Panel Loco: We Have Love
Seaguy is simple. I mean, Seaguy can be read at a simple level. I don’t mean to set up a surface/depth distinction. All meaning is on the surface. I mean, Seaguy can be read by taking in few objects, and few relationships between those objects, on the page.
Seaguy is complex. I mean, Seaguy has a lot of detail. There are many objects, and many relationships between those objects, that can be found on the page.
My favourite readings of Seaguy have identified pieces that imply a picture of the condition of living in contemporary Western capitalism. To fully understand this meaning of Seaguy, to identify as many objects and relationships to convince, would take more time and probably more ability than I have. All I hope to do is put another piece on the critical page.
Cameron Stewart’s first double-page spread of Seaguy (vol 2: Slaves of Mickey Eye) shows Seaguy walking, with shoulders slumped, into the distance. This is the transformation of a classic Ditko image that first appears in the final panel of Spider-Man’s origin in Amazing Fantasy #15. A refined version can be found in Amazing Spider-Man #11.
Ditko’s panels come with captions that both describe Spidey/Peter’s sadness and spruik further adventures. Stewart transforms the captions (text panels) into two inset (picture) panels. The sadness is now in Seaguy’s silent facial expression, while the spruik issues from Lucky.
The moonlit, street-level silhouette of New York has been transformed into a lamplit, pristine New Venice.
In Ditko’s first image we see Spider-Man. In the second we see Peter Parker beneath a giant projection of Spider-Man. Ditko is teasing out the relationship between Spider-Man and Peter Parker. Stewart now condenses Spider-Man down into the visible daemon Lucky.
What does it mean that a final claustrophobic panel has been exploded into an early spacious spread? What does it mean that the first double-page spread of Seaguy (vol 1) crackles with Kirby dots? What does it all mean?
I don’t know.
Within pages, Lucky is a clockwork corpse, after revealing that he’s been parroting the party line. Seaguy’s conscience is not his own, but none of our’s ever is. Chubby’s replacement with Lucky shows how our consciences are structured by the dominant discourse. Of course Chubby was no more real than Lucky was. Who did it serve that his “da fug” moments slipped out of his seven second memory?
Seaguy’s sadness is structural too. He’s assuming a pose that others have assumed. Chubby might have been the fish with memory issues, but Lucky is the Dory of this Finding Nemo, objectified after the death of another. Lucky is an artefact, so he should mean only what he was meant to mean; yet while the Eye can control everything, they cannot control meaning. And so they cannot control Lucky’s love. Seaguy’s true tragedy is not the loss of Chubby, but the loss of Lucky. He’s got his great power (Chubby/Lucky) but he hasn’t found his great responsibility yet. If we must follow generic tracks, we could at least try to be kind.
Next month! Looks like science lied about this place big time! Filthy thoughts! Da fug!