Lesson 3

Have you ever found yourself asking "Hey what's the deal with helmets in this comic?" Well Gallagher has decided to answer that question this week. Let's take a look at 9.18 first: Sometimes a Helmet is just a Helmet.

The owls appear in comics to comment almost directly on the Gallagher era Heathcliff memes, directly addressing the meme or developing them. I don't see many owl comics in the archives that don't follow this idea. Here, we are getting a direct, viewer focused statement that sometimes a helmet is just a helmet. Which obviously brings the implication that sometimes it isn't. He's talking to the readers and saying "Yeah, sometimes the helmets are working in metaphor and symbolism." This leads me to developing the idea further on the owls. I think they are the direct voice of the author. Look back at their comics and consider this. I'll probably have a write up in the works on explaining this idea better. Probably a #compelling cast on the owls

Something else to note about this panel is that it is part of a theme week. A helmet themed week. It's safe to assume the comics are related on on a theme week so let me try to sell you on something.

Let's turn these comics into a series of statements.
1. Sometimes a helmet is a state of mind
2. And sometimes it's a show of loyalty,
3. sometimes it is an emotional billboard
4. And sometimes it's a label of connection.
5. Sometimes a helmet is just a helmet.
6. Sometimes it is a signifier of Who You Are

In all cases, it is a choice to wear the helmet

• "You seem to like this particular helmet." You like wearing the helmet that tells people you are a bad boy. You are fulfilled by being a badboy.
• "He's tight with the sun." You can tell because he's wearing the Sun helmet and dresses like the Sun.
• "She hates that helmet" Because she sees her man's scandalous emotional state that he is choosing to broadcast to the world.
• "The meat drone is in the experimental phase." Heathcliff is wearing protective gear labeling his connection to the meat market and also as what he is: a stand in for the meat in this phase of experimentation.
• "Sometimes a helmet is just a helmet." Says the authorial voice. In this case, the helmet IS just a helmet.
• "Write your own helmet, son." Heathcliff chooses to live a lifestyle to be a Bro. Look at his relationship with Jimmy, all his old Junkyard mates, Iggy. Even when they aren't around, he's still a Bro. This man chose to be a father and take on the identity of Dad. The kid has to choose his own identity in this way, he didn't choose to be a son. It's a coming of age. It's also a statement to us: "Here is Helmet week. You know the game now, go play it."

Gallagher, by golly dadgumit. You've done it again.

Hats -- or helmets?-- off to another amazing Theme Week.