Text - Rhodes University

of solid blacks and a subjective viewpoint mean that accurate detailed drawing are not
necessary in creating a solid reality. Incorporation of magical or surreal elements
increases the subjectivity of the episode, making it an emotional rather than a factual
account. Visual atmosphere contributes to the conclusion reached through the narrative
[fig 5].
Actual South Africans is one of the few successful comics in Desire that does not look
like a conventional comic. Although it uses transition from detail to detail and a variety
of viewpoints skilfully, the text is separated from the pictures, a commentary running
underneath, not incorporated into the frames. Simple line drawings show only essential
details, adding atmosphere rather than content to the text. The script is cumulative; the
growing drop of liquid, placed at the centre of the page and the middle of the story,
emphasizes the narrative style visually. The whole is coherent and thus concentrated,
communicating without distraction. Actual South Africans demonstrates that control and
selectivity are more effective in the creation of a comic than strenuously detailed
drawings or elaborate scripts [fig 6].
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Figure 6 Anon. Actual South Africans (reduced) 82