave and by extension the truth.
Throughout this page we see a three way conversation taking place, the captions seem to represent a voice which is intent on maintaining the status quo, Leatherjack's spoken words are his immediate thoughts and the white face type seems to be the voice of the book, or perhaps more accurately the voice inspired by the book. I'd argue that all three are actually Leatherjack's thoughts as we're clearly witnessing a moment of extreme mental anguish and conflict.
Panel #2
Oil and water of course are insoluble and therefore do not mix. Furthermore oil is a substance made of organic compounds, primarily with the leftover bits of dead biological lifeforms. Perhaps you could read the use of this liquid here as being a reference to the death which lies in Leatherjack's past. Something we are about to be reminded of in the next panel.
Panels #3, #4, #5
It's interesting to note the panel composition in this particular squence as Leatherjack tries to fight off these memories by throwing the book away. The impression we are given is of the sequential pattern of panel #3 and panel #5 being physically interrupted by this violent action. Notice also how once he rejects the idea of remembering the truth the mouth of the cave is no longer visible to us.
The first image here is one we have seen already and its resonance suggests it carries particular significance in Leatherjack's mind.
The image of the dog recalls that of the one on page three of this episode. Given that we're also being told again here that "d is for dog" it's safe to assume that it's the same dog as the one on page 3. Thus these flashback pictures are starting to relate to each other more now as we are given glimpses of watch Leatherjack wants to avoid recalling. It's amusing to note also that D is for death.
Panel #6
Notice how Leatherjack retreats further back into the cave and away from the exit. His body language suggesting that he is self comforting. The image of the cave is also further re-enforced by the fact that if we accept that he is walking away from the exit (and by extension 'enlightenment') the book is therefore closer to it and would lead him out of his mental trap.
Panel #7
It is worth noting now that there has been an almost complete about turn as regards how we see the protagonist here. Initially he was an unsympathetic violent assasin. Now he cuts a pathetic desperate figure left dangling on the edge of a full blown schitzophrenic breakdown. The cliffhanger leaves us wondering exactly what his true story is.
– Chapter 5 –
First published in 2000AD Prog 1454 Aug 31st 2005
Script by John Smith
Art by Paul Marshall
Colours by Chris Blythe
Page #1
Panel #1
We get a better look at this building/space ship later. It appears to have been modelled on The Palace Of Versailles and it is later reffered to as "The Versailles". The Palace Of Versailles is synonymous with Loius XIV King of France and then his successors Louis XV and Louis XVI. It is also a symbol of the French Revolution. This reference ties in with the style in which its captain and crew choose to dress. More on that to follow.
Panel #2
This opening line from Mr Whipcord tacitly recalls a famous quote from The Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare. The quote is taken from a particularly eloquent speech which is given to the Jewish character Shylock, a complex character who is cast as the villain of the piece but is given a sympathetic light;
Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs
dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means,
warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer
as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us,
do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?
Act III, scene I
At the time in which this play was written anti-semitism was rife in Britain. In many ways the Jewish Shlock has all the trappings of a classic villain however this is subverted in the play as he makes a plea for redemption towards the end. This quote will hold resonance later on in Leatherjack.
Panel #3
"Formalin" - better known as Formaldehyde. A chemical solution used to preserve dead biological specimens.
Panel #4 I suspect that the hairstlye we see here is called a Queue. From Wikipedia.com; "In the second half of the 18th century, most men in Europe and North America wore their hair long and tied back into what we would now describe as a ponytail, although it was sometimes gathered into a silk bag rather than allowed to hang freely. At that time, it was commonly known by the French word for "tail", queue. It was a mandatory hairstyle for men in all European armies until the early 1800s, after most civilians had stopped wearing queues. The British Army was the first to dispense with it, and by the end of the Napoleonic Wars most armies had changed their regulations to make short hair compulsory."
Panel #5
This recalls the ending of the previous Chapter.
