#598 + 599 – shapes and shadows

I think this page is so romantic. What's sweeter than a shared struggle? What's a more lonesome time than 5:30? I admit it's hard to remember the feeling Eve is describing. There was a time, though, depressed and consumed by work, where no simulation of order was possible. Only the order of work days and work hours, the pages in a book, the numbers in a bank account. Someone else's order - one that offers no solace from the chaos of nature.

11 thoughts on “#598 + 599 – shapes and shadows

  1. Is Eve's bed the couch at this point? I think it was for sure at one point – Hannah took over the bedroom? – but then they moved into an apartment with two bedrooms, right?

    1. I think the implication is that she fell asleep on the couch by accident while she was reading the book.

  2. Well… it's for sure romantic.

    It's just difficult to appreciate the romance when you're in the middle of it.

    1. That pretty much defines Romantic, doesn't it? It's only desirable on the outside.

  3. I have been panel two, many times.

  4. God bless that you don't remember the sensation Eve feels here. From the first time I'd read this comic to right now reading this rerun, I've gone from a pretty normal life trajectory to exactly the kind of fog she describes here. My praise to you for making me feel so vulnerably connected to a drawing, Mer.

  5. Pages like this… and this caption… are why Octopus Pie has been my favourite story for so long.

  6. Eve's face in panel two perfectly expresses my reaction to <s>mornings</s> life …

  7. I've read the entire series a couple times, but the romantic nostalgia and impending sense of knowing-what's-going-to-happen always gets to me. Watching the relationships between Eve/Will and Hanna/Marek grow and change over time make me both happy and sad.

    Meredith – thanks for sharing these reruns with commentary. I checked the Topatoco store but was wondering if other readers have suggested making prints available for sale, maybe a couple favorite/iconic pages?

  8. That face on panel two, tho

  9. reading this having to work from home during a pandemic really hits different. It was never intended to fit times like what we're living but it does

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