Why do Roy's boots have different sizes?

[BeerMug Paladin]

Huh. I always just figured the different size boots were there to make the art more visually interesting to look at. You know, give more character to the style.

[AchtungNight]

My cousin naturally has 2 different foot sizes due to genetics. It happens (and is a pain for boot & shoe salesmen).

[Kish]

Your cousin can probably remember which boot goes on which foot, though.

[Peelee]

Kinda reminds me of that guy who found his sole mate.

[skim172]

Alternatively: Roy actually belongs to a species of humans who've cross-bred partly with shapeshifters, and have now developed a unique evolutionary trait in that their internal musculature is fluid and can shift its distribution rapidly throughout the body in response to movement. When Roy places one of his feet down, the muscle tissue shifts towards that plant leg, which gives him greater stability and a lower center of gravity - an evolutionary trait that helps explain his combat prowess.

It has the effect, of course, of causing his feet to expand and shrink in turn as he walks. Thus all members of the human species known as homo sapiens magnapedus must wear special stretchy elastic shoes.

When he left his hometown on his adventures, Roy did get teased for his unusual shape-shifting feet ... once. But the first time you get booted by a man who can shift his center of gravity and 80% of his muscle mass into his kicking leg .... well, there won't be a second.

[D.One]

Alternatively: Roy actually belongs to a species of humans who've cross-bred partly with shapeshifters, and have now developed a unique evolutionary trait in that their internal musculature is fluid and can shift its distribution rapidly throughout the body in response to movement. When Roy places one of his feet down, the muscle tissue shifts towards that plant leg, which gives him greater stability and a lower center of gravity - an evolutionary trait that helps explain his combat prowess.

It has the effect, of course, of causing his feet to expand and shrink in turn as he walks. Thus all members of the human species known as homo sapiens magnapedus must wear special stretchy elastic shoes.

When he left his hometown on his adventures, Roy did get teased for his unusual shape-shifting feet ... once. But the first time you get booted by a man who can shift his center of gravity and 80% of his muscle mass into his kicking leg .... well, there won't be a second.

LOL

And now I'm trying to figure out all the statistics for playing an homo sapiens magnapedus...

[DaggerPen]

My understanding is that it was originally a perspective thing that was largely phased out but which Rich kept for Roy for stylistic purposes. My understanding is also that Rich tends to c/p stick figures for reuse and then forget to flip the boots/eyes, hence the gag about mixing up the big and little boots. I think Roy's eyes are "backwards" because Rich screwed it up enough times with the base model that he uses for Roy and many other male warrior types like Thog that he kept it as just part of the character's look (though I like to headcanon that it means Roy is a bit cross-eyed or has a lazy eye.)

[dtilque]

My understanding is that it was originally a perspective thing that was largely phased out but which Rich kept for Roy for stylistic purposes.

Nope, it's still in use for other characters, even in the latest strip. Note in panel 4 that Haley's and Elan's near boots are larger than their far boots.

[DaggerPen]

Nope, it's still in use for other characters, even in the latest strip. Note in panel 4 that Haley's and Elan's near boots are larger than their far boots.

Good eye! I think the size disparity is larger with Roy's though. Or maybe I'm wrong, lol

[dtilque]

Good eye! I think the size disparity is larger with Roy's though. Or maybe I'm wrong, lol

Yes, Roy has big clodhoppers, so the effect is largest for him. If you go back to whatever art upgrade gave Elan shoes (not in the first strips; at one point he meta-comments about how he wasn't sure if he actually had shoes in those strips) you'll see the effect has always been there, just more subtle than for Roy. The effect is even more subtle for V, Durkon, and Belkar, but it is usually there. Probably no more than a couple pixels, though.

[martianmister]

I think Roy and Thog's eyes are reverse because of a mistake in their models.

[DaggerPen]

I think Roy and Thog's eyes are reverse because of a mistake in their models.

I think it's a bit more complicated than that - many of the early comics have Roy's eyes the right way. But it seems like the Giant mixed it up at some point, possibly with a saved template model he uses for Roy and Thog, and just leaned into it once he realized what he'd done.

[skim172]

I think Roy and Thog's eyes are reverse because of a mistake in their models.

The bigger eye is Roy's zoom lens.

He's also a cyborg.