For this journal I will be looking at the comic called “Citizen Rex” by Mario and Gilbert Hermandez.
This page of Citizen Rex shows the image of the main character, Sergio Bautin, and his robot assistant—though mangled—Hazel. The page itself is not truly fascinating. The images are very abstract and unrealistic. However, I believe it shows the world of Citizen Rex very symbolically—not the man, but the buildings and signs and designs of clothing.
The entire page of panels—separated by gutters—shows a very futuristic and “utopian” type of world. The two women walking together with shopping bags in the first panel could represent the unity of Citizen Rex citizens and the conformity of that world. The robot lying on the ground of the second panel already shows the advanced technology of this world—since the main character had her since he was eleven years old. The buildings in the background show a new type of building style and it gives the world of Citizen Rex depth, or a 3D image. This is what Scott McCloud would call “closure.” The world of Citizen Rex isn’t real; however, we perceive it as real and image it as real because there are hints like these buildings to show that they are real, that they have substance. The closure in the background can also be used to show motion, the closure of accepting that Sergio is picking Hazel’s head up and staring at it.
Looking more on the surface of the comic page, we see the dialogue boxes. Though not symbolic with the idea of something more significant, the shapes of these boxes are symbolic in the way they are perceived. Square boxes are perceived to be thought processes—the idea only helped with the expression of the character’s face and the lack of direction the speech comes from. On the other hand, the round speech bubbles are perceived to be actual physical speech. And even though McCloud states that we cannot “hear” Sergio talking, closure allows the reader to take the words in as if he did.
Discussion Question: What is the point of having the time period set in the future? Would it's significance decrease if the story was set in the 21st century?
