Lio and the Fourth Wall 7

Most newspaper comic strip artists have tropes they can return to again and again for humor. Few do as Mark Tartulli of Lio does -- play with the very conventions of sequential art itself (see Lio and the Fourth Wall for examples).

In his 11/13/14 strip, Tartulli breaks the wall in a curious way. (click on image to enlarge)

Yes, that's Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willie cruising under the panel borders that have morphed into a drawbridge. I originally thought that Tartulli was referencing the premier of this ground-breaking cartoon. But it was first shown on November 18, 1928. Not the right day, and not even a significant anniversary (86 years).

But still -- a clever way to make us aware of something that always disappears from view when we're reading the comics; the panel border.