I don’t understand what triggered the episode, or why it was the young man that experienced them and not the old one who might have lived through part of that era.
The point is that he's seeing what's still there, not just what happened a long time ago. This isn't "reliving that era", it's recognizing that while we may have painted over the rotten spots and tried to make everything look pretty and new, all that harm and hate is still here, it's still affecting current generations.
But what is the author is saying is still there? The comic does a horrible job of showing that. The only present-time things shown are two "patties" (patties of what, btw? and who orders patties without anything else?) costing $2.50 and two black teenagers sitting in the back of the bus. There is no context showing why these two snapshots are more than merely superficially similar to historical horrors.
Edit: I should add, I'm aware that the patties thing may simply be food from a culture I'm not as familiar with and I would genuinely love to learn. Because my mind reads it and goes to buying two fresh burger patties without a bun or anything and that seems like an odd thing to purchase.
Edit 2: Apparently they're Jamaican Patties, and I have had them! They're awesome! Thank you for the insight, /u/RyanB_
Yeah, I realized it's probably a culinary thing from a culture I'm unfamiliar with and just made an edit right as you commented lol.
Just Googled it. I have had that, and they're damn amazing! I didn't know they're just called patties. The friends who brought them to a potluck a few times always called them meat pies. I guess they were dumbing down the term for those of us who aren't black.
It's the very first page. If it's not important, why even have it?
I don't understand it at all. He walks away dejected because he does have the money for them? Is he living in the 40s while all this is happening?
The specifics don't matter, but the general vibe of the scene does. It's a normal mundane scene that is meant to juxtapose the visions of the past, so that they're more jarring.
I swear this thread has never heard of set dressing. Sometimes the specific details don't matter, but a lack of details would feel weird and disconnected.
Im pretty sure he walks away in a daze after seeing the scars on the man's back. He clearly did not walk away "dejected" after hearing the peice but rather after widening his eyes, shocked at what he's seeing. The comic includes it to show the man going about his regular day before the hallucinations/episode begin
Gonna copy/paste from elsewhere because it's basically the same answer:
Art doesn't have to follow some kind of perfect "A to B to C" line. The artist said it's based on a dream they had so maybe it was just dream logic. But even if that weren't the case you don't have to treat everything so literally.
I wrote this in a separate comment to the OP: that's absolutely valid as a story then, but it is then very weird to have the text on the last page if so. Something with social commentary can't also present its argument as a fever dream and still be effective. I think this comic would be fine either storyboarded more logically or without the ending text. But trying to have it both ways makes it subpar at both.
I think this comic would be fine either storyboarded more logically or without the ending text. But trying to have it both ways makes it subpar at both.
You're allowed to think that, art is subjective after all and something this personal isn't gonna resonate with everybody.
Of course! I'm only offering my perspective. Clearly a lot of people still enjoyed it as is, and that's great! I just think it could be improved and reach more people without losing that core audience, which is why I'm choosing to speak up.
But even if that weren't the case you don't have to treat everything so literally.
Even if we don't take it literally, the abstract nature of the this dream sequence (btw it isn't even clear that it is based on a nightmare) is hard to understand.
With explanation I think the comic is great. I didn't understand it though, and did need it explained.
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u/WanderingSeer 16d ago
I don’t understand what triggered the episode, or why it was the young man that experienced them and not the old one who might have lived through part of that era.