WP2: Second Post

After researching the author and her background, I have greatly altered my view of this comic. The author, Natalie Dee, lives with her husband of the same age in their Colombus, Ohio home with their two dogs and baby. She seems like a normal American; however her occupation is far from the norm. By selling merchandise based off her comics she gains income. Both she and her husband have created books filled with their comics. By perusing her comics I found that she pokes fun at cultural norms and stereotypes. She addresses such topics as education, perfectionism and popular culture. Although some of her comics are purely comical, political statements are sprinkled within the mix. By using the medium of comics she is able to reach a variety of audiences and convey a message in an unconventional way. Also by using the internet, her audience increases exponentially. By putting comics in books and on T-shirts, she is spreading her name and messages.

With this background knowledge, I am able to delve deeper into the comic’s argument. Natalie uses stereotypes like the fact that the boss/drug dealer is wearing a beanie or toque. According to Bill Casselman, the word toque originated in Canada when sailors used socks to cover their heads and protect themselves from the cold. Nowadays, it refers to a knitted wool cap also known as a beanie. This popular cap is worn by people from all walks of life during the winter time. Natalie included this is in the comic because drug dealers are usually portrayed wearing toques since they work year round including the harsh winters. Without this item in the comic, the viewer would have no idea who the blue glob was. By using both the visual and textual context clues, a viewer can decipher that Mr. Blue is a drug dealer or at least involved with drugs somehow.


The other major character in the comic is the piggy bank. This an international symbol for a location to store spare change. Why is this so? According to the Great Idea Finder, these contraptions were first created during the 1400s. “Dishes and pots were made of an economical clay called pygg” (Did you ever wonder…). People would drop spare change in jars made of pygg to save it for later. Eventually, people forgot that “pygg” meant a type of clay and assumed it referred to the rural animal. When potters were commissioned to make piggy banks they sculpted them in the likeness of the animal. This tradition has been with us ever since.

Knowing this background knowledge, I can see how Natalie addresses popular culture with her interpretation of a piggy bank. It looks like a real life pig, but has a slit in its back to denote an entrance for loose change. Even the curly tail plays to our imaginary vision of these animals. Natalie cleverly uses iconic symbols in modern day culture to personify inanimate objects and further the progression of the scene.

Works Cited

Casselman, Bill. "Tuque: Quebec Expressions Today." Bill Casselman's Canadian Word of the Day. William Gordon Casselman, 2007. Web. 21 Mar 2010. http://www.billcasselman.com/quebec_sayings/qs_six_tuque.htm.

"Did you ever wonder why its called a piggy bank?." The Great Idea Finder. The Great Idea Finder, 10/08/2006. Web. 21 Mar 2010. http://www.ideafinder.com/features/everwonder/won-pigbank.htm.