With the sad news of POMEmag closing its doors August 31st, I wanted to share the comic that I wrote and Julia Hutchinson illustrated. This comic, about a woman struggling with body issues after a double mastectomy and her best friend hyping her up, appears in the comics anthology Group Chat, a Prism Award nominee.

I’m sharing our finished comic pages, but I’ve also included our pitch along with the full script! Text copyright Lara Willard, 2019, and illustrations copyright Julia Hutchinson, 2019.

Use discount code POME50 so you can save 50% off anything in the POME shop, including Group Chat!

Read a review of Group Chat here.

Buy Julia’s awesome stickers at suchgoodbirds.com and follow her on Instagram at @suchgoodbirds!

“Best Dressed,” the Comic

If you find the text hard to read, skip down to the script, below.

The Pitch

BEST DRESSED SUMMARY  

Best Dressed is a 6-page comic which finds an executive bailing on work in order to support her best friend, who’s holed-up in a department store dressing room after a double mastectomy leaves her feeling depressed and unattractive. Through gifts, pep talks, and even a dressing room montage, the two friends leave the store uplifted, together.

• ROCIO drops an important call and leaves her corner office when her BFF BRENNA texts her in a panic from the hell-on-earth that is a department store dressing room stall.
• Rocio arrives on the scene with coffee, geeky tees, and a gag gift to cheer Brenna up. After having both her breasts removed, Brenna is despondent, unable to reconcile herself to her new body.
• Rocio gives her a heartfelt pep talk and comes back with more clothes she knows will either make Brenna look stunning or make her laugh.
• They both model some sexy and silly outfits before leaving with a bagful of new clothes for Brenna, arm in arm in pursuit of wine and froyo.

Lara Willard is a writer and designer by day and comics editor by night, scribbling in margins and gutters of indie comics like Lora Innes’ The Dreamer. Lara lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, sons, and dog-show dropout Havanese.

Julia Hutchinson is an illustrator and comics artist currently based in New Jersey. Her work has appeared in comic anthologies such as Lilies, Fresh Romance Vol. 2, and Chrono Party. She loves retro video games and all kinds of birds.

The Script

Note, changes—for the best!—were made from the script to final pages. That’s the beauty of collaboration with an illustrator and editor!

PAGE ONE (six panels)

Panel 1. ROCIO, a late 20s-early 30s woman in a business blazer and skirt, is on the phone at her corner office desk when her mobile phone starts buzzing. She has a tiny pink ribbon pinned to her lapel. Rocio is a tall Latina, closer to 6 feet than 5.

Panel 2. CLOSE ON Rocio’s mobile. She’s already responded to BRENNA’s text message. Rocio is still on the phone at work.

BRENNA (Text Message):
Dressing room paralysis. Can’t move.

ROCIO (Text Message):
Coming. Send me your position.

ROCIO (OP):
MmmHmmm. Yes.

Panel 3. The dropped pin on the map.

ROCIO (OP):
Absolutely, Mr. Peterson. I will.

Panel 4. Rocio leans in toward her desk, ready to hang up but ear still on the receiver.

ROCIO:
You’ll have to excuse me. I have a family emergency to attend to. … Thank you.

Panel 5. Rocio rushing out of her office, phone and purse in hand.

Panel 6. Rocio, without her blazer, carrying her phone, purse, and now a coffee, has just entered a Target-like department store.

PAGE TWO (five panels)

Panel 1. Rocio speeding through the party section, grabbing a lei.

Panel 2. Two t-shirts are deftly pulled from the middle of the rack by Rocio. She knows exactly what size she needs. These t-shirts can be of any fandoms, and we will see more of them in a later panel. Visual puns would be great so we don’t get in trouble for using logos. The word “Rebel” over a picture of a bass guitar, for example, for Star Wars. “No entiendo” in the “Nintendo” logo style.

Panel 3. Hallway of the dressing room. BRENNA peeks her head out one stall, mascara running, lip trembling. She’s late 20s, early 30s like Rocio. Dark hair.

BRENNA (OP):
Rocio?

Panel 4. Rocio wafts her hands at Brenna to get back into the stall. BRENNA is a plus-size bombshell. In this and forthcoming panels, we will see that she’s in an old bra, but it’s really loose. She’s just had a double mastectomy.

ROCIO:
Ugh, Brenna. You disgust me. Even your ugly cry is gorgeous. Get back in there before someone falls madly in love with you.

