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As big and memorable a moment that Skippy and Liska's first kiss was, this final strip was the big emotional payoff as far as I was concerned. I really wanted to show that despite all the stress and aggravation she causes him, Skippy has come to really like Liska, and is glad to have her around... At least while she's sleeping...
The title of this strip, "In Springtime" is a reference to the final act of the opera, "The Cunning Little Vixen". The actual words were "In May-time" but I took liberties with it given that this strip was first posted in late March. During the scene, the main character, Vixen Sharp Ears, has been shot and killed by a poacher, and the event leaves her former nemesis, the Forester, wandering the forest alone feeling depressed and reflecting on life, old age, and his own impending mortality. Then he sees all the forest animals including one of Sharp Ears's cubs falling in love and having families of their own, and in a personal epiphany, draws comfort from the fact that there is ever-lasting life in nature through the continuous cycle of death and rebirth. It's a lovely sentiment that I thought resonated nicely with the affection Skippy shows Liska in this strip. On a darker note, it also foreshadows what happens in the next one... |
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