Joe the Barbarian

Joe the Barbarian: Angles
By: Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy

Stereotypic comic book heroes are usually depicted larger than life. This can be because of the artists choice or because of the foreground and the background in relation to the character. Increasingly, in some comic books which have a reality-based setting, writer/artist choose to depict the hero or protagonist as ordinary people, the same stature and size as an average individual. However Joe, isn’t the average Joe, he is different than the average person and it is interesting the way the artist portrays this. One method I felt the writer/artist was portraying Joe by his surroundings, more specifically the background and the foreground.

In Joe the Barbarian, the main focus of the panel is where the most action takes place. The artist often illustrates this panel in a somewhat distorted vision, where angles are extreme and images are realistically drawn but because of the angles are often observed as larger than they usually are. The images are detailed and the background is sometimes partially obscure, highlighting either Joe or the detailing of the panel.

What is an interesting move by the artist is the choice in repeating the images with minimal but significant changes, like the addition of a few objects or the change in angle. This further propels the reader into the story and complements the main action or narration the writer provides. Also the proximity in the way the angles are illustrated is also a smart decision by the writer and artist. These variation are important because they control when the reader feels the intensity of the action or the suspense of the storyline. Some angles also provide more language than text, especially when there are images that contain no text boxes. Without sound the image can visually speak for itself and the reader can link the images and ideas in succession to create their own suspense and keep them visually engaged in the comic.

Lastly, the angles are a interesting when analyzing Joe and his surroundings. They can pull the readers yes and distract them at the same time, a good way into pulling the reader in the character’s secretive world.