The Self-Made Men

The Self-Made Men is the second issue of Valewood Tales, and is an intermission story. The first page was released on the 20th of May, 2018.

Synopsis
Andrew and Darwin team up to start their own business, a paranormal detective agency, with the help of Elizabeth.

Plot
Darwin awakes to find Andrew discovering that the cost of two people sharing a house may be more expensive than previously anticipated. After a brief discussion about apartments at the Central University of Reloo, Andrew decides that they will have to look for jobs.

Over the course of the next week, they experiment with different professions - collecting rubbish, working at the Valewood Public Library, helping in a kitchen, office and security work, and then an attempt at delivering post, all of which end less than successfully.

The next day, the two of them discuss where their career search is heading, and stumble upon the idea of founding a paranormal detective agency. The two of them head outside and run into Elizabeth, with whom they discuss their idea. She asks if she can get involved, and they decide that their business will need a benefactor - Moe Frankfort. After a brief debacle involving Andrew's stolen phone, Darwin rings Moe at Darkstone Manor, interrupting his morning teleshopping to ask if he will be busy in the afternoon.

They meet at a pub called The Gathered Strangers, where Moe agrees to fund their agency, but misinterprets the purpose of the meeting and somehow ends up working for it on the condition that he pays "for everything" - something Darwin enthusiastically agrees to. In a hedge nearby, May Winter photographs the meeting. Later, Elizabeth quits working at Northern Lights Bookshop when Andrew reminds her that she already has a job. She leaves for the night as May watches events unfold from around the edge of Pines Close.

The next day, May confronts Andrew about the business as he attempts to set up a sign for the agency, nearly causing him to fall off the ladder. She demands to know the truth about the agency, suspecting it to be some kind of money-laundering scheme - and she wants in. As she tells Andrew, "selling photos of cats online doesn't make as much money as they tell you", and Andrew begrudgingly offers her a job. Atop the agency, Darwin's attempt to make a better sign backfires in the form of a large, multi-coloured explosion.

May promises to come to work on Monday, and Andrew finally finishes hanging the sign, taking a moment to admire his handiwork - which is soon ruined by Darwin, who is having problems with a self-aware sign for the second time.

Appearances

 * Andrew Wheatley
 * Darwin Archimedes
 * Elizabeth Glass
 * Moe Frankfort
 * May Winter
 * Man with glasses and tie
 * Woman with blue headscarf ("Deborah")
 * Man with blue shirt
 * Elderly lady with cardigan
 * Postman with orange jacket

Credits
Written by: Drawn by:
 * Francesco Romano
 * Alex Donald
 * Dawn Cooper

Trivia

 * Later issue The Reingard Runes confirmed that the name of the woman wearing the blue headscarf on Page 2 is Deborah.
 * The man wearing the blue shirt in the library bears more than a passing resemblance to writer Francesco Romano. The book he is holding - "Writers In Person" also confirms this.