In the multiple panel sequence depicting the robot man coming into the house Sigi is residing in Citizen Rex the artist/author uses multiple techniques outlined in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics to create suspense and fear within a series of drawings. One major point in the panels is the representation of the characters and how they contribute to how the reader views and feels about them. In the first panel of the sequence the reader is given a feeling of fear as a creepy shadow is emerging behind a door. The artist created an icon we call pictures to create an abstract representation of a humanoid creature. The artist uses a more abstract image instead of a realistic picture of a person behind the doorway leaving the reader to use their imagination about what will happen next. The artist uses amplification through simplification to create suspense in the picture. If the author had used a more realistic picture of the robot man instead of the dark blob the reader would not be wondering and using their own imagination to create anticipation about what is to come, rather they would know what exactly was about to happen in the panels to come. In the last panel the artist uses a more realistic drawing of the robot man in order to objectify them, or emphasize how other he is from the other character in the selection. He is given more detail in the face and the robot features of his face than the girl Sigi in the panel. The way he is drawn emphasizes that he is a different or feared character that he is other from the reader. Another way the author creates suspense is by the use of the gutter in between the panels. The reader has to use their imagination to fill in the gaps and create their own image of what is happening. The reader uses their media knowledge and their expectations in scary movies to create an image of what happens between the panels. The gutter before the last panel is where the reader must use their imagination to recreate what just happened. One minute you see a lone damsel in distress calling out to an unknown black shape, the next a robot man reaching for her as she runs away in fear. The reader would use his/her past knowledge of scary movies and other media types to imagine the man jumping out, grabbing her, etc.
Discussion Questions: Did the author’s use of language or lack of major dialogue add to the suspense of the multiple panel sequence? Why did the author choose to use an abstract background? What does it add to the story?
