Chaffee -- Bluebeard

Graham Chaffee, "Bluebeard," from The Most Important Thing and Other Stories (Fantagraphics, 1995), pp. 15-26.

15

•:.:.:;;:i....�,-.---·l)IJpf! /'t, 116.AAI> TJfAT SAME - -AN1> ffff HEARD rr F�°""'

S1'0R.Y FP.OM,LllcE, FIVE PIFFERENT HE� UNCLE NATHAN, JMck
WHEN SHE WAf A l<IP11,
\. PEOPLE --IHC.Wl>IN' M>' GRAMMA

II WH01S, Lll<E, El,NTY-r1'0?

YEAH -- l'VE HEARi> THAr T'HO�E STORIES' ARI: PR.cTTY COOt.,,.
-·WHEN J WAS' IN Cou.E�E, I TOOK THIS
ONE, Too -- t>NLY IT WAf
AN OLC> MAN INfrEAl> COcJP.SE IN CU1-TURAL
OF AN OLO WOMAN ...

16

THlf FLUIP-

13ur- �TA�LE

STP.lJlTlJ�E
ALLOWf ITro &E
$ I MULTANEOUfLY
'{Ea.EVANT TO
·n-1£ fRESEtlT...
WH\LE l'ROVIOltt,
TRAOITIOIIAL
MoRI\L RtF­

fRENCE Pou1rs_

SETTING CI-IAN(;,E
WITH EVERY
�EN ERATION,11

-- BUT THE.

ESIENTIAL
S ITUATtON

RF.MAJ N5 alfE

$AME ANt> 15

pou9TLl:S� rnu.

IN Cl RC.uLATIOI/
AROUND CAMP-

fIRE:S 'TOOAY,..

17

18

'v/EU..1 NA1llRAU'f, SHE WAS'
1'REi1Y qOO/) fftlE ND S'
WtTfi 1"HE SHE Riff,.,

'" Af,lfJ WHENEVER S He ,., lf 1llE. ICIP t> IP A ,ooo J05 ,,. Ht£'V 4�T 111E 5H�IFf
N�EOED WDRt< DONE ARlliJHP 1'_0 SGNV '71i,t"f' KtV OH
HER Pl.Alf:, Hf'P A�RAK(iE Allll f3oSTEP HIS An ALL oo FI EL.fl­
fUAAEA, HE,'J> qET PAil} UwfoSRTAK'f£wr-rron UFERS...
FDR So.ME: 1<10 AT 'T'lfE �
CASH AHO MAYBE l:,ET Hlf
JU\/EN IU: HAU. -ro fj£ t.£T
fE N TE.HlE RE.Doc.Ev,,,
ooT, PAYS- ro Do 1-r.,,
�-ANYWAY,,, 7H(){£ KIDS
WEREN'T SEeH ARO\JNP
ANY M"RE Ill

•

- &ur IF HE WAf LAt.i OR
A PUNK OR ,l?lf.V -ro
RIP HER of"f',,,

�. ._

."-�I

19

'" 'NELL 1 0NE --HE SMOIC6f.) llGARET'f"EJ
fCJMMER, A AW' PUSHED 71fE crrHER
f'ART1CULAR1.y 1<1'75 ARooN I) ...
&AP KIi> NAMEP
SKflHIC 40T

NOW, SKUNK HATE'() -ro WORK., /JU, fl!:= WAS {HREwo...
HE KN l:W TliE OL-0 J.Af)f WA-J. LoAPEO 4NP Fl(,Uf?EV HE

G,Ei A CHA}( CE -ro G RAJ -fJ.11=, CA5H ,,,

,, 'Tl/EN HE.V s,£AL.
HER u\R At.IP
5/1/..I'( 11>WJJ..,

20



w,u., Rl�H"f' AW,4Y jkUNK ,.. SWvfA·HAl,.FERH, EHfWMDRAKPE!OrrAUHJtfHAT
911SINEH TO FINO our
JFOlM�UETRHEIDN<,THMEORRFEi VMAWl/STAIJ6Lt£ WHERE $Hf kEPT 7H� Ket,,.
TIIAN PREf£/NE5 fJoWN THER£,,.
�

