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4[[quoteright:299:[[Webcomic/{{Sinfest}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beat_panel_10.png]]]]
5
6->''"DID YOU SEE THOSE TWO BEAT PANELS\
7THEY WERE '''CRUCIAL''' TO THE JOKE"''
8-->-- '''Yelling Bird''', ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent''
9
10A silent panel in SequentialArt. Usually the next-to-last panel in a serialized comic strip, since it approximates the comedic pause before a punchline.
11
12Particularly efficient comic artists may [[IdenticalPanelGag copy and paste adjacent panels]], since the point of the Beat Panel is usually that the characters are frozen in contemplation. Another variation is to have ''two'' beat panels, with just a quizzical change of expression in the second to show a character's confusion (more likely to happen in a four-panel strip than a three-panel strip). It can also be [[OddShapedPanel unusually long]] to indicate a long beat.
13
14Compare SilentSceneryPanel. A {{Beat}} is the (un)spoken version. Not to be confused with NarrativeBeats.
15
16----
17!!Examples:
18[[foldercontrol]]
19
20[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
21* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'':
22** The manga of uses these a ''lot'', often at the end of the comic when the gag is a lack of action. These usually translate to (often hilarious) stretches of awkward silence in the anime. One of the more memorable ones:
23--->Panel 1: '''Chiyo:''' Oh, Sakaki, you're here already! It'll be an hour before the others get here!\
24Panel 2: '''Sakaki:''' It's okay... I'll wait outside... with [[BigFriendlyDog Mr. Tadakichi]]...\
25Panels 3 and 4: ''[the same image of Sakaki, perfectly content, sitting under a tree with Mr. Tadakichi]''
26** An example of how they translate this: in the anime, during the same scene, the camera stays focused on Sakaki as ''every other main character'' walks into Chiyo's house.
27* ''Manga/{{Witchcraft}}'':
28** This {{Hentai}} manga uses it to great comedic effect. Kagami is trying to get Kaoru to relax so she can effectively hypnotize him (Mildly {{NSFW}} text):
29---> [[spoiler: '''Kagami:''' Well, the easiest way is that relaxed state right after ejaculation. All right, ejaculate.]]\
30[[spoiler: '''Kaoru:''' Right...]]\
31[[spoiler:''[{{beat panel}}]'']]\
32[[spoiler: '''Kaoru:''' ... ... Ejaculate?]]\
33[[spoiler: '''Kagami:''' Yes.]]\
34[[spoiler: '''Kaoru:''' You mean where it ... squirts out?]]\
35[[spoiler: '''Kagami:''' That's right. Now hurry up.]]
36** Later in the same comic, [[spoiler:Sara hypnotizes Kaoru into "raping" Megumi as punishment for Megumi's HeelFaceTurn.]] Several panels with Sara looking [[SweatDrop increasingly distressed]] and a caption of "thirty minutes later" with nobody feeling particularly punished, Sara finally tells them to cut it out.
37* Happens in ''Literature/{{Corsair}}'' manga, where the princess of a powerful pirate group finally announces to her family that she intends to wed their {{mysterious|Past}} and [[DudeLooksLikeALady very pretty]] strategist, Kanale. Cue their [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership right-hand]] MasterSwordsman, Ayase, who [[TheStoic rarely shows any emotion at all]], speak the following:
38--> '''Ayase''': I never said I approved (of you choosing Kanale). In fact there's another problem before all this: Kanale already belongs to me.\
39''[the silence goes on for multiple panels]''
40* There's one early on in the ''Manga/BattleRoyale'' manga. Shuya asks Noriko how she can trust him so easily. She says "You didn't peek at my panties." Cue the ellipsis and possibly the only instance of humor in the story.
41* ''Manga/LoneWolfAndCub'' probably sets a record. The last chapter contains the same BeatPanel ''eight times'' across multiple pages. It underscores how dramatic the moment is; the implication is that the moment was practically endless for all watching.
42* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'': In ''Spotlight: Trailcutter'', Whirl uses three identical Beat Panels to "imitate" Tailcutter's "grotesque Forcefield Face." Whirl is a faceless Empurata victim.
43* ''Manga/BakiTheGrappler'':
44** Taken to an extreme in ''Baki Dou''. When Motobe visits Yuujiro (essentially the most powerful and undefeatable creature on Earth) and warns him that Musashi is too strong an opponent for him, we get a whole page of nothing but identical beat panels, depicting Yuujiro's face with a look that says "this is the single dumbest thing I've heard in my entire life."
45** Happens again in a later chapter, when Donald Trump learns that each president of the United States must swear an oath of non-aggression to Yuujiro. The result is a whole page of beat panels depicting Trump's incredulous face.
