One surreal effect that is used in the EE strip from time to time is colourised photo backgrounds. Not of the EE set or anything - i guess they are just the artists own texture shots to make the backgrounds look a bit ‘fuller’.

emma, quite! if a parent disapproves of a comic they may will veto it’s purchase, or not include its cover price in the pocket money. i recall being allowed a comic a week as well as pocket money.

(also it is good for kidZoRs to experiment see WHICH ORDER MAKES THEIR FAVOURITE SENSE: bah for risk society and the sorry cocooning of littleys)

Numbering panels in this way is a throwback to really old comics - Little Nemo In Slumberland, which played around with panel shape and layout a hell of a lot, used to do it 100 years ago. I guess that wasn’t down to a focus group though - probably a baffled editor. So I quite like the effect cos it reminds me of old-timey comics.

Why is the back of Mo’s head exploding in the ‘enders panel?

I have a specific chip on shoulder to confess to: I suspect parental focus groups have been involved. This is because I have in my time been lucky to storyboard and sketch out a few comic-like layouts, and once one finished spread was a small part of the subject of a focus group. The layout of this page was sequenced clockwise from bottom left round the page, which was made OBVIOUS with many visual clues, specifically the main character receding into the distance while circling round.

This was totally baffling to the group of parents, and became a whipping point for several minutes, with the conclusion “they should number the panels”. The group of kids never mentioned it.

But who forks out for this stuff? The parents. If they don’t like it, they won’t buy it. Which doesn’t explain how clip-art Sam & Mark make it in here.