The Standard

I thought it would be an effective approach to this scene if we weren’t privy to the conversation going on between Gilbert Graham and the authorities here.  We don’t need the exact words, we know what is being conveyed here.  He is being given some of the worst news he’ll ever here, and we’ve been waiting for the moment when he learns of Alex’s death since the conclusion of the last chapter.  I believe the tears were an addition by Jon, but I was totally cool with that.  I like how emotionally open Gilbert is, given how it goes against the usual trope of the stoic male hero.

The girl talking in the foreground here is Ashley Mueller, named after two of my good friends: Ashley Storrie and Merce Mueller.  Back when the story was originally planned as an 8-issue series, Ashley had a bigger role, which sadly got trimmed a bit while cutting the story down.  But she does still return later.  Look for Ashley to pop back up in Chapter 4.