A Lupin the Third fan comic. Page 1. Jigen, in his early twenties, is walking down the streets of Japan in the 1960s. He sees a newspaper headline asking “Who is Lupin the Third” and buys it from a newspaper vendor in a desperate rush.
Page 2. There is a flashback of Jigen’s childhood. He is hanging out with Lupin while both of them are teenagers. The scenes match moments from the anime Lupin Zero: Jigen shooting his gun from inside a speeding train, both of them smiling with their arms around each other, and Lupin asking Jigen if he was able to steal Jigen’s heart. The final panel is of Jigen and Lupin walking away from each other. This is implied to be their final parting, both of them looking forward to their futures and confident that they will see each other again. They are saying “see you later” in unison.
Page 3. We have returned to the present. Jigen is sitting at a table. His iconic magnum is beside him and there is a collection of newspaper clippings in front of him. He has been tracking any piece of information he can find about Lupin. An emergency broadcast from the radio interrupts the page and Jigen listens intently as as the radio announces that “A man claiming to be the decedent of the famous French thief Arsene Lupin, Lupin III, has sent a message card to the Yokohama bank stating ‘I, Lupin III, master thief, will rob the bank at exactly 12am on April 12’.”
Page 4. A crowd has gathered outside of the Yokohama bank, eager to see if Lupin the Third will actually appear. Jigen is part of the crowd, but unlike the other members who are looking forward to seeing the show he is tense and nervous. Someone from the crowd shouts “there he is!” Jigen looks up, hopeful that this really will be his old friend, but scared in case it’s not.
1/2
Jigen Now and Then was done for the charity zine “Jigen, Before and After” modded by @tsushi.bsky.social and all proceeds ($500USD) went to the Transgender Law Center!
This comic was written by @mparker.bsky.social !!
#Comic #LupinIII #Art