Back to havana – List of Comic Illustrations

Mar 10, 2020 miles No Comments 23 Views

FWIW, Here is a list of the comic illustrations that the team in Havana has worked on for the past year (plus). They all correspond to specific action in the dialogue.

Flight Down
Finn Shuffles Cards
At the airport, they’re met by Pablo, an accomplished professor…
Pablo is a master of architectural detail, pointing out the Spanish…
…as close as a streetlamp. Suddenly, a giant wave disrupts…
…dressed from a different era. Nina remarks that there must be…
…so weird for the Malecon. They walk down the long palm-lined…
…snap some shots with Pablo. Suddenly, a wiry young man…
…two others in hot pursuit. He trips on the last step…
…a taxi and yelling: “Solo vamos. en cualquier sitio…
…party disappears into the hotel, she looks in her viewfinder and…
…go to the front desk and grab a Havana Daily Telegraph newspaper…
…ceiling in an elegant hotel. He suggests they continue their overly-animated…
The three of them sit on a couch overlooking the gardens,…
…everyone else who could escape. So where did that bottle come…
…waiter pours another and says, “It’s your first night in Havana…
…in some crazy dream. Because there’s Edith Piaf in the corner…
Nina returns, only to announce that her room key doesn’t work…
Just then an old-school press-man approaches with a pencil and spiral notepad…
…him all of her photos. He’s as flabbergasted with her camera…
…as hell needed the cash. “I’ll take it.” She prints…
Pablo reached into his jacket pocket to be sure he still had…
“What’s the writing on the tape?,” Nina asked. “It…
…in the suburb of Marianao. Led by maverick choreographer Roderico “…
“OK, level set guys,” said Finn. “We’re back…
Jorge jumped into a cab outside the Nacionale with the mobsters in…
Jorge hustled upstairs, while the driver looked around. He’d never…
He drifted off, content with his generational Cuba taxi-driver fantasies,…
…it, but moved on, applying a small bandage before putting…
…grandfather had given him and picked a few choice [Churchill Cohibas]…
…scary to consider as viable. On his deathbed, Nicola had…
“Let’s take the Caddy, friend. Leave your car here –…
“To the Club Tropicana in Marianao. What’s your name, by…
Twenty minutes later, they slowly rolled past the giant palm trees…
Sal had been sitting at the bar for awhile, when Snowball…
Snowball was immaculately groomed and tailored, but nothing over the top…
“Got something for you, Sal. Good saleable information. But…
“Here’s your normal stack, Snowball. Plus a cherry for playing…
“Sure, Sal. What do you have to go home to…
…back and forth beneath her, Genetta was a vision in a…
Her eyes moved across the table. Lefty, the Trop’s credit…
…minutes, arm in arm. Finn hardly noticed, totally in…
…and Finn was cleaning up. Mr. Fox ordered rock lobsters…
As she got up, Finn caught her eye again and she…
It didn’t appear that the two knew each other, but she…
The rest of the table lost $45,000, most…
Sal was at the wheel, having paid off the driver for…
Despite the late night, Finn was up early. The four-bedroom…
OK, that settles that, Finn mused: we’re still back…
…noticed on his way in. The Havana Riviera was the epitome…
…cabana club and pool area. The largest in Havana, the…
In the corner adjacent the dining veranda, a small photography team…
…Parisian accent, no less. He presented Finn to the other…
“More rum, guys?” It was the Latino from last night…
Finn checked the label once more: it was dog-eared in one…
…break before “cocktail hour.” Finn excused himself- down just $…
But no one ever talked about the most saleable thing in town…
By 1957, Batista’ had formed a secret police ( Buró para…
The Mob had it’s network of snitches as well, eager to…
At the center of this maelstrom of whispers was Sal, a…
“Vin, I’ve got something for your boss,” he said into…
“I can’t tell if the driver is from ‘now’ or ‘then’- he…
…keep celebs at the table. Thing is, the bottle of…
“Great work, Sal; I’ll leave an envelope at the regular…
And Finn, being a gentleman as well, had let her…
She moved closer to Pablo as he drove with the top down…
Nina awoke, and they went inside for a tour that the…
Sunset would be soon, so if he wanted to get back…
…the limits of Time Travel. He’d made the trip so many…
He pulled Nicola’s Humidor down from it’s spot, took out one…
As cigar smoke filled the room, and sunlight streamed through the…
The man loved his cars. The faster, the better….
