WP2: Statement of Purpose

There are a variety of mediums to choose from when creating an argument. This decision leads to a specific audience, purpose and context. One more abstract medium that can be used to portray an argument is a comic strip. Normally denoted as children’s entertainment, comics can relay powerful messages that may not be accepted or as successful in more common formats. I am constructing a comic based on the death of Glen Bell Jr., founder of Taco Bell, and the repercussions of this momentous event. Below is a storyboard for my creation. By creating my own comic I need to take into account which audience I’m aiming for, the context in which I’m writing, framing, and cropping when constructing my sense of purpose.


Once again my audience for this project could be considered global since anyone with Internet access could stumble upon my post. My direct audience would be my teacher and student peers. Some more obscure audiences could be comic enthusiasts, people who enjoy fast food (especially Taco Bell), people interested in Glen Bell Jr., and other teachers fascinated with student work. With an audience range as wide as this it is necessary that I make this comic as universal as possible. One method of achieving this is through levels of abstraction. The more abstract something is the greater sense of familiarity it creates and ultimately resonates with a greater amount of people. Since I am including some big name celebrities I don’t want to abstract them so much that they are indistinguishable from one another. Finding the right balance of abstraction is crucial to appealing to a large audience range.

Another important element I need to apply in my essay is context. A majority of my comic centers on popular culture and it implements a few stereotypes. In order for this to be effective in conveying my argument I need to pick celebrities that anyone with Internet access would be familiar with. The beauty of comics is that I can accentuate features of a character that I want and diminish features I don’t want: all while maintaining a recognizable image. For example, I could make 50 Cent’s arms extremely muscular and massive in comparison with the rest of his body. The character is still recognizable but presents an argument via the massive muscle mass. Another example would be to greatly enlarge the mole on Robert de Niro’s face. This is an identifying characteristic that the audience can relate with. It raises the question: How have these defining characteristics contributed the careers of these men?

There are a number of concepts that the public has come to accept in comics. For instance, it is common knowledge that bubble with text in it represents spoken dialogue. I can manipulate items such as typography between characters to contribute to my argument. It is also normal to have square boxes containing each panel of the comic. Altering this regulation could have major impacts on how audiences react to my comic. What is the effect of circular panels, triangular panels, panels without borders, or colored panels?

Conglomerating my multiple audiences, context, and framing decisions I am able to conjure up a sense of purpose for my comic. My purpose is for the audience to realize how much of an impact fast food has on our nation. Every day we are bombarded by fast food commercials which are usually endorsed by a well known celebrity. Advertising for fast food has exploded in recent years by expanding into diverse realms of popular culture. This has a major impact on how Americans live their lives and their perceptions of both fast food restaurants and celebrities.

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.