Here are some things that Inigo and I enjoyed from the latest edition of the Phoenix.
This week’s Doggo sees its great protagonist attending a movie premiere in ‘Hollywoodo’.
I needed to explain to Inigo the significance of the question that is shouted out to Doggo as he parades down the red carpet: “who are you wearing?” The ‘who’ seems to refer to some designer or stylist: after all, Hollywood celebrities often have their own stylists. Inigo thought this was funny, because, as you can see… “he’s only wearing a diamond on his collar”!
I enjoyed the sincere and almost manic expression on the lady reporter’s face as Doggo disappears inside. Abby Bulmer has shaped her eye and her mouth to accentuate her excitement (as well as her body angle), and her slanty eyebrows have the appearance of sincerity and earnestness. This is funny when you compare it with the ridiculousness of this small dog!
Inigo thought that this panel was a great way to conclude this week’s instalment of Mega Robo Bros. Neill Cameron angles the point of view so that it comes from inside the mysterious escape tunnel that the characters are thinking of using. We can’t see what they can see, but we can see their looks of puzzlement and apprehension as they countenance the next step in the adventure. This is a dynamic and striking picture with the daylight and the character faces acting as a powerful focal point at the end of this week’s comic strip.
One thing we discussed about this week’s Bunny vs Monkey was this pair of pannels. Jamie Smart could have gone for a close-up of the action and the moment of impact here – when Monkey falls off Bunny’s enchanted floating island. But instead, he chooses to step away and distance us from the action and use the same background twice (even though you can tell he draws separate versions twice). “This makes it funnier” says Inigo – and I agree. Maybe it is because Monkey seems small and ridiculous. After all, his dialogue “Oh yeah. We’re high up.” is deliberately muted and understated for comic effect. Maybe the ‘distance’ helps to enhance the understatement?
Leave a Reply