…had planned in his little lab. If his grandfather had loved cars…
The room was filling with smoke now, floor to ceiling,…
“I was thinking I could pay you again, friend. Another…
…, and they packed in. Before they pulled out, Jorge…
Ralph thought for a moment. He fixed cars for rich guys…
When the Bacardi tour was over, Pablo sensed Nina had had…
“Every man should have a good story to tell, when he…
He continued. “And so I think of things to talk…
…writer buys you a drink: she batted her eyes, and…
Papa spooled out his stories, stretching them further and further into…
“Pablo,” said Nina, “I spent my whole career trying…
Maybe that’s the problem, Nina. Your addiction is digital.”…
“Yeah, maybe. But it makes me feel good.”
“Exactly, you need your ‘fix.’ But what about real…
…kept getting sexier and sexier. As the two walked back to…
Energized by their taunts, she squatted to the level of Pablo’s… [out of sequence]
Genetta was wrapping up her modelling shoot as the sun set over…
As the “magic moment” approached, Genetta positioned herself on…
Finn had returned from upstairs just in time to catch Genetta’s sunset…
“Finn, we thought you’d miss the sunset show, mon ami…
As Nat and Genetta walked across the pool deck through the sculpture-…
Sal was still in the lobby as Snowball came in the front…
…and make it a duet. She was ready for her moment…
“Not bad at all young lady,” said Nat. “Not…
Finn was having a rare moment. He was totally falling for…
As the song ended, she sensed it was better to leave…
That was probably a mistake. From Sal’s vantage point, he…
This was no ordinary garage that Jorge and Ralph were pulling into…
The teams began to disperse except for the last Ferrari team,…
“So, Fangio, are you going to use that ‘I need…
“Vafancullo, madre stonza… Esteban! I was not bullshitting….
…side of the bet quickly. Which is where Jorge fit in…
…to hear how it ended. Jorge and Nina wandered in as…
McQueen and Fangio strode to the center of the garage, with…
Nina got the shot.
He introduced Ralph to Fangio and they made their way to the…
But the Tesla fuses were a huge secret. Knowing what little…
…they told what they knew. How he desperately wanted to sit…
“Jorge, the car’s all set,” said Ralph.
As Jorge walked to his place for a change of clothes,…
The course was a simple 2.6 mile triangle beginning outside…
By 10:00 pm, Havana’s finest action lovers were streaming…
The salon was like the Versailles Hall of Mirrors, overlooking the…
Nat, William, Gerard and Francois were there by 10pm,…
Running the book was Lefty — not many others could be trusted…
They hatched a plan.
“We have a few guests tonight. How about $100,…
“Welcome, folks” began Blue Eyes as he grabbed the mic…
Blue Eyes finished right at 11:30, but Lefty wasn’t…
“Blue Moon,Key of [G]. Hit it guys.”
…excitement, and the crowd. Everyone in the room thought themselves…
…was 11:40 when the song ended. Genetta waved…
…make it to Frank’s suite. But she did get pictures of…
“Donde senors y seniorita?”
Finn had heard the early odds against the Ferrari from William….
…despite the line of limos. As they piled out of the…
On a Ferrari keychain, a message was scrawled:
But then Finn saw that bellboy enter… But wait: this…
…to him and winked knowingly. He asked her if she ever…
He moved slowly through the crowd towards Finn and Genetta’s sofa….
“What will you offer me for another $500k on the Ferarri…
It hardly mattered. The house always wins.
The first casualty was almost Vinnie, as McQueen had a rear…
…that knew it was happening. Police had most of the traffic…
…about the action in between. Nevertheless, the gardens were packed…
But the best crowd in Havana had the best view of the…
Fangio’s and Ralph had a plan even before the race began,…
As Fangio and Esteban moved up Las Rampas passing Jorge’s Garage on…
The Crowd at the Nacionale rooftop moved to the south balcony for…
As the racers barrel down Presidente, Esteban loses half his lead…
21-19-17-15-13 Linea… bottom of the hill… 9-Calzada- 5 Downshift! Hard…
As they pass the [second monument roundabout] they are a…
…type crowds watching every shift. Even his payday, with $…
With a two car lead and a few hundred yards to go…
Fangio drifted to the inside, squeezed the last ¼ on the…
By the time Esteban reached Vinnie at the finish with his hands…
Finn and Jorge melted into the crowd, knowing they could collect…
We can talk now.
Welcome aboard the Pilar, he began, the best marlin boat…
You know, blue marlin are aggressive fish, he told his…
…of 7 to 9 knots. I once caught a 1,000…
You see friends, in Havana, everyone takes his bite,…
…I can be of help, started Papa, as he got…
“So who’s on to you, kid?” Marlon suddenly chimed in…
Well, there’s always Sal. He’s basically a professional snitch….
