quote-unquote experiments
image description
A series of one-row comics featuring each character, titled “assorted panel experiments (none of which are connected)”
- “Standard”: First character talks to someone offscreen. “Oh, this?” Glances down at fingerless glove. “I thought it was pretty standard…”
- “If you say so”: Offscreen speaker, to the second character, who looks upset: “I promise. Nothing is gonna come between us. Okay?” Noticeable “pause” between panels; in the last, a large hand holds a smaller one. In reply, small: “Okay.”
- “Would you like to stay for
everDinner”: Third character reaches out, saying lots of things, none of which is legible. Second panel narration: “I didn’t hear a word she said…”; below the text, fourth character looks up, awed. - “Reality”: First two panels are monospaced text on black, speakers not indicated:
- “And this one's for my boyfr—”
“Sit up straighter.”
“Huh?” - “Lift your chin, puff out your chest. Look more… confident.”
“Like this?”
“Perfect.” - Third panel shows the fifth character, framed against a forest & mountainous background, making a 🤘 to the viewer. Caption reads: “And here’s to my bros back at home. Rock on, dudes.”
- “And this one's for my boyfr—”
- “Foolproof”: A winding trail of doodles, arrows indicating the order.
- “Step 1: Win game”: Sixth character stands at #1 on a podium, showy.
- “Step 2: Wake up in game again?”: Glares at calendar. It is February 2 (as in, a second February).
- “Step 3: Determine you are the only smart person here (again)”: Playing chess, with multiple people at once (fifth character in focus) awfully confident. There’s a rightward arrow here pointing to the fourth step, but it’s crossed out. Instead, to the left, “unless”:
- First and second character are playing chess on a cube; “4D chess.”
- “Step 3.5: Interrogate??” In an absurdly simplified little doodle, 6 has 2 tied to a pole. 6: “Tell all” / 2: “No” / 6: “How f-ing dare you”; meanwhile, 1 enters a doorway, arm raised at 6: “No u”
- “Step 4 [but the 4 is crossed out with a question mark above]: Profit”. How bad she be.
- All of this seems to be 6 talking to 1, who doesn’t look impressed.
- “Just wondering idk”: Seventh character, head rested on hand and gesturing lazily, speaks: “you know… this is like, a crazy person thought, but like… i’ve been thinking”
- Eighth character, sitting nearby, speaks: “You? Thinking?” Seventh: “IKR”
- “But anyway…” The two are sitting in a log cabin. “You think all this weirdass smog is gettin to us…?
- “Like, every time something fucked-up happens, there always seems to be…” The words dissolve on the panel.
- Seventh, finishing: “…But that’s just a theory.” Eight, who looks visibly disturbed: “I really hope so.”
Theoretically this was an experiment with comic paneling and layouts. In practice, since I limited myself to one row a “scene,” it ended up being less of an experiment and more just… a thing.