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incomprehensible passages are incomplete or unclear attempts at expression of a concept,<br />

rather than unprecedented subversions of comics conventions.<br />

The greatest influence, that of comic artist Simon Bisley (2000AD: Slaine, ABC Warriors)<br />

is noticeable in detail and exaggerated "realism" and eccentricity of line. Morai goes<br />

beyond Bisley in decorativeness, and contains some of the most lyrical draughtsmanship<br />

in the sample.<br />

Also like Bisley, realism and fantasy are combined in the drawing style. Plots have some<br />

possible basis in reality, but are abstracted beyond that. The stories are about fantastical<br />

quests, for wisdom, or a face, a self, or a place. The exaggerated elegance of the drawing<br />

complements the simplicity of the stories. Difficult motifs like birth [fig 1) are treated in<br />

an unsentimental yet whimsical fashion that render them manageable and amusing.<br />

Figure 1 Mirror p6 Issue 1<br />

Lyricism is evident in the tension between the heavily worked areas and the flat black or<br />

white negative spaces. The decoration serves to flatten the three-dimensionality of<br />

25

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