Just like D&M part 1 does, the sequel also hides some interesting details. I have to warn you though: The second part of the Death and Maiden saga is considerably more complex and less linear than its predecessor, which is why only information can be provided and a lot of question have to remain unanswered in order to not spoil the plot development.

Also, please bear in mind that the background information will be provided along with the publishing of the episodes, so in case you are not up to date with the plot, you might risk to SPOIL yourself by reading on!

The English readers profit from the experience I am getting from the German readers, so I'll be able to answer possible questions right ahead.

This castle obviously belongs to Death (which should be clear to you if you read the story). Since it is a higher entity we are talking about, you may safely assume that the location of the castle is not in the Here and Now! Otherwise, we would probably have learned from the media, if there is some castle inhabited by the Grim Reaper himself.

So, to avoid further confusion, let me repeat: This castle does NOT exist in our know reality. Or if so, we cannot perceive it. Whether it is standing in some fairy tale land or in a parallel dimension, I will leave to the phantasies of my readers. In other words: it doesn't matter at all.

If you really want to ponder about the castle, you might want to look on its architecture and the landscape. This might give you some clues.

The filling of the drawer is to be seen as a direct consequence of what has been said above.

This detail is to be understood metaphorically. The drawer does not burst under the pressure of actual paper, but of deadlines.

I could just as well have drawn a fist shooting out of Death's agenda and hitting him in the face. But this would have been much less spectacular than that nice little explosion.

Regarding this it should be clear that it is unimportant how many letters the drawer contained and if such an amount could ever have fitted into it. It's not a matter of physics, it's about the fact that Death is actually up to his neck in unfinished tasks.

The songs which are mentioned in the first chapter are of more or less significance. Mostly regarding the lyrics, although I may not exclude the possibility, without going into further detail at this point, that there's more to it than meets the eye. Not concerning each of the songs, but at least one.

The song that is mentioned in the left picture is just another hommage to my beloved 1920ies. If you're not familiar with it, you may listen to an excerpt here (RealMedia File).

From what I've read on the internet hibiscus is the national flowar of Korea (both parts? I don't know) and the korean name for it contains the word for "immortality", which is therefore symbolized by the flower.

I thought this was a very ammusing detail in this particular context, even more so considering the reaction of the red hibiscus to the looks Death casts him (right picture).

There have been questions by some readers as to whom Death is referring in this scene when he's talking about "this grudging and vengeful woman". It is certainly not Mercedes, but of course the servant who has nicked him his hourglass!

Another question has been: "How can Death previously have visited Mercedes if he's received his new watch only by now?"

Remember: the first picture of the second chapter says it very clearly:

At a different time... at a completely different place.

This gag is not to be taken too seriously nor should there be any sort of theory constructed around it.

The idea of having Death wear boxer shorts underneath his cowl originates in a chat between a few (mostly female) readers in my old forum (no longer available, I'm afraid) about Death's undergarment habits.

Speaking of gags that should not be taken too seriously: here's another one. In case you don't recognize the gentlemen, it's the Men in Black as we know them from the movie with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. The movie is actually based on a comic book (Marvel) by Lowell Cunningham, but I have to admit that I've never read it.

So, why am I quoting this particular movie? Well, Death and Li'l D are questioning a person outside the picture frame, without giving this person a clue who they are - the idea of having them appear as secret agents was therefore obvious. One of the main plot elements of MiB is the erasing of memories. In order to do that, the agents put on dark shades, one of them takes a pencil-shaped object out of his pocket and asks the by-standers to take a look at it. That's what I wanted to persiflage, by having Death (in the shape of Tommy Lee Jones) taking his shades off and asking the interviewed person to look into his eyes. The stick-like object he's pulling out of his jacket is nothing less than his multi-purpose scythe.

This particular information contains SPOILERS, you should not read any further unless you're already half way through the FOURTH chapter!

Some of my readers wondered how Mercedes could be so naive to trust in a complete stranger like this Bonnie who apparently came out of nowhere only to offer her help. A few people also noticed the faint gleam in her eyes that mirrors itself in one particular scene, where Bonnie talks Mercedes into accepting her proposal of taking care of the flower shop while she is away.
Indeed, this is definitely not a mere coincidence, even less so if one takes into account that Bonnie is a servant of Death...

Here we have a most essential statement which I would like you to think about.

Usually, death is being associated with cemetaries, morgues and other places where dead bodies can be found, and which in my opinion is one of the biggest errors in human reasoning ever. What on Earth should Death have to do with dead bodies? He's already reaped them, they're closed cases for him! He's interested in taking lives, not fussing with the results (or rather, the remains) of his work.

I've been working at the Forensic Institute in Vienna for several months, and I can assure you, there is no place you can find Death less than at such places. It may be creepy and sometimes even disgusting, yes. But where's no presence of life, there's no business for Death, I say.

You may ask me now how I would "sense" the presence of Death. Well, I've spent most of my life contemplating about the phenomenon of death, otherwise I wouldn't be writing and drawing an endless story about it, would I? I can assure you, one can sense Death. If you don't believe me, try it for yourself, not by visiting a morgue but rather a hospice, and you'll understand. But let me warn you ahead, the experience might be rather depressing for a common mortal.

The maiden gives a little hint that is quite hard to understand unless you're familiar with the printed version of the comic, which so far only exists in German language.

So, here's the point: Mercedes doesn't have the best of relationships with her mother who, after her husband had died, never much cared about his grave. Mercedes loved her father very much, which we learn about in the first part of D&M and she still feels guilty for not having answered his last phonecall before he passed away.