John Wayne Gacy — Onze jours

A young man walking away up the middle of a snowbound suburban street lined with low clapboard bungalows, late winter afternoon, raking low sun, footprints behind him in the packed snow. slim twenty year old man, dark hooded winter parka with the hood down, hands in his pockets, ALWAYS seen from behind, face never visible. December 1978, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb, period-correct 1970s vehicles clothing and objects only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Wide establishing view of a flat suburban grid under snow, rows of low clapboard bungalows, utility poles with sagging cables, a car under a tarpaulin at the kerb, heavy grey sky, no people. December 1978, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb, period-correct 1970s vehicles clothing and objects only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Close detail of hard frost, thick hoarfrost on a chain link fence, a puddle frozen solid at the kerb, a bare hand resting on an iced metal railing, grey packed snow, no faces. December 1978, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb, period-correct 1970s vehicles clothing and objects only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Two men in heavy winter coats talking on a snow-covered front step, one pointing off toward the far end of the street, breath visible in the cold, shovelled path and snow banks around them. December 1978, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb, period-correct 1970s vehicles clothing and objects only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A young man seen from behind inside a lit glass phone booth at night, face never visible, an open notebook held flat against the glass with the written side turned away, snow on the booth roof, dark empty street behind. slim twenty year old man, dark hooded winter parka with the hood down, hands in his pockets, ALWAYS seen from behind, face never visible. December 1978, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb, period-correct 1970s vehicles clothing and objects only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An ordinary suburban building site, a plain white panel van with rounded seventies bodywork, low scaffolding, two workmen in padded jackets carrying planks over frozen ground, a heavyset man in a work jacket directing them, breath in the cold air. 36 year old heavyset man, round fleshy face, heavy jaw, short wavy brown hair combed back, small deep-set eyes, ill-fitting dark suit. deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering, no empty balloons, no panel borders inside the image. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Side view of a plain white seventies panel van with rounded bodywork parked at a snowy kerb, wooden ladder strapped to a simple roof rack, galvanised buckets and folded canvas sheets in the open rear doors, no markings of any kind on the bodywork, no people. December 1978, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb, period-correct 1970s vehicles clothing and objects only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Inside a crowded neighbourhood ward office in winter, adults in heavy overcoats shaking hands, folding tables, plain bare walls, wet floor by the door, cold daylight through a misted window, heavyset man in a dark suit at the centre of the group. 36 year old heavyset man, round fleshy face, heavy jaw, short wavy brown hair combed back, small deep-set eyes, ill-fitting dark suit.. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering, no empty balloons, no panel borders inside the image. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Inside a plain meeting room, bare walls and folding chairs, a small group of local officials keeping their overcoats on, the heavyset man in the dark suit shaking one man's hand at the centre, thin winter daylight through a misted window. 36 year old heavyset man, round fleshy face, heavy jaw, short wavy brown hair combed back, small deep-set eyes, ill-fitting dark suit.. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering, no empty balloons, no panel borders inside the image. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A middle aged woman in an apron and cardigan answering her front door on a snowy porch, hand still on the handle, face turned into deep shadow and never visible, bare shrubs and snow banks along the path. December 1978, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb, period-correct 1970s vehicles clothing and objects only. woman in her fifties, house dress and apron, cardigan over her shoulders, hair pinned up, face kept in shadow, never readable. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A neighbour in a heavy coat pausing with a snow shovel at the edge of a cleared driveway, half turned away, gesturing toward the end of the street, seen from behind, face not visible, two large boxy seventies sedans parked at the kerb under bare trees. December 1978, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb, period-correct 1970s vehicles clothing and objects only. no recurring character, anonymous neighbour seen once. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A suburban driveway seen from the street after dark in winter, a side gate standing open, a single bulb burning under the carport, tyre tracks in the snow, nobody in frame. December 1978, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb, period-correct 1970s vehicles clothing and objects only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A small spiral notebook closed over a thumb, held chest high under a porch light at night, the written pages closed and turned away, breath in the cold air, a house door out of focus behind, face not visible. December 1978, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb, period-correct 1970s vehicles clothing and objects only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Inside the basement records room of a courthouse, steel shelving, plain storage boxes, a bare bulb, a dry concrete aisle between two rows, no readable text anywhere.. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering, no empty balloons, no panel borders inside the image. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Facade of a small nineteenth century county courthouse at night in winter, limestone steps under snow, two lit windows on the upper floor, bare trees, empty street, plain unmarked pediment with no inscription, no people. December 1978, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, small Iowa county seat, rural midwestern town, period-correct 1970s clothing and objects only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Inside a clerk's office at night, a heavy leather bound record book lying open flat on a plain wooden desk under a low lamp, ruled handwritten columns filling both exposed pages, one entry line inked darker and heavier than the rest, a dark stamp impression struck across that line, a ribbon marker trailing from the gutter, a dark ink pad and a wooden handled stamp beside it, the handwriting reduced to illegible ink strokes, no readable text, no legible name. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. no recurring character, a clerk's hand only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering, no empty balloons, no panel borders inside the image. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Inside a basement records room, a heavy record book being slid back into a shelf bay among identical unmarked volumes, a clerk's hand leaving the frame, single bare bulb overhead, dust in the light, face not visible.. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. no recurring character, a clerk's hand only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering, no empty balloons, no panel borders inside the image. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A worktable under an architect lamp, three archive documents side by side, cotton gloves, a magnifying glass. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A closed cardboard file folder, typed label glued to the spine, worn corners. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A messy stack of sensational magazines and covers, illegible titles, yellowed paper. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Six bound volumes lined up on a table, spines bearing only plain numerals one to six and no other markings, one volume open on a page two thirds covered by solid black redaction bars, the remaining lines illegible, no readable text. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A woman alone on a plastic chair at the back of a drugstore lit by fluorescent tubes, buttoned coat, handbag on her lap. woman in her forties, buttoned winter coat, handbag over her arm, short hair, seen from behind or three-quarter rear, face never readable. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

The front of a suburban drugstore at night, a lit sign box glowing blank and unmarked with no inscription, plain shop windows with nothing written on them, wet pavement, one car parked outside. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A teenage boy in a work coat stacking boxes behind a drugstore counter, shelving, cash register. slim fifteen year old boy, dark winter jacket over a light work coat, medium-length light brown hair, ALWAYS seen from behind or out of frame, face never visible. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A teenage boy talking to his mother inside the drugstore, the two of them by the glass door, the dark winter night outside the glass, pointing outside with his chin, keys still in her hand. slim fifteen year old boy, dark winter jacket over a light work coat, medium-length light brown hair, ALWAYS seen from behind or out of frame, face never visible woman in her forties, buttoned winter coat, handbag over her arm, short hair, seen from behind or three-quarter rear, face never readable. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An empty plastic chair, a coat left over the back, the far end of the shop deserted. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Close-up of a commercial wall clock face, sharp hands, slightly scratched glass. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A woman on a wall telephone in a drugstore, handset to her ear, other hand flat on the wall, staring. woman in her forties, buttoned winter coat, handbag over her arm, short hair, seen from behind or three-quarter rear, face never readable. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An open metal filing cabinet drawer, a row of identical folders, tight handwritten tabs. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. the handwriting reduced to illegible strokes, no readable text. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A policeman from behind at a typewriter at night under a desk lamp, the rest of the station in darkness. man in his forties, long dark overcoat, soft felt hat, spiral notebook in hand, seen from behind or in contre-jour, face not readable. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A high school hallway locker standing half open, a folded light work coat and a satchel inside, a scarf on the hook, empty corridor, nobody in frame, no people, no portrait, no photographs. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing and objects only. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A family of four on a courtroom bench, coats on their laps, looking straight ahead. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. no recurring character, anonymous family seen once. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A drugstore door closing seen from inside, outside a figure walking away along the pavement. slim fifteen year old boy, dark winter jacket over a light work coat, medium-length light brown hair, ALWAYS seen from behind or out of frame, face never visible. