Though its characters haven’t aged in years, the Hi and Lois world is ever in flux. Furniture disappears and windows change shape in the interstices; a neighbor changes his hair color and no one says a thing. I like the contrast between the speech balloons above: first Hi’s risqué suggestion, then the twins’ cheerful cure for Lois’s seasonal affective disorder.¹ I notice too that the windows have again changed shape.
But there’s a more fundamental difference (as Professor Gingrich might say) between the above panels. Notice how the art has changed: as of January 15, every character, every object, every speech balloon is enclosed by a thick Sharpie-like line. I’ve read that eight people “animate” the strip: it looks as if they’re taking turns.
Update, January 22: Things are back to normal on the Hi-Lo production line. (But that shadow?)
¹ Re: seasonal affective disorder: that’s what Lois thinks is wrong. I suspect though that it has something to do with Hi’s clumsy attempt to “turn up the heat.”
Related reading
All Hi and Lois posts (via Pinboard)
comments: 2
Thanks for noticing the change in artwork in Hi and Lois. 8 people draw this strip?!!! Amazing that it is as consistant as it is.
Thanks for noticing my noticing. This post has had a flurry of visits from people searching for hi lois change art, so I’m not alone. I don’t know what “animate” means — I’d guess that ideas, art, inking are divided among several hands.
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