*WARNING:
This post contains spoilers*
Before
I begin to discuss Brian K. Vaughan and Steve Skroce’s We Stand on Guard (which I promise is amazing); I figured I’ll
introduce myself since this is my first post. I’m Victoria, a fourth year
double major for English and Visual Arts. I know what you’re thinking…English
and Art…the dynamic duo for the production of comics. Well, before Jacob’s
comic class I had never read a comic…actually I had never even looked at a
comic. As you can imagine taking a course on comics completely changed my
perspective. I realized I had read hundreds of comics because as McCloud states
comics are “images in deliberate sequence”. This post is going to cover the
first issue of We Stand on Guard. I
want to analyse the panel layout along with the images to show how these
aspects fit the narrative and affect the plot.
The
first issue opens with a full shot panel showing a reflection of little Amber
(our main character) in what appears to be a TV screen. She is looking at what
is left of the Whitehouse after a fiery explosion. At the bottom of the panel, are
the words “breaking news” which run off the page. Since the words are written
backwards, it signifies this panel is a reflection. I find panel’s imagery both
interesting and informative. Due to the panel saying “breaking news” it tells
the reader that this event is happening now. I think this panel can be
considered an establishing shot because although it does not give the setting
of where Amber is, it informs us that this story is taking place in a time of
crisis. The imagery is significant to the plot because from Amber’s face being
reflected into the scene of destruction, it gives the sense that she is
actually there overlooking the destruction. I think it is also a high contrast
between innocence which is Amber and the enemy which is the chaos. By placing
her on the same level as the destruction it alludes that she will eventually
have to face it firsthand, not just from a reflection.
In
the next couple pages we find out a few important details of the plot from the
narrative and visuals. In tier one; panel one, the first bit of narrative the reader
gets is a caption stating “Ottawa, Ontario, 2112”. As a reader, I like that
these captions are provided throughout the issue because they immediately
establish the setting. We now know the where and the when at this point in the
plot. Amber’s family is viewing the destruction of the Whitehouse from Canada
and are in the not so distant future from us readers. I also found the
backgrounds of each panel to be helpful in establishing what 2112 looks like.
In the background of each panel it shows areas of their home. We can what the
“it” style of décor for this period and that helps the reader become more immersed
in the setting. The narrative consists of the family discussing why this
horrible event happened when all of a sudden…
We
get another full page panel, but this full shot is no reflection, it is a
direct attack on Amber’s home-Ottawa, Canada. Although this panel has no words
it is an effective narrative because by using a full shot you can take in the
whole scene and really feel the utter chaos that is portrayed. The full shot
also helps to show that the attack is covering a large area of land. This panel
is effective in telling the ‘what’ of the plot. The missiles and explosions
perfectly frame the parliament building in the background of the scene, which
again shows that the current action is taking place in Ottawa. More
importantly, if you look closely at the missiles they read “U.S.A”. This means
that the ‘what’ of the plot is America invading Canada! Now we just need the
why…
The
next page shows two conjoined panels. Since there is no gutter (which suggests
a space in time) between the two panels we know that this is an instantaneous
moment. The parents try to form a plan of action, but are cut off midsentence
and are blown away-literally. The scene comes to a conclusion with the brother
and sister’s dying father telling the kids to stay together. The last panel is
a close up of Amber with a look of uncertainty and a word balloon reading
“whatever happens…you never…leave her side…”-depressing.
So
flip the page and the first panel is another close up of Amber…who is older? Oh
ya, that handy caption lets us know we have been transported to Yellowknife
twelve years after the attack on Ottawa. The next few pages we realize Amber
and her brother have been separated and she comes into contact with a group of
Canada’s “freedom fighters” and we find out that America invaded Canada for
their water, which finally is the ‘why’ of the plot. There are a lot of word
balloons that help introduce the new characters and it gives the reader insight
into their lives and struggles. I really enjoyed the commentary between Amber
and the freedom fighter Booth because he explains that they are just ordinary
people fighting for their home. Instead of being a superhero, he actually
idolizes them and shows off his Superman tattoo. However, superpowers might
have helped Booth…
I found this set of panels
particularly important for conveying both time and meaning. I think this comic
has a lot of full page panels because it is their way of putting further
emphasis on important action. Following McCloud’s transition definitions I
think these two panels are considered a moment-to-moment transition. It
requires very little closure for the reader. Even without any narrative we can
conclude through the images that this moment shows the simultaneous perspective
of both characters. We also know that because these panels do not have a
gutter, we do not have to fill in the gap, therefore it can be determined this
action happened instantly.
To conclude the drama
of issue one, the last panel is yet another full page panel. It is an aerial
view of the character’s standing on the face of a defeated robot. Amber is also
welcomed into their group “Two-Four”. This panel alludes to how great their
fight for Canada will be because the team who symbolizes Canada are just tiny
specs compared to the size of the enemy robot which symbolizes America. The
panel really depicts how great the issue is and that U.S.A. has the upper hand
so far. With that being said, the small Canadian team was able to defeat the
U.S.A. robot so there is a sense of optimism present in the panel and for the
story to come.
This post was more of an overview of issue 1 dealing with the panels, but my next post for issue 4 will focus strictly on the drawing style.
-Victoria Ghione
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