Light and dark

I didn't take in the message that we were supposed to write a blog for "But I Can't". Sorry for lateness! Please find my response below: 


When I first printed out "But I Can't" I didn't take note of its order so when I went to read it, I didn't know what sequence the comic was in. It was fun to read the content trying to put the puzzle pieces together. Ultimately, I put the pages in the same sequence they can be found in online, but I decided it could be read in whatever sequence you like. I do recommend the online version though, or a color printer as the richness of color is not to be missed.

This comic stands out in its layering of color and overlapping of panels. Internal monologues and external dialogues dominant the rest of the story. The fifth and sixth panels are joined by a dialogue bubble that connects them. On page 2, we see a dialogue bubble in gibberish that the protagonist ("I didn't understand it all at first") and us don't understand, but it bleeds into the next panel.

When executing his internal monologue panels, Corban Wilkin uses bold colors behind black ink. In fact the most striking thing about this work is the use of India ink outline and watercolor. These materials and his use of them bring a depth to the work. We see a lot of different angles of light as well, from streetlamps and moons but perhaps they also suggest beams from an alien spaceship.

I was struck by how the protagonist looked like an older person throughout the piece, especially panels on page 1: 3,4, 6, 8; page 3: 6, 9; page 4: 6. It's as if the author is showing a protagonist who has visually aged that is still wondering about the whereabouts and howabouts of their friend.

I wasn't "struck" per say, but want to point out that the artist only mentions Harriet's name once on page 1, at the top of page 3, twice on the bottom of page 3, and once on page 4. Everything else is, "She", "I ", "Us". This can lead the reader to feel that Harriet is missing.

Additionally, the narrator says on page 2, "She was too boyish and weird for everyone". The protagonist looks boyish and weird so I wondered what the meter for weird and boyish was, or if we assume that Lucy is too boyish and weird for everyone too and this is partially why they were friends. In the article below, I perceive the artist as "male" and he talks about how this story is based on his childhood so there's some gender variance in the storytelling going on here as well. Cool beans.


How I know the artist's name, what the artist looks like and that it is watercolor and india ink for sure: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/nov/04/observer-graphic-short-story-2012-winner