XXII/4 Though much plundering has been done from Dore's illustrations to the Comedy this is the only use made of Blake's fine and eccentric visions (Dore, since he never transcends the literal descriptions of the text and is always innocent of allegorical implications seemed fairer game). Alone of Blake's pictures after Dante this, with its energetic but rather clumsily realised figures, seemed to have a naive, comic-book aspect. The specialised type of drawing that characterises the American comic (Superman, Batman etc. all of which I devoured eagerly when they arrived in parcels from American aunts towards the end of the war) lies outside my range and it seemed appropriate to pass on the initial work of transcription to a professional illustrator (Paul Tupling) who presented me with a very well realised basis for this version. In the upper half of this picture the same figures are merely differently oriented to indicate their swooping towards a collision, using the typical inset technique of the comic. SHOOOOM! is of course an inversion of the standard WOOOOSH! Once again as in the second illustration to this Canto, the yellowing of acidic wood-pulp paper is simulated. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.