[plot intensifies]

Those computerized rug-patterns inserted into the line art are a fun experiment the likes of which John was also sneaking into a lot of Widgetitis. (Before much longer, he’d leave that strip to focus exclusively on Guilded Age.) But they’re a little hard to integrate in terms of perspective, which may be why you didn’t see too much more of this trick, at least not in any obvious way.

Phil and I debated some over how consistent it was or wasn’t to have Gravedust come into a full settlement and observe the behavior of the people if Iver had told those same people he was dead. Wouldn’t that expose Iver as a bit of a, well, liar? These days, it seems all too believable to me that a fast-talker could weasel out of such contradictions in his past statements with great ease, as long as he’s telling his “base” what they want to hear at regular intervals.