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A telephone handset back on its wall cradle, bare wall around it. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A residential street from above, two rows of bungalows facing each other, snowy driveways. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A single storey brick bungalow, attached garage, concrete driveway, frozen lawn, low sky. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A man in a suit shaking hands in a neighbourhood ward office, badge on his lapel, practised smile. 36 year old heavyset man, round fleshy face, heavy jaw, short wavy brown hair combed back, small deep-set eyes, ill-fitting dark suit. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. the badge unmarked with no inscription. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Two neighbours interviewed on a pavement by a press reporter with a notebook, one with folded arms, the other pointing at the house next door. a press reporter in his thirties, short belted car coat, wool scarf, bare-headed, 35 mm camera on a neck strap, spiral notebook open in one hand, seen from behind, face not readable, anonymous passer, no recurring character woman in her fifties, house dress and apron, cardigan over her shoulders, hair pinned up, face kept in shadow, never readable. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An empty armchair in a middle-class living room, framed diplomas and framed pictures on the wall behind, their glass fronts angled to catch the window light so each frame reads as a blank white glare or drops into deep shadow, the diploma writing reduced to illegible ink strokes, no readable text on any frame, no readable faces, no identifiable people, no portrait. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Eleven empty chalk boxes ruled side by side across a police station duty board, wiped clean inside, two of them marked with a single chalk tick, nothing written in any box, no numerals, no readable text anywhere on the board. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Gloved hands turning an archive page under a reading lamp, its typed lines rendered as flat inked hatching with no readable text, a stack of plain unmarked folders waiting beside, nothing written visible anywhere. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A wall calendar hanging on a plaster wall seen close and slightly from below, the upper half a small inked landscape illustration, the lower half an empty ruled month grid of blank boxes, no month name, no day-of-week headers, no numerals, no writing of any kind, no readable text anywhere on the page, a single heavy hand-drawn ink ring around one empty box in the third row of the grid, third box from the left, curled paper edge, a nail through the top of the sheet. December 1978, period-correct 1970s furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A drugstore shopfront under renovation, low scaffolding, plastic sheeting, paint buckets on the pavement. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A contractor's invoice on letterhead lying on a desk, a handwritten amount at the bottom. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. the handwriting reduced to illegible strokes, no readable text. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A wall calendar hanging on a plaster wall seen close and slightly from below, the upper half a small inked landscape illustration, the lower half an empty ruled month grid of blank boxes, no month name, no day-of-week headers, no numerals, no writing of any kind, no readable text anywhere on the page, a single heavy hand-drawn ink ring around one empty box in the third row of the grid, fourth box from the left, curled paper edge, a nail through the top of the sheet. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An open court file on onionskin paper, the letterhead reduced to a dark masthead band and a flat inked seal disc, the uneven typing rendered as broken illegible ink strokes that never form letters, no readable text, no names, no numerals, no insignia anywhere. 1968, period-correct 1960s paper, typewriting, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Extreme close detail of a judicial form on yellowed paper, ruled boxes, punched holes and a rubber stamp impression with no readable text, four struck typewriter rows crossing it, the typing reduced to broken uneven ink ticks that never form letters or words, seen at a low raking angle, illegible, nothing readable anywhere. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Two documents side by side under a workshop magnifier, one an original, one a photocopy. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A photocopied page lying flat, one line covered edge to edge by a solid black marker bar, every other line reduced to broken illegible ink marks, nothing written visible, no readable text anywhere, heavy photocopy grain and a dark copier edge along one side. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An investigation board, a photograph pinned at the centre seen edge-on and in deep shadow, face not visible, no portrait, three blank index cards pinned around it, nothing written on them, no readable text anywhere, string between them. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Police officers in overcoats entering a bungalow at night, a flashing light on the facade. man in his forties, long dark overcoat, soft felt hat, spiral notebook in hand, seen from behind or in contre-jour, face not readable. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Two empty evidence bags flat on an inventory table, labels unfilled. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. the labels blank and unmarked, nothing written on them. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A photo development receipt, a small printed slip held between two gloved fingers. