These stories are often more fun if everyone works together. But it would take a pretty selfish reason to make Blair and Clive decide to roll up their sleeves and pitch in. Apparently, the only force strong enough is their mutual distain for each other. Back when I was still conceptualizing Urban Underbrush, I had considered making Blair and Clive roommates, but Blair would probably move out before he would let that happen. The arrangement just didn't suit the characters. Panel 5 is a little unusual. I usually don't like using that manga-style impossible background switch to show mood changes. I feel that those background changes break the rules of reality a little too much. But as I was coloring this comic, I realized that the silent moment needed a little extra push.

I also thought of running panel 5 without the musical sound effect. (Strangely, implied dramatic music never bothered me the way changing backgrounds does. I don't know why.) Here's panel 5 with no sound. What do you think?