Coley #[1]
"Under the Caribbean Moon" is a striking, self-contained story from 1989, written and illustrated entirely by John Blackburn under the name Jay. In this moody, character-driven tale, Coley—after six weeks of intense experience on a remote island—faces a haunting revelation from a witch doctor about his fate: a life of blazing intensity, immunity to disease, and an early end. As he prepares to return home, Coley’s final thought—“I’ve got myself a brand new box o' matches!”—hints at both recklessness and defiance, setting the tone for a story that lingers long after the last page. The cover, also by Blackburn, captures the story’s brooding, tropical atmosphere.
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After six weeks of unrestrained sex, Coley is ready to return home. The witch doctor decides to tell Coley "the whole truth" which Lulu neglected. Coley will live fast, burn out and die early. But in the meantime, he is immune to all diseases, including AIDS. He tells Coley to "Be happy, defy convention." On the way home, Coley thinks, "I've got myself a brand new box o' mathces!"
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).