Panel #6
Interesting to note that this complex character's face is first presented to us through the reflection of a handheld double mirror. Partly it suggests that the character in question is "two faced". Secondly, to me, it suggests we might be being asked to empathise with him on a subtle level. The reflection points towards us and this implies it could be ours.
Also, notice his "beauty spot". It was believed that these spots were an indication of where the devil had touched you during your time in the womb. One on your face suggested devilish, sinful beauty. They were often applied as a make-up accessory.
Page #2
Panel #1
Notice how the narrative speaks directly to "you". Although it's clear that we're seeing Leatherjack's internal monologue here there is a suggestion that we are now being made to empathise with this character and their position.
Panel #2
Later on in the story we learn that this last statement is not true and that Leatherjack has actually landed on earth.
Panel #3 -#5
This next letter in the alphabet follows on the patters which was started in the previous chapter. It's interesting that no direct association is posed against this word, unlike the previous two and the one on the next page. There is a slight suggestion that Lord Qwish is soon to be playing a game of cat and mouse with our protagonist but it's a tenous one.
Perhaps this is because Leatherjack's forceful command "IGNORE IT" is successful despite his later admission that "YOU CAN'T IGNORE IT".
"Cataracted with ice" - a cataract is a thin lense which grows over the pupil of an eye, usually occurring in the elderly.
Panel #6 -#7
Notice the book continues to change its cover, as it does its name. Visually its made clear here that the book itself is actually speaking to Leatherjack's thoughts as his internal monologue is made into a dialogue.
The final image of the book with "ABC" emblazoned across it suggests that it is trying to tune into Leatherjack's thought processes.
Page #3
Panel #1
Here we see a memory of Leatherjack's which like some of the others never quite becomes clear. As with the other ones which never really solicit an explanation we see he's in a situation which is dramatic to say the least. This motif helps to re-enforce him as an exciting dynamic character.
Panels #2 - #6
The internal monologue which started on the previous page now gradually escalates into a spoken dialogue. Notice how the flashback images are pasted over the top of the calm contemplative images of Leatherjack as he sits in a self-comforting pose. This re-enforces the idea that he has no control over the return of these memories. They are not being pulled up by his mind from the past but dropped onto him by a force above him.
Pages #4-5
Panel #1
"Congratulate us over tea and biscuits" notice how every subtlety is driven towards re-enforcing the image of the spinsters as quaint English women.
Panel #2
The effect of placing this image in the top right hand corner of this double page spread is in my opinion significant. Firstly notice how the speech bubble is not allowed to dominate, almost all of it lying outside of the panel. This allows the image to escape a too specific time frame within the narrative context of the spread. This frees it up to be reffered back to as the reader continues through the motage of pictures most of which are mainly portrayed in dull colours. Once finished the page needs to be turned and only the most casual of people will be able do so without looking at the top right hand corner where your eyes naturally lie as one lifts the page. The chances of a second glance once the page is finished are in my opinion increased by the fact that most of the image is done in an eye catching red. This second glance tactic hammers home the threatening nature of the spinster and also re-enforces his position above the action.
Panel #3
Notice how this panel is placed directly below the surface of the attack taking place above us in both terms of page composition and story location.
It's possible that "the heart of the world hive" could lie at the centre of this particular planet if the tale subscribes to the hollow earth theory which is becoming more popular in recent 2000AD tales. It was recently featured in The Red Seas. This idea has also been recently popularised by wacky conspiracy theorist David Icke who in his 1999 book "The Biggest Secret" argues that the earth is in fact hollow and inside it there lives a colony of giant shape changing lizards from the lower fourth dimension.
The use of condensed type here in the communication released by "superpheromones" is interesting; "-TheEnemyIsHere-TheTimeIsNow-".
It's possible that here this device is used to give the impression of binary code, a language used by computer programmers which consists entirely of "0" and "1". Using a combination of these two numbers any message in the world can, in theory, be communicated. Largely iradicating spaces between the letters in these sentences provides us with an echo of how these machine coded number patterns read to the human eye.
