ftbonnigan

But this one is somehow different than the run-of-the-mill. As soon as I read the first few strips of Blank It, by creators Lemuel Pew and Aric McKeown, I realized there was genius at play. it's a comic with no setting! Brilliant! The story is presented in a way that the reader has absolutely no idea what’s going to happen to these characters. And that is the beauty...

For a comic with no "plot" it creates this wonderful tension where we, the readers, want to know the answer to that perennial question (often repeated by David Mamet): What Happens Next?

As a playwright I know this is what everything boils down to. In my own webcomics I love the suspension of time set up by multiple panels and dragging out those small moments of anticipation (I often have a panel, sans dialogue, with both characters simply eye-balling each other, waiting to see who says what).

Blank It does this what-happens-next thing perfectly. But not in a traditional cause-and-effect way. The characters (who eventually name themselves Lemmo and Aric) simply walk through a blank void (literally blank most of the time) and encounter a series of bizarre and random happenings (i.e  a pair of socks has morphed into a fox, a man is carried by a cookie, etc.) and have bizarre and random thoughts. Really random things. Despite this, the strip seems to keep moving forward. In fact, this mastery of unpredictable outcomes and thoughts while still maintaining a sense of pacing and story is what really makes this comic a great success.

The humor in the strip is mostly due to the relationship between the two main characters in this absurd situation. They compliment each other perfectly. In fact, there are shades of famous duos all over the strip... Laurel and Hardy, Calvin and Hobbes and, most notably, Gogo and Didi from WAITING FOR GODOT. I would hazard to say there is a bit of Adam and Eve thrown in there, too. Anyway, much of the humor comes from the tension between the two guys.

In fact, the strip is exceedingly well-written. The characters know just what to say to get under each other's skin in what starts in a light, teasing way and keeps building more and more. It is also drawn well.

The art is really sharp and clean. I like the use of color which offers a striking contrast with the empty, white backdrop of the world Lemmo and Aric are in. It really makes them pop. The comic is visually kinda stunning, in a subtle, sneak-up-on-you way (this is thrown into relief when, on a few occassions, the strip is drawn by a guest artist or it is published in black and white). The characters are drawn with a lot of expression and personality. It is easy to relate to them and empathize with their unusual situations.