Outstanding scenes in the graphic novel included the invitation talk, the charity event, and the last scenes of them eating their first meal married. Those scenes were simple but super effective: the blacked out names were something new and innovative that I hadn't seen done before. Its more for the privacy of those involved, but mostly it was a really neat way to simplify and clarify the whole scene without making the reader too caught up in figuring out who is who. "The truth is, that strip, along with pretty much the rest of the book, is basically a simplification or distillation of any real conversation that might’ve transpired." (Tomine, The Thought Fox) Tomine's simplification in Scenes of an Impending Marriage really strips the events down to the bare emotional bones, so you can really get a sense as to how emotional the prenuptials were for them. The comic itself, visually, is simple: no use of colour, just back and white. Most of the comic is done with white backgrounds and black lines, but the end scenes are more heavy with backs to imply the change of mood and setting. Its's more effective that way, shows the importance of the scene as well as making the ending really stand out from the quietness of the rest of the comic.
There is not much action going on in the comic (especially in the earlier strips), but more action would just take away from the emotional focus on the small banter or arguments between them. Tomine effectively uses less to make us feel more.
More on Tomine on the making of: The Thought Fox
Thanks for the wonderful insight into the technical aspects Izzy! this is truly an awesome look on how Tomine was about to create the work and for what purpose not to mention getting a clean little wrap up at the end was cute. You are totally right about how this comic was suited to less action orientated aspects to focus on the emotion appeal of the story. This graphic novel wouldn't what it is without it's focus on relationships.
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