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. the printed matter illegible, no readable text. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A high school ring on dark cloth, close up, the crest stone tilted away from the lamp so the shallow engraved marks fall into shadow and glare, indistinct illegible scratches only, no readable text or numbers anywhere. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A 1970s television set in a living room, screen off, a doily on top. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Two missing person cards side by side on a desk, the photograph area of each card left as an empty blank rectangle, no portrait and no face anywhere in frame, a line drawn from one to the other. no recurring character, no people in frame, the two cards only. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A deserted investigation office, an open file with its written side turned away from camera, chair askew, cold cup, morning light. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An unmarked car parked in a residential street, two figures inside, fogged windows. man in his forties, long dark overcoat, soft felt hat, spiral notebook in hand, seen from behind or in contre-jour, face not readable. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A three page police press release stapled together on a desk blotter, seen from a low raking angle almost level with the desk so the sheets read edge on, blank unprinted header band at the top of the first sheet, no emblem, no crest, no seal, nothing written visible, no readable text anywhere. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Two files side by side on a desk, one closed and strapped with a plain unmarked cover, one open on blank pages, nothing written visible. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A typed federal summons lying at a raking angle under a low lamp, the typed lines reduced to even rows of broken ink ticks with no formed letters, an inked clerk stamp in the corner over-inked into a shapeless dark blot, nothing written visible, no readable text anywhere. no recurring character, no people in frame, the summons and its stamp only. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A man in a suit walking down the steps of a plain stone courthouse, blank facade with no inscription, plaque or signage, a plain unlabelled buff file folder under his arm, nothing written visible, unhurried. 36 year old heavyset man, round fleshy face, heavy jaw, short wavy brown hair combed back, small deep-set eyes, ill-fitting dark suit. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

The middle-class armchair seen closer, worn armrests, coffee table, full ashtray. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A dining table laid for two, warm light, curtains drawn, food served. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A door ajar onto a dark corridor, a floor air vent at ground level. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An empty interrogation room, metal table, two chairs, an ashtray, bare wall. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Police officers and sheriff's deputies in plain dark uniforms, blank badges and blank unmarked shoulder patches, no readable insignia and no text anywhere, prising up a floor hatch, torches, stacked planks. no recurring character, an anonymous work detail of officers and deputies seen once, faces turned away. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Four documents fanned out, their typed lines reduced to illegible ink strokes and halftone screentone, no readable text, no words, no letters and no figures anywhere on the pages, three of them bearing a large hand-drawn pencil cross, one bearing a tick. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A handwritten chronology card, the entries rendered as illegible wavering strokes with no readable words, letters or numerals and no clock time visible, one entry visibly laid down in soft pencil, unlike the rest in black ink. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A magnifier lying flat over a single line of a document, the line under the glass magnified into one unbroken illegible ink stroke, the rest of the page out of focus and reduced to soft ruled bands with no letterforms anywhere, no readable text, no numbers. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An open floor hatch, a torch beam pointed down, the bottom not visible. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Two unmarked wire-service dispatch sheets lying flat side by side on an archive table, seen from directly above, their typed body text reduced to illegible horizontal ink strokes and halftone screentone, no readable words, letters or figures anywhere on either sheet, a single hand-drawn ink circle low on each sheet enclosing nothing legible. no recurring character, no people in frame, the two dispatches only. Archive room interior, December 1978, period-correct 1970s paper, desk, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A two column table drawn in chalk, one box left empty in the middle. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A dental X-ray on a lit lightbox in a dark room. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A plaster dental cast on a metal examination tray. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Nine blank index cards in a row on a table, none bearing a name. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Hands closing an unmarked archive volume and placing it on top of a stack of identical unmarked volumes, no readable text on the covers or the spines. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

