Style
The backgrounds were realistically drawn; the characters were originally cartoonish (Rick's nose was pure cartoon), but became more realistic over the years. There are surreal themes mixed in (such as the pun-laden names). The strip was originally a humor strip set in the present day West, but in 1969 the setting was changed to the year 1869. Strong elements of adventure, philosophy, morality and tragedy (such as Hipshot teetering on the brink of death following a gunfight) were then added to the storyline.
Breathtaking scenery is often shown in single panels in the Sunday strip, with an unusual slant. Hipshot is frequently referred to as an "outlaw," and in one strip he decided to regain his losses at poker by holding up the local bank. But sometimes in the Sunday strip he is shown alone, on horseback, in the Western background, speaking to his Maker, whom he addresses as "Boss." He does not attend church and prefers to recognize his God in a privately styled fashion.
Read more about this topic: Rick O'Shay
Famous quotes containing the word style:
“If the British prose style is Churchillian, America is the tobacco auctioneer, the barker; Runyon, Lardner, W.W., the traveling salesman who can sell the world the Brooklyn Bridge every day, can put anything over on you and convince you that tomatoes grow at the South Pole.”
—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)
“His style is chaos illumined by flashes of lightning. As a writer he has mastered everything except language.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“In comedy, the witty style wins out over every mishap of the plot.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)