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Rex Morgan, M.D., 2/8/05

In my very first critique of Rex Morgan, M.D., I expressed my admiration for the dramatic “camera angles” that the strip loves so much, but there’s such a thing as going too far. The King Features marketing site claims that the strip’s goal is to “heighten the awareness of readers about the importance of modern medicine,” so maybe panel two is supposed to show us what it feels like be an ear, nose, and throat specialist.

There’s a lot of pointing going on this strip, too. I like the way Rex’s finger is sort of protruding from nowhere in the second panel. You just keep that digit away from those nostrils, doctor.

And yes, don’t think I’m missing all the innuendo, either. “I know what you’re up to! You’re going to … try to find more bones!” God, I hope their house turns out to be built on an ancient Indian burial ground, so that some evil spirits will rise up to vent their wrath upon the living, putting an end to this inane banter in the process.

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Garfield, 2/7/05

Sally Forth signals her understanding and appreciation of her own wit or that of others with a look that one of my brilliant readers refers to as “sly”; but Garfield proves to be the Zen master of the minimalist reaction shot. See how Jon, his eyelids heavy with ennui, reacts to Garfield’s typically wacky demand: he doesn’t go overboard letting us know the punchline has happened, he just tips his head back about a quarter of an inch and moves his eyes slightly to the right. Why hit everybody over the head with it? It’s not a Three Stooges routine.

There’s just something about Garfield that gets everybody up and agitated, whether they’re combining him with Satan, running him over with a van, or doing alarming, freaky things that you really have to see to appreciate. (Thanks to Nicholas, Lynn, and Michal, respectively, for the tips. Folks, we’re all gonna get sued.)

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Apartment 3-G, 2/6/05

I know, I know, I know, Apartment 3-G isn’t even really that interesting right now, and yet I just can’t look away. It’s a disorder, I freely admit. Fun observations about this installment:

• Margo really likes hanging around the apartment in very short skirts. By which I mean: somebody really likes drawing Margo hanging around the apartment in very short skirts.
• Bottom row, middle panel: Mim needs to be nice so as to stay out of the homeless shelter, but I’m guessing that what they actually say at home doesn’t include the “someone who is so bright” bit.
• Last panel: I love the look on Margo’s face. You’d think Mim had just said, “The person who’s having the baby is me … and in fact, I’m having it right now! Say, do you think Margo will mind if I put the afterbirth in her purse?”

Meanwhile, the fact that Tommie wears that crazy fetishistic uniform makes me all the more resent her marginal role in the strip.