"An Inside Job," 3/27/05

Scale shifts are a common trope of the op-ed illo. Often they're used to project a sense of overwhelming force (a huge foot coming down on the scene Terry Gilliam-style, a giant hand reaching out to help in a disaster) or dimunition in the face of historical momentum (someone standing on the shoulders of a giant). Today Michael Klein uses scale shift to convey a more balanced relationship. It's the intimate positioning of the two figures, one climbing up the tie of the other, that breaks the mold and gives the picture its disarming and playful air, making an otherwise conventional business-theme illo worth a longer look.