The number 33 printed large in heavy black ink, alone in the centre of an otherwise blank white page, one two-digit numeral and the only mark anywhere on the page, no headings, no captions, no other lettering. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Two documents of different origin laid mirrored on a desk blotter. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A 1994 press agency dispatch on plain wire-service paper, its letterhead area blank and unmarked with no agency name and no logo, the body type reduced to illegible lines of halftone print with no readable words and no readable letters, only three large numerals legible and aligned one under the other. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A handwritten sum in pencil on a spiral notebook, two lines then a total. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. the handwriting reduced to illegible strokes, no readable text. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A corridor between two tall archive shelves, vanishing perspective. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Three separate documents laid in a triangle, each with a single circled ink ring in the same spot on the page, all type illegible, no readable text, no letterheads, no stamps, no numerals. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A wiped black chalkboard filling the frame, three large clearly legible chalk numerals one under the other, 30, then 32, then 33, these three numerals the only marks on the board, the rest of the board blank, no words, no letters, no inscription, no other chalk marks, no chalk dust smears, no hands, no people. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An elderly man seen from behind in an armchair in a modest living room, shoulders and the back of his head only, face never visible, no recognisable face, never seen from the front, never facing the camera, caught mid-sentence, hands folded in his lap, no document in front of him. Same man as the attached reference, fourteen years older, no hat, plain cardigan, thinning hair. April 1992, period-correct early 1990s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An ink pad beside a card bearing one stamped ink mark, the stamp smeared and illegible, ink bled into the card fibre, no readable text, nothing else written on the card. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An open court clerk register, thirty three ruled lines down the open page, each opening with a small hand-inked number in the margin, those numerals the only marks that read as writing, the entries beside them reduced to illegible ink strokes, no headings, no names, no readable words. no recurring character, no people in frame, the open register only. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A row of closed metal doors in an autopsy room, handles aligned. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A facial reconstruction workshop, clay busts in a row on a shelf, modelling tools. April 1980, period-correct 1980 clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A funeral terrace, nine coffins in a half circle, pallbearers in dark suits. June 1981, period-correct 1981 vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, midwestern early summer, mown green grass and trees in full leaf, northern Illinois. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An anonymous cemetery path, short grass, no sign or marker. June 1981, period-correct 1981 vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, midwestern early summer, mown green grass and trees in full leaf, northern Illinois. the sign blank and unmarked with no inscription. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A granite headstone with two words carved on it. June 1981, period-correct 1981 vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, midwestern early summer, mown green grass and trees in full leaf, northern Illinois. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A man in an overcoat speaking to press microphones in a cemetery path. no recurring character, the county medical examiner seen once, hatless, face not visible. June 1981, period-correct 1981 vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, midwestern early summer, mown green grass and trees in full leaf, northern Illinois. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A high school ring on an index card covered with a single line of illegible looping ink handwriting, no readable text anywhere, the ring's stone bearing no legible inscription. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An elderly woman seen from behind on a courtroom bench, her head turned away, handbag on her lap, buttoned coat, face never visible. no recurring character, a different mother seen once, face not visible. March 1980, period-correct 1980 clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A young woman with her back to camera in a courthouse corridor, facing a small group of journalists whose notebooks are held out toward her, seen from behind, face never visible. no recurring character, a sister seen once among anonymous journalists, face not visible. March 1980, period-correct 1980 clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A prison car park at night, floodlights, metal barrier, a few people waiting. no recurring character, anonymous figures waiting, faces not visible. May 1994, period-correct early 1990s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, mild late-spring night in northern Illinois, trees in full leaf, no snow. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An open newspaper page, a column of short uniform printed lines where the names would be, illegible ink type, no readable text anywhere. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A full courtroom, twelve jurors seated in two rows, clerk in the foreground. no recurring character, anonymous jurors and court staff, faces not readable. March 1980, period-correct 1980 clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Two chalk marks side by side on a blackboard, the right one struck through with a single chalk stroke, both marks left as bare illegible strokes, no readable text, no numerals, nothing written on the board. