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1995 · not illustrated yet

Dale Gets Shot

Illustration in the queue. New spreads are drawn every week — join the list and you’ll see this one the day it’s inked.

“It was only a BB. Dale still did a full opera on the pavement.”

There's a scream. A cry of agony. A boy collapses to the pavement as if struck by a cannonball. It's Dale, and he's just been shot... by a tiny plastic pellet from a BB gun, from four feet away. Is this the end for our hero? Will he ever walk again? And is that his mum coming out to see what the fuss is about?

Avenge me... tell my story.

From the back cover

It was the shot heard all around the pavement. One minute, Dale is fine. The next, he's clutching his leg, performing a tragic opera of pain for the whole street. A tiny plastic BB pellet has found its mark.

As Dale gives the performance of a lifetime, a front door opens. The grown-ups never understand why Dale has a mysterious limp for the rest of the day.

Where
The pavement outside Dale's house
When
After school
Who
Dale, Me, Barry
Props
The same BB gun, Dale's leg, One plaster
The oblivious grown-up
Dale's mum was in the kitchen with the radio on
Got away with
Sworn to secrecy on the spot