Panel #4
"Firecrackers" is used here as an alliterative metaphor which gives us a good idea of the sounds which the occupants of the hive are making as they move about in panic.
Panel #5
Larvae - Pupa - Nymph - Imago: The different stages of insect development.
"Chitin" is the hard substance which composes the shells of crabs and insects.
Panel #6
It is interesting to note here the use of the word "propaganda". It's a word which carries a certain ammount of baggage in light of the story's central theme. For me it carries hints of facistic regimes like Nazi germany.
Panel #7
The use of the word "swarmtroopers" also to my mind has a Hitlarian tone to it, recalling as it does the infamous Stormtroopers of the Third Reich. This fractionally subverts our preconceptions towards these initially sympathetic characters. I believe we are being intentionally confronted with the fact that they are not human as a direct contrast to the events which are about to unfold on the next page.
Panel #8
Notice the dull tones in this final panel though, our sympathies are still being ultimately drawn upon as we witness their apparently pathetic defeat. Note how it acts as a counterbalance to the insert panel at the top of the page.
Page #6
Panel #1
The image presented here is one which runs throughout human cultural history; the philosopher in the cave. There are many examples of this archetype, Muslim theology presents Mohammed as being given his first revelations while he was fasting in a cave. Further back there was Plato's famous allegory of the cave in which there are people inside one who are watching a light show instead of enjoying life outside. They are under the impression that the story being told to them by this lightshow is reality as opposed to the truth which lies outside.
This latter example prefigures the revelations which Leatherjack is soon to be subjected to as his reality is shown to be nothing but an illusion.
I'd suggest that this allegory is very obviously recalled by the use of his gun as a light sitting opposite the entrance with him in the middle. Notice that by looking at the book he is turning away from the light and therefore slightly closer to the mouth of the cave and by extension the truth.
Throughout this page we see a three way conversation taking place, the captions seem to represent a voice which is intent on maintaining the status quo, Leatherjack's spoken words are his immediate thoughts and the white face type seems to be the voice of the book, or perhaps more accurately the voice inspired by the book. I'd argue that all three are actually Leatherjack's thoughts as we're clearly witnessing a moment of extreme mental anguish and conflict.
Panel #2
Oil and water of course are insoluble and therefore do not mix. Furthermore oil is a substance made of organic compounds, primarily with the leftover bits of dead biological lifeforms. Perhaps you could read the use of this liquid here as being a reference to the death which lies in Leatherjack's past. Something we are about to be reminded of in the next panel.
Panels #3, #4, #5
It's interesting to note the panel composition in this particular squence as Leatherjack tries to fight off these memories by throwing the book away. The impression we are given is of the sequential pattern of panel #3 and panel #5 being physically interrupted by this violent action. Notice also how once he rejects the idea of remembering the truth the mouth of the cave is no longer visible to us.
The first image here is one we have seen already and its resonance suggests it carries particular significance in Leatherjack's mind.
The image of the dog recalls that of the one on page three of this episode. Given that we're also being told again here that "d is for dog" it's safe to assume that it's the same dog as the one on page 3. Thus these flashback pictures are starting to relate to each other more now as we are given glimpses of watch Leatherjack wants to avoid recalling. It's amusing to note also that D is for death.
Panel #6
Notice how Leatherjack retreats further back into the cave and away from the exit. His body language suggesting that he is self comforting. The image of the cave is also further re-enforced by the fact that if we accept that he is walking away from the exit (and by extension 'enlightenment') the book is therefore closer to it and would lead him out of his mental trap.
Panel #7
It is worth noting now that there has been an almost complete about turn as regards how we see the protagonist here. Initially he was an unsympathetic violent assasin. Now he cuts a pathetic desperate figure left dangling on the edge of a full blown schitzophrenic breakdown. The cliffhanger leaves us wondering exactly what his true story is.
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