Reader's Diary #1367- Sara Ryan (writer), Steve Lieber (artist): Escape from Alcatraz 13 The Dummy Head Breakout

Of all of the escape attempts from Alcatraz, the one dubbed "The Dummy Head Breakout" by Sara Ryan is perhaps the one that captured the most attention and still remembered today. And why wouldn't it? It involved the classic chiseling out through the vents, there were paper mache dummy heads, and three escapees have never been seen again. This stuff is legendary.

My son and I also found it somewhat amusing, mostly due to the hapless inmate Allen West. Claiming to be the mastermind behind the whole thing, he was the only one of the quartet not to have gotten out. First off, he hadn't chiseled his hole big enough, and secondly, when you see the four confiscated paper mache heads side by side, the quality of his bust compared to others sends me into fits of giggles every time. See if you can tell which one is his. Hint: like the hole, West didn't finish this either.

Steve Lieber's art in this one is fine, if in the style of generic pseudo- realism.