Text - Rhodes University

Missileman is a longer, more complex story. The storyline is concise, complementing the
controlled drawing style, and contains dialogue, while much of the narrative is carried by
the drawings. Dog sets the satire in context. It is a more sympathetic view of a superhero,
retaining some of the magic. Missileman is a possible superhero, and although treated
ironically, is still heroic. In keeping with the contemporary attitude, he is also seen as a
victim, not responsible for his powers and slightly non-plussed by them. Much of the
humour derives from this view. Less cosmic grandeur and more down to earth detail
makes the story plausible. Cinematic drawing and a quiet, moody atmosphere are
influenced by European comics rather than American superhero comics, a juxtaposition
that illustrates the inapropriateness of Missileman as a traditional superhero. In some
ways, the artist is not so much satirising the superhero theme as localising it; that the
comic reads as a satire has much to do with the reader's expectations of the genre.
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Figure 11 Dog Missileman p8
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