A wry, comparatively lighthearted comic panel. Sláine lounges deep in an oversized chair, one arm draped casually along its back, hair and fur mantle rumpled, wearing an unusually satisfied grin rather than his usual battle grimace. In the foreground, seen mostly from behind, sits a smaller, large-eared figure, likely Ukko, the strips recurring bardic sidekick, whose oversized ears and hunched posture read as comic counterpoint to Sláines bulk. The speech balloon has Sláine remarking I find its one that resolves disputes rather quickly, a dry, self-satisfied line that plays against whatever blunt instrument of diplomacy just went unseen off-panel. The color palette is cool and pale, sage green and dusty blue, a deliberate change of pace from the fiery reds and ochres of the combat pages, appropriate for a scene of leisure rather than war. Ukko was devised by writer Pat Mills as a comic-relief narrator and chorus for the strip, regularly puncturing Sláines self-seriousness, and moments like this, low-key, verbal, almost sitcom-ish in rhythm, show how much of the series identity depended on humor to offset its relentless gore. It is also a reminder that Bisleys skill as a cartoonist extended well past spectacle, that he could stage a small two-hander conversation with the same clarity and personality he brought to a full-page battle, using posture and expression alone, the loose grin, the relaxed sprawl of the limbs, to sell a joke that the dialogue only half completes on its own.
Slaine relaxes
