Sacrifice Cliff
Art by Giorgio Iannotti

It took me maybe eight or nine years of living in Billings to discover that a section of the southern rims actually had a name, and it took me eleven years to figure out why it was called that. Most natural formations are named after people or places or things they look like. But this cliff, Sacrifice Cliff, had a story behind it. Actually, it has two stories behind it, both pretty much the same apart from the main characters, and no one is really sure if this cliff is actually the cliff referred to in the story and not some other cliff in the nearby area, so that could be the reason why the story behind the naming of Sacrifice Cliff eluded me (and probably many locals) for so long. The story I've written and Giorgio illustrated is one of those tales. The other version has two young lovers instead of soldiers sacrificing themselves. I could've gone with either version but the solider story was more to my liking. Also, I referenced a poem by Bette Wolf Duncan, and I make no bones about how much I'm indebted to it for my own comic. I readily admit I don't have a good knowledge base of Crow Indian history and beliefs, so if I've completely missed the mark on some things, I apologize. I wasn't going necessarily for historical realism as I was trying to capture the spirit of the story.

 

Cobb Field
Art by László Séber

Cobb Field turned out to be one of the most difficult logistical challenges for Magic City. Two reasons for this: one, as you can see in the photos and in the comic Cobb Field was being torn down. This occured in the fall of 2007, right around the time I started getting stories and artists together, and unlike the rest of my stories, this one had to occur in the fall of 2007. So I couldn't procrasinate on getting photo reference like I, uh, normally don't do. Not only did I have to get to Cobb Field as it was being torn down, I had to find some way to get the shots I needed while the whole place was fenced off and in the middle of a construction zone. Thankfully, with a little help from the internet, I was able to flesh out the field. And the second logistical challenge? László is from Norway and had no functional knowledge of baseball whatsoever. I had to give him quite a bit of guidance in getting the field laid out properly so, y'know, the batter wasn't positioned at third base. But he did an admiral job in drawing a sport that his part of the world barely knows exists. And yes, there is a hospital right across the street.