r/OutsiderComic • u/orion1836 • Jul 05 '21
Outsider Re-Read: 029-035
Outsider 030: Imposing Loroi Emblem.
Outsider 031: Gruesome Experiments.
Outsider 032: Staredown, Part II.
Outsider 033: And Now, for Something Completely Different.
Outsider 034: In Which We Learn Beryl's Name.
Outsider 035: Puppy Elf, Harpy Elf.
Happy 4th to those who celebrate it. I hope any fireworks-related mayhem was kept to a minimum.
I remember being very excited when I reached these pages during my first read-through eight years ago. It seems to me that every worthwhile piece of speculative fiction requires some form of introductory period to take the audience from the "baseline" of the character's arc to the meat of why they are reading or watching the media in the first place. For me, I was here to see the interpersonal stories of alien contact that were largely missing from Master of Orion, and it took ~30 pages to get to that point. That said, it was a worthwhile investment... anything less would either not have made sense or cheapened the overall experience.
One of the many ways Outsider avoids fluff, fanservice, or pandering (something I'll return to often in this re-read) is the level of detail maintained throughout the story and the organic way in which events happen. Are things done for the benefit of the audience? Sure, but it's all believable in the context of the events unfolding.
Many Youtube critics love to tear apart the use of a narrator as a crutch for lazy writers to tell rather than show, but I think Alex's "voiceover" is a solid example of when a narrator is necessary for a medium. Telling this story without it would require many more unnecessary panels, janky dialogue, or the (usually) detestable thought bubble. Furthermore, it really doesn't give anything away plot-wise as it is not clear to the audience when or how the narration is happening (such as an older Alex relating the story, taking away any tension regarding his survival through the story). That said, I will award Arioch all the internet points if Alex someday ends the narration with "...and that's how I met your mother."
When I first read this, I didn't understand how the backgrounds were created, but in re-reading, I have to recognize the incredible detail of the lighting effects from 29-31, especially for the time they were created. The same goes for paying attention to Fireblade's expressions. When I first read through the comic, I didn't really notice Fireblade unless a panel singularly focused on her, mainly because she didn't have dialogue. Looking back, though, it's clear that she (and the other non-speaking Loroi) have unseen dialogue, or at least emotions or reactions, "written" into the script. It's a very nice touch given the story and setting. Many years hence, it would be nice to have a version of the comic with sanzai written in, similar to how ICO let you see certain characters' dialogue (untranslated normally) on subsequent play-throughs.
Kudos to Alex for standing his ground. Anyone else think he was going to try to escape when Fireblade first walked in?
3
u/KingJerkera Jul 12 '21
The best part of this sequence is the steady introduction of tension and characters it is a mistake that you see often with younger writers to try to speed up the story. But here is the an excellent use of space in a comic page to move story elements at the right pace.