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An open federal opinion, one paragraph boxed, annotated margins. April 1993, period-correct early 1990s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A shovel stuck in turned frozen earth, no label, no marker. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb. the labels blank and unmarked, nothing written on them. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A lawyer in a suit on courthouse steps seen from behind and over his shoulder, his back and shoulder filling the near foreground, facing a bank of held-out unmarked microphones with no station flags or logos and a cluster of reporters beyond him, his head turned away and cropped by the top of the frame, face never visible, not readable, never shown, the courthouse stone facade blank with no readable inscription. March 1980, period-correct 1980 vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, cold overcast late-winter day in northern Illinois, bare trees and wet pavement, no snow. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A pile of torn off desk calendar pads, fourteen identical blocks stacked on a desk, the pages blank and unprinted, no dates, no numbers, no readable text anywhere. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Three law reports stacked, thick worn spines with embossed bands and rules but no readable inscription, no readable text on the spines or covers. 1993, period-correct early 1990s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A penitentiary corridor, closed metal door, wall clock, fluorescent tubes. May 1994, period-correct early 1990s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Two press agency dispatches side by side, each sheet carrying an identical dark timestamp block in the same position at the top of the page, the two blocks matching stroke for stroke, all printed typescript reduced to uniform illegible grey strokes, no readable text on either sheet. May 1994, period-correct early 1990s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A medical tube on a steel tray, a dark congealed plug of solidified drug blocking the line partway along its length, the disconnected fitting pulled free beside it and a fresh coiled replacement length of tubing still sealed in its plain unmarked wrapper on the tray. May 1994, period-correct early 1990s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A folded newspaper front page, the masthead and headline block drawn as solid black bars, the columns as illegible grey halftone strokes, nothing readable, no readable text of any kind. May 1994, period-correct early 1990s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An archive aisle in contre-jour, dust suspended in the beam. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A switched off lightbox, a dental X-ray still clipped to it. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

An analysis tube beside a plaster dental cast on the same bench. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A printed chronology in two columns, dates aligned left. May 1994, period-correct early 1990s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. the printed matter illegible, no readable text. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

The same page, two dates circled in marker, one of them crossed out. May 1994, period-correct early 1990s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

Two dispatches from the same agency sixteen years apart, one above the other, the lower sheet yellowed and brittle and the upper one fresher, both carrying nothing but illegible typewriter strokes, no readable text, no dates, no agency heading, no logo and no markings of any kind. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A single line of illegible handwriting, wavering ink strokes with no letterforms, alone in the middle of a plain index card, no readable text, no legible words. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A ruled tally register, its filled entries reduced to illegible ink strokes with no readable numerals or words, no readable text and no markings anywhere on the page, five boxes left blank: one blank box on its own, two filled boxes, then four blank boxes in a row. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A printed page and a screen page side by side, one carrying a line the other lacks. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. the printed matter illegible, no readable text. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

The young man from the opening, from behind, seen much further away in the same street. slim twenty year old man, dark hooded winter parka with the hood down, hands in his pockets, ALWAYS seen from behind, face never visible. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, northern Illinois suburb. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A closed and strapped court file alone on a table. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A Kansas plain under a low sky, a blank town limit sign by the roadside, its plate bare and unmarked with no readable text. December 1978, period-correct 1970s vehicles, clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later, deep midwestern winter, dirty packed snow on the ground and bare trees, open Kansas plain. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.

A tidy worktable, stacked files, the lamp still on. December 1978, period-correct 1970s clothing, furniture and objects only, nothing manufactured later. hand-inked black and white graphic novel art, dense cross-hatching and mechanical halftone screentone, nervous irregular brush line, heavy black spotting, limited palette of ink black, bone white, desaturated slate blue and sodium yellow, slightly yellowed paper grain, 1970s American documentary comic, no 3D render, no digital smoothing, no photographic realism, no text, no speech bubbles, no lettering. cinematic wide 16:9 panel composition.