Today in Swanderful: it’s the little details that tell the story in this page from Superman 376.
Panel 1: Notice Lois Lane walking away from the scene to the left of Clark Kent with Clark in the foreground and Perry White in the middle distance to the left of Clark with some other journalist in between them facing away from the “camera”. In dense, smaller panels, Curt Swan would choose to draw a few “props” to give the reader a sense of location (in this case, Clark’s computer) and focus on drawing human figures to give a sense of space and mood instead of using detailed backgrounds. Clark’s face sells his mild character more than his dialogue which comes off as a little too urgent thanks to the unnecessary exclamation mark in his second word balloon. (It’s in genre for the time to overuse exclamation marks.)
Panel 2: Clark’s expression and hand gesture just totally sell the moment. I love how their top shirt buttons are undone and Clark’s tie is a bit off. Clothes acting! I love how the smoke is visually choking Clark’s neck. Smoke acting! (Yes, I overuse exclamation marks, also. Sue me, it’s in genre for a comics writer/editor/mastermind/future legend like myself. Excelsior!)
Panel 3: Perry’s tie is really messy and the thinner end is longer than the wider. More clothes acting… I love their expressive hands, here, as well.
Panel 4: We now look over their shoulders at Perry opening his office safe. You would think that having the protagonists in very limited profile would work against storytelling but the point here is to focus our attention towards a secret: what’s inside Perry’s safe. I don’t know about you, but, for my generation, what my parents kept in their safe was something that was mysterious and wonderful and I wanted to know what was in it.
Panel 5: The mystery is revealed. Perry used to keep super-cigars in it — cigars that granted him (and, in this story, Superman) temporary super-powers — but they’ve run out. Perry White keeps illegal Cuban cigars in it now. The intrusive cloud of cigar smoke from the first three panels swirls into the frame…
Panel 6: Really, Clark’s expression is priceless and the detailing on his features is exquisite. Perry doesn’t need to be in the frame as his dialogue, hand and Zippo lighter stand for him.
Panel 7: Look at what sells Clark’s feigned fainting: his hair gets messed up, he grabs his chest with one hand, he waves the cigar away with the other, his glasses slide down his nose and and his tie flaps loosely. Perry amusingly doesn’t take Clark’s histrionics seriously and ponders on the cigar…
