OLOGI = IGLOO

HNAKT = THANK

PRILTE = TRIPLE

SCNAVA = CANVAS

CARTOON ANSWER:

THE PREPARATION PUT INTO STABBING DRACULA IN HIS HEART WAS – – –

IGANKTIPANS = PAINSTAKING

Good morning, Jumble fans! Opening up my newspaper to start today’s Jumble, I couldn’t help but have my attention gravitate towards the unique cartoon that Jeff decided to draw for us. It’s completely out of the ordinary and definitely on the sinister side. So let’s quickly run through the clue words so we can explore this devious drawing in-depth!

Did you think IGLOO looked like LOGIC at first? That extra “O” stumped me only for a few seconds before I remembered that we’ve run into this word not too long ago. THANK was immediately visible and a routine solve. Next up was TRIPLE, and it’s my pick for the peskiest of the pack. David really had me fooled by starting the anagram with a PR so it took a few self-jumbles to make it come into view. CANVAS required zero effort and I was excited to finally head over to the cartoon.

The setting of today’s panel is a workshop where we see two men plotting a plan to do battle with dracula. The room appears to be dimly lit with perhaps just a candle or two burning in a corner just outside our view. The man on the left looks like he’s been down this road before but he wasn’t successful in his previous attempt to defeat the mythological bloodsucking beast. His eyepatch as well as the scar on his face are a constant reminder that he was lucky to escape with his life during their tussle. With a pistol on his hip and a garland of garlic around his neck, he waits for his partner to place the finishing touches on the wooden stake that is sure to get the job done.

Our bald tinkerer seems to be using a magnifying glass to precisely place a few drips of “garlic juice” on the tip of the stake. There’s several other items on his workbench including some silver tipped bullets, a whole head of garlic and a mortar and pestle. Little do they know that their preparations are being overseen by their enemy as he hangs silently upside down in the window just above their heads!

Jeff went to extremes with all of the detail work in his cartoon. It’s not often that we see such a dark piece and it was such a fun change of pace. Let Jeff know if you enjoyed it by leaving a comment down below and maybe he’ll continue these types of drawings in the future.

The final solution consisted of a single 11-letter word. The layout was wonderfully cryptic and left the answer well hidden. I must admit that I was stumped at first until I noticed the letters -ING. By crossing them out, I had 8-letters to deal with making PAIN come into view. PAINSTAKING came instantly to mind leaving a very satisfying solve. Have a terrific Thursday and I’ll see you tomorrow!