Missing Word Balloon
One of the characteristics of the Lynn Johnston art style is that a character can be shrunk or grown to accommodate the text of the panel; for example yesterday’s strip, panel 3, with shrunken Michael; or the day before that, panel 1, with shrunken Michael; or the day before that, panels 1-3 where the line representing the top of the wall changes depending on the word balloon. Occasionally, Lynn Johnston will reach a point where she opts not to put in a word balloon, because part of the panel is already too dense with drawings. Today’s reprint of For Better or For Worse is one of those days. In Panel 2, Elly says:
Stark bare branches against a canvas of white,
Gray skies, icy drifts sculptured by the wind!
That doesn't leave much space for anything else. Then in Panel 3, Elly says, “John…why don’t you see the beauty of nature?” This is in response to Panel 2’s John reading the newspaper or Panel 3’s John sipping his coffee? Something is missing. I think it is in response to the dreaded missing word balloon. John’s facial expression as he reads the paper in Panel 2 shows the rounded mouth dot of speaking, and his eyes are all scrunched up in reaction to something. Maybe it’s the news, but most likely it’s in reaction to what Elly just said. Regardless, the panel drawings appear to be too dense to put in the words for what John said. The only reason we know he said something is because Elly seems to be reacting to nothing, where there should be something.
I expect John might have said something like:
1. Nature is ugly.
2. Dead bare branches against a canvas of more dead branches, black ice, slippery streets covered in snowy dirt pushed from a snow plow.
3. You have seen snow before. We live in Toronto.
4. Why is that you are taking Creative Writing, but your analogies are all references to other kinds of art?
5. Elly, I saw your ear in the first panel. It's been so long since I have seen it uncovered from your hair, I didn't hear what you said from the shock.
6. That’s “grey” not “gray”. We live in Canada.
Stark bare branches against a canvas of white,
Gray skies, icy drifts sculptured by the wind!
That doesn't leave much space for anything else. Then in Panel 3, Elly says, “John…why don’t you see the beauty of nature?” This is in response to Panel 2’s John reading the newspaper or Panel 3’s John sipping his coffee? Something is missing. I think it is in response to the dreaded missing word balloon. John’s facial expression as he reads the paper in Panel 2 shows the rounded mouth dot of speaking, and his eyes are all scrunched up in reaction to something. Maybe it’s the news, but most likely it’s in reaction to what Elly just said. Regardless, the panel drawings appear to be too dense to put in the words for what John said. The only reason we know he said something is because Elly seems to be reacting to nothing, where there should be something.
I expect John might have said something like:
1. Nature is ugly.
2. Dead bare branches against a canvas of more dead branches, black ice, slippery streets covered in snowy dirt pushed from a snow plow.
3. You have seen snow before. We live in Toronto.
4. Why is that you are taking Creative Writing, but your analogies are all references to other kinds of art?
5. Elly, I saw your ear in the first panel. It's been so long since I have seen it uncovered from your hair, I didn't hear what you said from the shock.
6. That’s “grey” not “gray”. We live in Canada.
posted by howard at 1:25 PM
2 Comments:
1. Nature is ugly.
2. Dead bare branches against a canvas of more dead branches, black ice, slippery streets covered in snowy dirt pushed from a snow plow.
3. You have seen snow before. We live in Toronto.
4. Why is that you are taking Creative Writing, but your analogies are all references to other kinds of art?
5. Elly, I saw your ear in the first panel. It's been so long since I have seen it uncovered from your hair, I didn't hear what you said from the shock.
6. That’s “grey” not “gray”. We live in Canada.
7. You mean you paid good money to learn how to talk like a Hallmark card?
or, to paraphrase John_P_Jamele,
8. Remember how you usually think something without saying it? Could you go back to doing that?
9. Can we get a refund for the money we spent on your Creative Writing course?
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