14 The Straw Man

Annotations for Lost Girls, chapter 14 “The Straw Man” by Alan Moore, Melinda Gebbie, and Todd Klein.

The Scarecrow of Oz book cover – via Wikipedia

General: The title “The Straw Man” refers to the Scarecrow of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz., though a straw man is also a way of falsely deflecting an argument. The three leads gather in the sauna, where Dorothy Gale recounts the story of her love-making encounters with a farm hand.

Page 1 

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• A “tête-à-tête” is French for “face-to-face” meaning a private conversation.
• “After last night” – see chapter 12.
• “He’d been out himself” refers to the events of chapter 13, but also to Harold being “out” in the sense of openly homosexual. (Thanks commenter lancashirearab)
• Harold “could hardly sit still” because he had had anal sex for the first time.

panel 2

• “Crankshafts” are literally part of an engine, typically in a car. The double meaning is that a shaft is a penis, and to crank it is to rub it sexually.
• “Rugby football” is a British way of saying what yanks would just call “rugby.” Here the “foot” perhaps alludes to Bauer’s foot fetish depicted starting in chapter 2. Commenter lancashirearab notes that: rugby is a sport with a lot on manhandling during a game; a scrummage and a ruck both involve a lot of close contact.

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• “Weren’t nothin'” and “shoulda” are more of Gale’s folksy Midwestern speech.

Page 2 

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• “My, uh, my Uncle” seems to imply that Gale’s Uncle Henry was not actually her uncle. (Not clear why this is – suggest??)

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• “Some sort of spell upon them shoes would take me wherever I wished to go…” refers to the magical power’s of Oz‘ silver shoes, which can magically transport their wearer wherever they wish.
• “Furr’er” is further.

Page 3 

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• Coming soon

Page 4 

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• “Like he was pole-axed” means “like he was stunned” referring to a tool-weapon for stunning/killing cattle, though it also perhaps alludes to a scarecrow being on a pole.

Page 5 

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• “Her weren’t real bright” refers to Oz‘ Scarecrow needing a brain. (Nitpick: “her” should probably be “he”.)

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• “Wanted… somebody who had real thoughts and feelings… but… there wasn’t nothin’ there” again references Oz‘ Scarecrow’s lack of a brain.
• A “ragdoll” or “somethin’ you stick out in a field to scare the birds” both describe a scarecrow.

Page 6 

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• Coming soon

Page 7 

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• “He didn’t have no thoughts an’ no imagination” again references Oz‘ Scarecrow’s lack of a brain.

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• “I’d helped him find out that he’d got a brain” describes Dorothy and the Scarecrow’s arc in Oz.

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• “A different world” describes the realm of Oz.
• The golden road described and depicted is Oz‘ road of yellow bricks.
• The green clouds and grass depicted appear like Oz’ Emerald City.

Page 8 

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• “I found the man who made the magic… an’… lots of shadows in them Kansas fields” – see xxx.

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