Ah, another one of those "I don't give a damn about art" comics.
Dinosaur comics is one that carries a unique concept: Every comic has the exact same panel layout, with the characters in the exact same positions all the time, with slight variations avery once in a while. The only thing different between comics is the dialogue.
There are three characters: T-Rex, Dromiceiomimus and Utahraptor. T-Rex likes to stomp on things, and he often tries to put some kind of witty or philisophical spin on his activities, making him think he's all that. Dromiceiomimus is just a bystander, sometimes offering helpful (but universally ignored) advice to T-Rex. Utahraptor is the counterbalance to T-Rex's rash, self-involved behavior, but he more often comes off as a spoilsport. After Utahrapter gives T-Rex the heads-up, T-Rex has one panel to make his retort, in which he usually is reduced to swearing and using petty insults.
One may think this process is formulaic, but the beauty of it all is that we know that. The author isn't trying to hide anything here. We know how the panels will play out. What's funny is the amount of creative ways the author uses these six panels in order to bring us different variations on the same thing happening over and over again. Does the girl get stomped on or not? Where is Utahraptor in panel 6? What is Dromiceiomimus' role in all of this? Sometimes different visual effects are used to alter the images, but the layout remains the same, except the time when Utahraptor travels to an alternate universe and all the panels are backward.
Of course, all this can be tiring if you read so many in a row, as the repeating images and can make the eyes start to wander. The funniest comics for me later on were the ones that took advantage of the formula to bring a new, refreshing adaptation of the six-panel layout, as they simply caught me off-guard. These happen at just the right pace so once I start getting tired of seeing the same old thing I get a little breather.
This comic is simply amusing, and it's a novel idea to be sure. It's made all the better that the dialogue can remain somewhat fresh and original throughout the whole thing, with some variations in the layout and presentation thrown in every once and a while to keep things from getting stagnant. This is also somethig that the audience can very easily participate in, as many people have made their own interpretations on the six-panel layout themselves in the fan-art section. Nice. |
