Fleep
Fleep is the story of Jimmy Yee, who enters a Phone Booth and blacks out. He wakes up to discover that the booth is encased in concrete.
Using nothing but the contents of his pockets, a Pay Phone, and his skills in mathematics, Jimmy must deduce how he got there, and how to escape, before he runs out of air.
This comic strip by Jason Shiga was originally published in the newspaper Asian Week, but was cancelled two-thirds into its run. Shiga has since published the complete story on his website: it can be read here.
This comic strip provides examples of:
- Author Appeal: From Shiga's description of the comic on his website: "About a quarter of the strips feature the main character working through various math problems. They are some of the most dramatic math problems you'll ever see in a comic strip."
- By the Lights of Their Eyes
- Chekhov's Gun: The first call Jimmy makes using the coins isn't as dead as it looks.
- Continuity Lock Out: It's no problem following the story when reading it all in one sitting; but the original print run was basically an object lesson in why newspaper comicstrips are no longer a good medium for detailed, continuity-heavy narratives.
- Dutch Angle: Indicates a devastating personal revelation.
- Heroic Sacrifice
- Internal Monologue
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: With a large helping of Amnesiac Dissonance.
- MacGyvering: It's awe-inspiring what Jimmy accomplishes using the contents of a phone booth. He is a terrorist after all.
- Minimalism: Only one character and one very small room are shown.
- Minimalist Cast
- Ontological Mystery
- Phone Booth
- Redemption Equals Death: Jimmy sacrifices himself in order to save an innocent victim of his terrorist attack.
- Death Equals Redemption: He openly admits that it's a cold, calculated decision: He wants to be with his dead wife, and he hopes to be redeemed enough by sacrificing himself for to save someone else's life.
- Tomato in the Mirror