Timeline – 2004 Part 1

Hi and Lois Sunday page digital proof, March 28, 2004.

The Sunday page above chronicles a typical day in the life of Chip Flagston.  Although it was quite eventful, it didn’t seem to faze him very much.

It is fun to do an episode like this with minimal dialogue.  Let the pictures tell the story.

The gag gave Chance Browne an opportunity to experiment with some interesting panel configurations.  He used diagonal, horizontal and vertical borders. There are scenes of a lecture, a classroom, a fist fight, a romantic moment, a basketball game and general mayhem.  The split panels allow for a lot of action and incidents that suggest the passage of time. Overall, it makes for an attractive page.

This all leads to the mundane dinner conversation at the end.  It provides a subtle contradiction to the events that are depicted.  I wonder how many teenagers have days like this.

Note:  In the drop panel at the top, Chip is boarding a bus for Wilton High School, which is Chance Browne’s hometown.  We both currently live in Wilton, Connecticut.

Next week check back for another classic episode from 2004 in our ongoing Timeline series.

– Brian Walker