Polite Dissent

You would think that syringes would be pretty easy to draw: when the syringe is full, the plunger should be all the way back. When the plunger is plunged, then the syringe should be empty. When the plunger is half-way, then the syringe should be about half full (with the fluid in the end near the needle).

Somehow it never works out that way. Incorrectly drawn syringes are probably the second most common comic book/medical art error (with oxygen tubing being the first). I think most of these mistakes are probably due to the colorist who marks the wrong part of the syringe for filling. Most of the other syringe-related errors can be blamed on the penciler, who draws the plunger in the wrong location (or maybe he drew it right and the inker screwed it up). Regardless, keep your eyes open and you should be able to find one of these errors easily. (I don’t have my notes or my comics with me — they’re down at the new house — so I can’t show you any examples right now. I do remember seeing several syringe mistakes in last month’s comics and I know that Anima #3 has a fairly blatant example).