Then there’s Vinnie. He seems to be the captain assigned to…
And BRAC must know at least as much as Vinnie and Sal…
Which I must mention the July 26th’s movement. They are so…
And of course, I have no guarantee that someone else from…
So how you gonna collect, what, [$4.750…
Hey, you wanna hear my philosophy of life? Do it…
Take whatever they offer you. If you clear a million in…
Collecting near $5,000,000 from the mob….
Good question, actually. Clearly, this stuff will kill me…
Jorge was relieved. Nina was someone that maybe he could come…
How will you teach her how to use the fuses, he…
Well, I guess that means I stay here to look over…
Hey, Jorge, he continued, if you’re sending someone back…
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. The lines whizzed out the back like a speedboat had…
…date with Mr. Lansky. The invite was sitting on Finn’s…
Meyer Lansky was such an un-assuming mobster, he didn’t even have…
As he turned the corner to the master bedroom, stripped to…
You know I’m actually from 2017, he finally shared.
They pulled into Marianao just before sunset and the car was directed…
In its heyday, American owners brought their horses to race at…
…Pancho Martin and Gilbert Puentes. The Barrera’s were masters of feeding…
Follow me. We need some privacy. He said.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us on another sublime…
Frank and Genetta finished a few duets together, and the band…
The last of the eight horses in the stakes race were loaded…
Meyer took advantage of the brief silence before the gates opened and…
Finn took the long silence to read the body language of his…
So, you are the time traveller I’ve been hearing about.
So maybe we can come to an accomodation?
And they’re into the final turn, Superman passes the mile pole…
…a meter in every stride. At the finish it is Jazmin…
It’s done. Lefty will see to the details. Enjoy Havana…
Women often smoke cigars in Havana.
They looked out the window toward the park and saw the tell-tale…
…on the ETECSA wifi immediately and began uploading to Insta and FB…
“Sal, welcome to 2017; you’ll need an updated set of…
…as Finn had promised Meyer. But he was rendered nearly powerless…
Well, Jorge, we’ve ruled out diabetes, fungal infections,…
…Cuba in the late 50’s. It didn’t take a historian to…
Nina grasped what Jorge already knew: Havana 1957 was about to…
They walked over to the drug store for anti-biotics and the normal…
Helen, they’re after me again. And this time they are…
…,000,000. Brech had used $2,…
…eastern-european types kept tailing him. At one point, knowing he…
…to see to it’s return. Within a few hours, Nina…
By that time, no one was surprised they were in 1957…
It works. Whatever the fuck it is, it works,…
…and make a few recordings. They looked like a spy’s dream…
…I was waiting? Fidel] Alright look. Sounds like it’s…
…made people question his authority. So, the J-26 movement may…
…. Meyer was finished talking. So what’s next for me boss…
Sal walked through the Riviera lobby and caught a glimpse of Nina…
So which is worse guys? The mob, the general,…
…one big distraction from reality. The US probably wants change….
…to keep the franchise going. The General has the money….
…to take the gang out. They stopped for a drink at…
The homes in Vedado, on especially on Calle A-B-C-D and E…
…] was one of them. Built by a sugar baron for…
They headed to dinner at La Guarida, a classic Cuban restaurant…
…he usually was won over. By midnight, the four were…
…last set- was he there]. Nina caught they eye of the…
On the master bed was an envelope. Finn left it for…
The roar of a half dozen [Harleys? Type] turning…
…needed to earn it back. The man with most of the…
Get my Note?
By mid-afternoon, the adventure was set to begin with Steven,…
…] and onto the Malecon. Genetta and Nina stole a quick…
The Harley pack rolled westward on the Malecon and over the bridge…
Finn’s Vinales mansion was not as grand as his home in Vedado…
…of green tropical stadium below. The home’s most distinctive feature was…
…the rest of the group. Even Marlon and Steve, adrenaline…
A Marmon Herrington CTMS-1TBI Dutch Three Man Light Tank came screaming from the…
Finn, Brech and the near drunk crew in the plantation house…
I’m betting from the body language, that tank was just stolen…
And right on cue, another swath of tobacco was plowed under…
The M3A’s quickly surrounded the Dutch 3 Man in a semi circle…
He was about to speak when his military hat, encrusted with…
When Marlon adjusted his glasses, he realized the top of the…
The stolen Three Man tank was not a surrounded, helpless pawn…
The next three hours were filled with the orations of an un-invited…
…Cuban teat for 100 years. Cuba was now a murderous kleptocracy…
…didn’t come for an hour… they offered the [estancia]…