Helskor
February 20, 2012 at 10:31 am
Beginning writers are told to show and not tell, but if Batiuk wants to tell us that Westview won the conference instead of showing them win via another week of excruciatingly boring basketball strips, he can go right ahead.
Well, today’s strip nearly accomplishes that. Three panels, three opponents, three wins, including payback to those nasty Blue Valley girls. TB achieves not only economy of storytelling, but also of color and detail. While the action poses are painstakingly traced “inked over”, the backgrounds, color palette and “supporting cast” are positively minimalist. The Annie-Goats (love that nickname!) unis have lost their red accent and are now just black and white; and every player not named Summer or Keisha is a generic blue-ponytailed girl.
I searched in vain for a YouTube clip of the homecoming parade from Animal House; specifically the part where Stork grabs the drum major’s mace and directs the marching band down a blind alley. There’s a great overhead shot of the trombones bending as they mindlessly march into a brick wall. That was the image that came to mind as I imagined the Marching Scapegoats attempting an 
