If the Champions were the high-level antagonists introduced unexpectedly late in the game, JJ was same for Sepia World. We got a few accusations of padding the story out with his introduction, and wellll kinda, but it was more like we already knew how long Shanna’s investigation had to take and we needed a compelling antagonist to go after her, not a bunch of faceless contractor goons or a wildly out-of-character Carol.

Carol’s cognitive dissonance and the way JJ enables it are what sell this scene for me. She cannot think very much about what methods JJ will use, not if she wants to cling to the tattered remains of her self-image as a good person. He very much knows this, and he will do his best to help her avoid thinking about them. All part of the service.

Finally, A+ job on lettering that dialogue in panel 1 and 2, Phil. That’s a lot of talk, and it all fits in seamlessly, even when the reader’s eye has to go up to keep reading.