Panel 2: Dr. John Patterson, DDS and apprehended criminal, confesses to his daughter. Let the guilt seep in for at least this one panel.
Panel 3: Because the guilt is gone on this panel as Dr. Patterson turns it into an angry psychopath confession. We are once again robbed of April’s reaction by a silhouette that makes her cheeks look puffy. A note to the artist: The reason this strip will not come off as funny is right in this panel. Dr. Patterson’s facial expression is so angry here, particularly in the mouth, the next panel comes off not as the intended ironic, but a little disturbing. John’s facial expression in panel 2 would have been a much better choice. To carry a joke, it is just as important for the art to work as the written dialogue.
Panel 4: Dr. Patterson turns to leave with his “Hoot” finger out to April as if she were the one who committed the crime. April looks shocked and has her hands out as if to demonstrate why the artist should not be drawing hands, if it can at all be avoided. I sympathize with April here. She has to absorb the knowledge that her father went out on a joyride with her boyfriend and Duncan and was caught by the police with them in the car. She has to adjust to the fact that her father turned crazy in the middle of his confession to her. She has learned first hand that her father is incapable of expressing true guilt about a wrongdoing. She has to do all this in front of her best friends. That’s a pretty heavy load to bear for a 15-year-old girl.
