Short, silent comic that I did for one of my first CCS assignments last semester. 64 pages, black & white, 3.75″ x 3.75″. About hanging on too long, coercion, and guilt. (Trigger warning: assault.)
I wanted this comic to be something that could open a dialog of “Where’s the line between a poor decision and coerced consent?” Based on the in-class critique, the earliest draft accomplished that. However, the pacing was messy and revisions were requested.
Having gone through the revisions, I’m not sure that this final version would provoke that discussion but it’s time for me to move forward and work on other things. Sorry for this sad one, folks.
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This is really powerful, and I think illustrates a lesser-seen side of sexual assault. So many people don’t see what they do as sexual assault. The guy in this comic doesn’t seem to feel any guilt, doesn’t seem to find his actions wrong at all. He’s not a big evil monster with a sinister look on his face, but a genuine nice-guy smile shows a carefree attitude. The lack of words is a good choice, and eliminates the cheesy cliche “come ooooon baby just let me kiss you” dialogue that can make the subject feel heavy handed. The black panels, and the sheer number of them, are really good at symbolically conveying what’s happening and getting the point across that this isn’t a poor decision that she regrets later, but was in fact not a decision at all.