Comic 173
Back-up Vocal~ So begins a new chapter in the world of Mannyacs. A solo album from Bo. To be honest, I don’t know why this one never occurred to me before. In hindsight, the notion seems so obvious that it should have at least crept into my mind as an option at least once or twice in the past. But, it never did. True, there have been occasions in which Bo made passing mentions of a desire to pursue such a project. But, those clips were never written with an actual escapade in mind. In that moment, they merely served as small ingredients of a joke nestled within an episode already in progress. It seems the natural ebb and flow of the story arcs in my zoo have guided me back to the prospect of this tale. With Manny and Soxx embarking on an overseas adventure, it finally made sense to devote a story to Bo. He’s been a great sport so far. Our boy has earned himself a reward for his loyalty.
This particular Comic stands out to me, because I was already finished with it when a friend mentioned in conversation how “bittersweet” it was to see her son move on to high school. That was the word I needed to spark the moment that lit the fuse on the dialogue. I had been on the prowl for the word to capture the mood underneath the opening scene of this new journey. It just wasn’t coming to me. I had settled on another word that functioned well enough and I figured I’d have to be satisfied with it. Until my friend uttered that fantastic word….just in casual discussion. That’s what crystallized it all. So, I went back into the content and made the change. From that point forward, all the dots were connected exactly as they should be.
Speaking of words, I was going to let the “Gigi” Shout-Out stand on it’s own. Thus, interested readers could google it at their leisure. In the weeks since finishing this Comic, I have changed my mind. There’s no point in sending anyone on some wild goose chase to verify a reference. In this day and age, nobody has time for that sort of thing. I do understand. “Gigi” was always one of my Grandparents’ favorite musicals. So, I wanted to give it a nod. Then, I remembered a song from it featuring that wonderful word….”ennui”. After looking up its meaning, I quickly found that it was a perfect fit for my dialogue. For those who might feel the twinge of curiosity to learn more, just go to youtube and look up “She Is Not Thinking Of Me” and you will see how it found a home in my creation.
Finally, I was far too young for “The Rockford Files” when it was airing back in the ’70’s. Having said that, a good Steve Cannell Shout-Out is still a good Steve Cannell Shout-Out.