"Salon" Analysis

This week has really been a blessing for Blogke fans; despite the academic recess¹, diary comics have been coming out at an exciting pace, demonstrating Bobke's dedication to the blog. Today, I want to focus on Blogke's Seinfeld-esque sensibilities, particularly in his execution of the "relatable comic." March 11's comic, "Salon," is a great example of said format, depicting an unfortunate experience Bobke had getting a haircut.

Panel 1 introduces a sense of disorientation often felt when getting a haircut; no matter how old you are or how many times you're getting your hair cut, it never really feels like you know what's going on. Ultimately, you're surrendering yourself to the whims of the barber, who, in most ways, is a stranger². The introduction of an unfamiliar face (the hairwasher) creates this sense of unease, while their friendly (yet imposing) demeanor establishes a comforting authority.

Panel 3 elaborates on the familiar unfamiliarity of the barber; while you see the person cutting your hair very rarely, conversations with them can range from the purely formal to the remarkably personal--as we see here, the topic of his romantic life has come up.³ 

Then, of course, is the final panel, in which Bobke realizes his hair has been cut too short. Foreshadowed in Panel 2, we find that the hairstylist has an entirely different perception of Bobke's hair, and perhaps, his self, too. This is a common and relatable situation; many before him have sat in a barber chair, wishing they could unsnip a few snips--or, perhaps, unsay a few words.  

The power in this comic comes from the way it succeeds not just in creating bridges across common day-to-day interactions, but also across the human experience as a whole. We all struggle with the stresses of knowing and being known⁴. To know is to bear, yet to not know is to be an outsider. To be known is to be seen, yet being seen comes with complexities as well. 

Reading Blogke, I feel as though Bobke is letting himself be known, yet, beyond that, I think he is opening a network of human understanding, in which we all seek to know each other better, as well.

Feel free to leave your thoughts on this post below! Any opinions on the footnotes?⁵

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1 Bobke is, for the uninformed reader, a university student, and thus has a week off from school. ^↩
2 A wise friend once told me that "there is nothing more dangerous than a barber with nothing to lose." ^↩
3 This may be a breach of my journalistic integrity, but I must comment that I have received a haircut from Bobke's very haircutter (which, of course, was to my great delight) and found that I was, in many ways, involved in a deeply personal and affecting conversation. ^↩
4 I don't pretend to know what Neon Genesis Evangelion is about, but I get the impression that it touches on this idea. ^↩
5 Sorry about the footnotes. I just read an essay by David Foster Wallace.  ^↩