Hello! I made a historical comic for my last assignment.
This time I made a comic about Tom Dula, immortalized in the folk song Tom Dooley (this spelling is due to the local dialect pronouncing some 'A's as a Y sound).
I did a lot more black on this one and tried a different style of crosshatching. A sort of open hatching where a lot of the lines don't cross. I think it gives it a nice dirty look that fits with the setting. Open in a new page for full size.
Full comic (
http://i.imgur.com/6BrBAMh.png):
Close ups:
Historical context:
Tom Dula was an ex-confederate soldier who was accused and convicted of murdering Luara Foster, a woman he was having a relationship with at the time.
Tom Dula served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. When he returned, in 1865, he became involved with a married woman named Ann Melton (maiden name Foster), whom he had a relationship with before the war. At this time he also began a relationship with Ann's cousin, Luara Foster. Luara became pregnant during this relationship and the two decided to elope, setting up a date to meet. Luara was never seen alive again after the day the were to leave together.
The actual guilty party is a point of controversy in this story. While Tom Dula was tried, found guilty, and hanged for the murder, there has been suspicion cast upon Ann Melton since the time of the murder. It was Ann Melton's word that led people to Luara's body and Pauline Foster, another cousin of Ann's, testified against her, claiming that Ann had taken her to check on Luara's grave to make sure it was still hidden before it was found.
Those who believe Ann was the killer say that Tom Dula, still in love with Ann, took the blame for the killing in order to spare her the punishment.
Song: