This is a post-mortem column, breaking down the game film for Young Liars #11. As such, please bear in mind that there are SPOILERS ahoy, dear reader, and proceed with caution (or, if you haven’t read the issue yet, proceed after having read it)!
-Ample Spoiler Space-
Blog@Newsarama: So…this issue kind of throws a wrench into things, eh? Is it just me, or in terms of “sympathetic narrators,” did Danny kind of let his denial get a bunch of his friends killed in this issue? If he could have made the gunmen stand down at just about any time, whatever happened to Donnie and Ceecee is kind of on him, isn’t it?
David Lapham: Well, I don’t want to revel too much. As opposed to the character study of last issue, this one goes back to the core story and won’t be complete till next issue. SO, Danny’s culpability won’t become clear till next…Well, look, Danny’s a liar, okay. Who he’s lying to, and what he’s lying about is the ultimate question. SO, more answers next issue–LOTS of answers next issue but some new questions. And yes, Danny messed up this issue–big time.
Blog@: Will we be seeing more of Lorelei?
DL: Oh, yeah. Lots more.
Blog@: So…spiders from Mars…what’re the chances of a rock band trying to fight those?
DL: The brain of every last soul on Earth is at stake here. If they can’t do it, we’re all doomed.
Blog@: Why wouldn’t someone have outed Danny first? Jack seems to know.
DL: Yeah, Jack knew. But it’s not his place to “out” Danny. Plus Danny outranks him and Jack would have been in big trouble with the king of Mars and all, y’know. A world of bad news.
Blog@: So is it safe to guess that Danny can now make himself Sadie’s man by way of “destiny” or something? If she’s got to birth the spider-babies or whatever…!
DL: That’s a good point, but check out the opening page of issue #12 to find out Sadie’s reaction to this new discovery. Who knows though. ”Danny” did have a plan along those lines in issue 7. Maybe he’ll really turn evil. (And no everyone, Danny is not evil. He really is a nice guy. I swear….Well, anyway, I like him.)
Blog@: If Danny has a dream that he’s a rock star—in what appears to be a later narration than the 24-hour period we’re examining between the battle and the plane—are we maybe looking at a possible future where he’s the one who inherited all that money? It would explain how he can just kind of bum around, drinking naked in his Sadie room.
DL: Well, I think the money came from all the fame and fortune he had as “Danny Duoshade”, but you’re giving me ideas….And come on, really, doesn’t everyone have a “Sadie room”? I had mine installed last week.
Blog@: Sadie’s fucked-up family definitely has a Preacher-esque vibe. It seems likely that this can’t end well for any of them…but is there a particular plan in place for how everyone in this book will eventually meet their ends?
DL: Yeah. And everyone comes out fine. Except Danny. Who comes out not fine, sort of. And Sadie, who comes out dead–if you can believe anything that was said in the first issue.
Blog@: If Ceecee lives, will a second consecutive lost pregnancy totally fuck with her head?
DL: Actually it would be her third. IF she lives and IF the baby doesn’t make it even if she lives. Big C will play a very important role in Danny’s life as things develop. If you really look beyond the wild lifestyle, Ceecee is the voice of reason. Danny’s going to need her to get back from the places he’s going.
Blog@: There definitely seems to be a lot that’s happened in the time between last issue, where Ceecee disavowed the sex, to this one…where she’s hoping aloud that the baby is Danny’s and “kind of” always loved him.
DL: Well last issue was set about a year before. Also they’d been through a lot. And you do always demean and humiliate the ones you love. Don’t you?
January 17th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
This serie blows my mind on a regular basis. I hope it’s not under the radar. Congratulations from Uruguay, Mr. Lapham.
January 18th, 2009 at 2:19 am
Russ, thanks for this interview. A lot of the events in issue #11 made me think that Lapham might be being forced to wrap up the series prematurely, but to hear that this was the plan all along makes be even more excited for what’s going to happen next.
David, thank you for this series; it’s by far one of the most imaginative and unpredictable comics I’ve read in years.
January 18th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I just picked-up the first TPB recently and love-love-love this series and this is a nice glimpse of what’s to come.
That being said, though, I wish there would have been a *SPOLIER WARNING* at the top of the interview…
January 18th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Dirk, sorry about that! I’ll run in and add one now for future readers. I posted this moments after I received David’s e-mail and moments before I had to leave for 12 hours, so I wasn’t thinking straight!
January 18th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Young Liars is my favorite comic coming out right now. I’m obsessed.
The interview is lovely. Thank you. And thanks to Dave Lapham for years and years of wonderful comics. Please keep it up, I rely on them now like air and food.
January 19th, 2009 at 5:55 am
Best comic of 2008, why cant every comic be as good as young liars?
January 19th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
David, I’ve talked to Lapham about doing a little sit-down every month when the new “Young Liars” comes out, and he’s amenable, provided nothing comes up that would be a barrier. I’m excited about it!
August 24th, 2011 at 11:22 am
Grade A stuff. I’m unquesiotanlby in your debt.