Citizen Rex Comic Analysis

Page 59 of Citizen Rex contains a number of elements discussed in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. Published in 2009, the work as a whole is illustrated in a very distinct Underground Cartoonist style. This specific style derived from a counterculture of artists who, during the 80’s and 90’s, began to illustrate using more iconic imagery to depict adult storylines and material. On the scale of realism and iconic portrayal of characters, Hernandez’s illustration style falls into a category somewhere between the “adventure comic” appearance and the slightly more abstract face directly after.

Another technique used quite effectively in this panel sequence is participation, specifically pertaining to the movement of characters and objects. In the first panel, Rex and the engineers who repaired him are seen in a tunnel, their torsos hunched forward and legs bent. This pose gives readers the suggestion of motion, but by “participating” in the plot, readers give motion to the characters. In the last two panels of the page, participation is utilized again for the animation of Rex’s arm. This is aided by curved lines that represent the iconic symbol for motion, giving the reader a clear mental image of the arm springing to life and chopping off the scientists head. In addition, this “motion” is accompanied by the most basic of received words (i.e. “swoop!” and “zzzzt!”), adding an audio aspect to the readers participation senses.

This panel sequence not only incorporates “reality” and language, but also includes aspects of the picture plane. Abstraction refers to the non-iconic style, where an illustration is not meant to depict any specific person, place, or idea, and often prompts the question “what does it mean?” This ambiguity of imagery is demonstrated perfectly in the form of the “mysterious block,” which appears throughout the story. Its rectangular form (a basic shape), as well as the word “why?” written on the side acts as a visible representation of the picture plane’s abstract imagery.

Question: How does the struggle for robot rights and the surgical addition of prosthetic limbs relate to the Chicano Movement?