'W1-Er,HL-Cr.oAo0RUK1AFOOFRW'HTS1oH1.le-4EET1H3H/OJ;UCNSA<,EU, ,SS,F,"HEWHAl�=WN'AYSHSI;MWAD6IN: STURDEtJWHNfr­ IA-IPN--6Dro1S!A1T"W0H6NWE/,:H:0IET,4�C"I/1IE�HNEw$K/1E1//tU'/PDtT:ok1r/:.11r'.,,

- -TJ,-fA,' NI�,.,.,.I Hf.
f?RAGGfO• IN THE
f}o1t.JY1 A8ocrr H()vJ
�l: WA� (iONNA'
Ro� '1'1-fA-T �KINNY
01,p ffel-rlH 6l-l#P

AtU7 /7U1w -r'oWN

IH ij£,Q. CH�Y.,.

22

,.,f.l�fT DAY, HE: W,4;rCWEV '1EP. WUILE H£

WDRKEO lcf,10 HE WAtfE11 UN'rtl- SHE TOOK
HEA. MIQ,fJA"I SNooi.s, A'NfJ H£ l-tf"TEf)
1'H6 1<ey A�o HoOFEO 1-r ovE'A. -ro
fl-I� R.oo-r GG.LLA R •• •

,., � & (70T 'THOU: POOPS oP�N IN /lfO TIM� FLAT
(7(/'r I-IE HAP -ro GO 5'-0W PDWN 11#� STAIR J"

6E C-AU5f; HI= COUIJJIY'T FIi-iC> A

23

,, ",,, >OM£ PEOPLE )UfT ,�THAT KIP WAS' NEVER
HEARO OF AGAIN,,.
WON'i USTIHI''

·H- EI RP,OIJ{')T�WETAN HUSH )IO'INJ SARAH.., I'
,HAT OLP 5raRY'.f "MR�. K NA Ct< ER ONLY COfol\E�
ME!
N()T T�UE ,,. FOR MAU61t'JY CHILQRl.N ,,."

24

l

... MIX(Nq FACT WITH FllTION -NT·NOHEREITYWHEHBROLLWLUYfRf<FUAYOLTUSRREUE,

..,-,AvlNC. Roo-n IN A VARl�T'/ 'PSRC&1'TION Of

Of C.ONfl-llTIN6 �Oc.lRCES,.. O�jfC.TIVE REAL\�

III
_·
I

I.

•I

I

I

1'I .
iI

II.

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25

,., J-r WA f St> INTEN j E,,, MOHICA WENT� 81/T I 6oT I A-fKEP HER. A80IIT rr
APPtNVICtTIS A NV SP&Nr ANV SHE SAIP SH& !)OEfN'T
�v,, Y'KNowz,, l'VE 1iftJ(Jr, -rH,4-r 5UMM£R IN T/.{E REMf",t'JBER IF I WENT THAT
A&Jur tr; /,()/le ovE� 1-r,., AN/J HOSPITAL,,, YEAR t>R NOT·· lJtn" SHE'S
l'M PRErry fURE I PION'• SIIRE SHE NE.Vf.'R 1/f'ARTJ
f,O i'o CAMP "1'HA-r YEAR! THA, fTORY AT CAMP

LI TT/..£FIEA ,HE'P.,,

•. l'M TEt.J..IN(, you, susA"1, ... IF NoT--THEN WHERE 11'"' MAKES /\,f'E WON f>E."R
1H IS' IS" REALLY BEGJIOIING PIP 11-1 If /tfEMaRt COME WHAT OTHER P!J:t:.ES oF
ME!·- I MEAN.1 FRoM?-- PIP I TIIST MY CH/LPHoap AtlE l'l'T
-ro IIU6 WAS I TIJERE DREAM rr., oR HffAT?,,, INVENTE 1),,,

3"t:sus ...
t:>R NOT?,,.

OR AHY E)(PE'RIENCE,�.
How Vo I KNow ANY

of rr , s

26