Panel 5. Brenna and Rocio are both crammed into the stall. Brenna is wearing the lei, wiping a tear.. Rocio hands her the coffee.

ROCIO:
Snagged it off the coffee cart on my way out. Don’t even insult me by asking—it’s just the way you like it. Should be the perfect temp, too.

BRENNA (small, whispered):
Thanks.

PAGE THREE (six panels)

Panel 1. Rocio unloads her haul onto the bench next to Brenna.

ROCIO:
Makeup remover wipes. Assorted fandom tees.

BRENNA:
You didn’t get me a training bra? Haha

Panel 2. Brenna buries head in hands, about to sob.

ROCIO:
I didn’t even grab you new bras BECAUSE they were invented by men to be torture devices. 

ROCIO (continued):
Now you are fully liberated. 

Panel 3. Brenna looks up at Rocio, eyebrow raised.

BRENNA (small):
Hence the celebratory lei?

Panel 4. Rocio’s pointed finger sticks up over the stall door, and her voice carries up and over.

ROCIO:
Not even the most infantile man can suckle from your life-milk! You are INDOMITABLE!

Panel 5. Brenna is laughing and trying to hush Rocio down. 

BRENNA:
Okay shhh

Panel 6. Rocio pulls down her shirt, which rode up due to her enthusiasm. Brenna takes another sip.

BRENNA:
When did you become so next-level feminism?

ROCIO:
Since it made you forget for a second what you just went through. 

PAGE FOUR (seven panels)

Panel 1. Brenna sets down the coffee, avoids looking at Rocio.

BRENNA:
I’m all disproportionate now. Those were the only parts of me that really felt … womanly. Now I’ve lost them.

Panel 2. Rocio leans back against the stall wall. She’s ready for Real Talk. 

ROCIO:
Is this an identity thing, or a feeling sexually attractive thing?

Panel 3. Close on Brenna as she opens herself up further. Maybe she looks guilty, maybe she still averts her eyes. 

BRENNA:
I have to wade through the shallow stage before I can tread through the existential crisis stage.

Panel 4. Rocio leans in close, hand on Brenna’s shoulder, and looks her in the eyes. Serious.

ROCIO:
I have heard–rumor has it–some people aren’t turned on by boobs. If you don’t feel sexy, we will GET YOU SEXY.

Panel 5. Rocio holds out both of the t-shirts, considering, weighing them. Brenna feels the hem of one of them between her fingers.

ROCIO:
Trust me, it’s all about exploiting your assets and ignoring whatever wants to bring you down.

BRENNA:
Is that philosophy what got you in the boardroom?

Panel 6. Rocio tosses a t-shirt on Brenna’s head. Brenna speaks from under it.

ROCIO:
You bet your shapely ass it is.

SFX (small):
toss

BRENNA:
I can’t wear this to work though.

Panel 7. Rocio exits the stall.

ROCIO:
Be right back.

PAGE FIVE (five panels)

Panel 1. Full width. Rocio tosses each article of clothing over into Brenna’s stall.

ROCIO:
Boat neck to show off your geography.
Open back because that is an A+ view.
Skinny jeans because your legs could make a grown man cry…

Panel 2. Brenna is pulling one of the new shirts on.

BRENNA:
Who knew my physical appearance was so important to you?

Panel 3. Rocio sits out in the hall, waiting, with her purse on her lap, looking down at her phone.

ROCIO:
If it’s important to you right now, it is. I want you to be OK with your new body so you can focus on how awesome you are. 

Panel 4. Brenna starts opening the stall door…

BRENNA:
Okay, I think I’m ready for the…

Panel 5. Both women, in unison, heads back and hollering with jubilance.

ROCIO & BRENNA (unison):
DRESSING ROOM MONTAGE!

PAGE SIX (panels TBD)

Panels 1-X. The dressing room montage. They are having fun now. One panel with them both doubled over laughing.

Panel X. Both women sit on the floor, tired, clothes scattered about. Brenna arches an eyebrow.

BRENNA:
Froyo and wine?

ROCIO:
Fro-you know it.

Panel X+1. Final panel. The women leaving the store, silhouetted by sunset. Rocio has one arm around Brenna, the other with the purse is out—she’s talking animatedly. Brenna is carrying a large bag full of clothes.

CAP:
End.