James Sheasby Thomas

ALT Panel one. A bathroom. We can see the tap end of a bath. A speech bubble reads: “While the humdrum plot, stock characters and simplistic dialogue may irk some readers, perseverance is rewarded in the latter stages of the book…” Panel two. The viewpoint has panned along, we now we the middle of the bath. A rubber duck sits on the side. The speech continues: “ wherein the author makes delightfully playful use of a rubber speaker then literally brings the reader into the story by placing a real mirror on the page!” Panel three. We can now see the last part of the bath. A small baby holding a book is revealed to be the speaker. The baby finishes the review: “… unquestionably one of the great waterproof bathtime books of our time! Five Stars!”

ALT A Comic strip. Panel 1: On the horizon a large passenger ship sinks into the sea. A woman sits on a raft, "if only there was space for us both!" she says as she leans back on a large, well-stocked bookcase. Her lover, clinging to the raft replies "Maybe if we lode the bookcase...?" Panel 2. "My poor darling!" says the woman "Oh, how I wish there was something I could do to help you". The lover, now sunk further into the water continues "... or even just empty one of the shelves?" Panel 3. The lover is now neck-deep in the water and the raft has been carried away on the tide. "Fate can be so cruel" muses the woman, without looking up from the book that she is now reading "Farewell my love. I'll never forget you."