#bayocean

Summer reading alert! The Town That Fell into the Sea is available to read on Lastwater!

In 2017, Justin Hocking and I went out to Tillamook to walk Bayocean Spit. Justin had read the Webber’s 1999 book on Bayocean about the washed away resort. He was struck hard. Being from Western Colorado, nothing motivates us like a tale of developers totally screwing up.

He started writing a script and I happily agreed to draw it when I had a moment. He also wrote, and we received, early in 2020, a project grant from RACC (the better to afford me a moment). The pandemic hit. Our expected publisher passed on the comic. Between 2020 and 2024, with no outlet or clear format, I restarted the comic eight times in eight different media combinations.

As I finished the show, Overlands, I swore I’d get TTTFITS done before anything else took me out. I settled on dark graphite, scanned to read in high contrast, both for ease in printing someday, plus also it felt the most Ashcan School.

In the meantime, Jerry Sutherland had been sharing research from his new book, Bayocean, The Atlantis of Oregon. His work uncovered many more reference images, and a darker truth to resonate against our make-believe story arc.

Maybe someday we will publish it in hard copy, but for now, no more delays. Here it is on Lastwater. Happy summer beach reading! Thank you RACC! Thank you Jerry!

My initial idea was that Josie’s husband Landon built a house there and Josie stays the summer, and after a meet-cute of some sort with the local mechanic Hope Mikaelson, begins an affair (which is “fine,” because her husband—the lout!—has, unbeknownst to Josie, been carrying on an affair with his assistant for years).

Idea 1A is the same as the first, except instead of Hope being a townie service worker, she’s an heiress and she meets Josie at some event the Ladies of town hold (to give them something to do while their husbands are all working in Portland).

Idea 1B is that Josie’s the townie (perhaps Alaric, Caroline or Jo, and Lizzie are all there) and she meets heiress Hope (either married or engaged to You-Know-Who, who’s still carrying on that affair with his assistant).