46[[/folder]]
47
48[[folder:Comic Books]]
49* Creator/ChristopherPriestComics might well be the TropeCodifier. ComicBook/QuantumAndWoody, ComicBook/BlackPanther, and pretty much everything else he wrote were rife with beat panels. The impressive thing was that as often as he used them, they never got stale or overdone; he knew exactly when and where to use them.
50* The Keith Giffen/J. M. [=DeMatteis=] comedy incarnation of ''Franchise/{{Justice League|ofAmerica}}'' used this all the time, sometimes featuring entire Beat ''Pages''.
51* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': J.M. [=DeMatteis=]'s run on ''ComicBook/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' featured a beat page -- but it wasn't funny, rather it was one of the creepiest pages ever seen in a comic book.
52* Used excessively in ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'', then {{Lampshaded}} when the main character gets his comics signed by an artist who comments on his use of copying and pasting panels.
53* In the comic ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'', after Beast Boy asked Raven to go with him on a "[[NotADate not-a-date]]", there was a beat panel before Raven said "Let's go".
54* In an ''[[ComicBook/IronMan Invincible Iron Man]]'' issue, Pepper Potts admits to Maria Hill that she slept with Tony. A shocked Maria Hill admits that she also slept with Tony a few days before Potts. Follows a succession of panels with both looking shocked, each at each other, and then each looking down, visibly angry. After that, Hill mutters a simple "Tony Stark. Tony [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] Stark."
55* One of the traditions of a super team crossover is having a few B-List (or even major) villains crash the headquarters seeking revenge, then a beat panel as they realize there are [[OhCrap quite a few more super heroes than they expected.]]
56* Creator/PeterDavid enjoys regular use of these. The ''ComicBook/{{Madrox}}'' mini-series contained a number of examples.
57* In ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'', Scott asks Wallace what the website for Amazon.ca is. Wallace gets his beat panel with a dumbfounded look and a series of ellipses and responds ".... Amazon.ca".
58* During the Creator/JossWhedon run on ''ComicBook/AstonishingXMen'', the morning after Peter Rasputin and Kitty Pryde [[TheirFirstTime finally make love]], they meet with Wolverine in the kitchen. Two beat panels follow; one where Wolverine looks at Peter, and one where he looks at Kitty. He then returns to his breakfast, muttering, "'Bout time."
59* Two separate pages of these in the ''[[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyMicroSeries Twilight Sparkle Micro Series]]'' issue, indicating the awkward silence between Jade and Twilight during their meals.
60* Creator/KevinMaguire specializes in multi-panel closeups of characters [[{{Corpsing}} trying not to break down in laughter.]] [[note]] He was the artist for part of the Keith Giffen/J. M. [=DeMatteis=] run on ''Franchise/{{Justice League|ofAmerica}}''.[[/note]]
61* A noticeable, though not exactly comedic, example occurs in ''ComicBook/TheWickedAndTheDivine''. Annie tells the cops not to follow her, immediately turns into Badb and threatens them, and then dissolves into crows. After that happens, everybody stares at where she was standing for a moment before a total riot breaks out.
62* Creator/BrianMichaelBendis is fond of using beat panels. One example in ''Invincible Iron Man'' has Tony Stark holding out his hand for Doctor Strange to high-five him for four panels before the Sorcerer Supreme reluctantly gives in, prompting Stark to shout "Awesome facial hair bros" to Strange's dismay.
63** Bendis likes beat panels so much he practically gave it one of his characters as a superpower. [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales Miles Morales]] has a Venom Blast that activates a few seconds after physical contact with an opponent. Said foe will maybe be a little confused as to why Spider-Man just finger-poked them, then spasm wildly as the bioelectric stock courses through their system. All while Miles watches on with his big white spider eyes. In another indicator of the sheer Bendis-ity of this, the Venom Blast takes effect instantly under nearly every other creative team who's used Miles.
64* In ''ComicBook/ThePowerpuffGirls'' story "Powerful Pretty" (DC #36), Bubbles' face is smeared with makeup (part of a Sedusa plot). When she turns to Buttercup, there is a beat panel of Buttercup staring in disbelief, followed by a panel of her laughing her head off.
65** "Like It Or Lumpkins" (DC #33) shows two beat panels of Fuzzy Lumpkins standing on his "propitty" after chasing the girls off--they came to retrieve a Mojo Jojo device that had landed on Fuzzy but Fuzzy says it's his since it landed on his property. After the two beat panels, the girls return:
66-->'''Girls:''' '''''Pleeeeease?!?'''''\
67'''Fuzzy:''' '''''Ah said gitt!!'''''
68* Happens twice in ''ComicBook/SonictheHedgehogMegaManWorldsCollide'' whenever somebody gets confused about the two characters named Shadow Man (One is the robot master from ''VideoGame/MegaMan3'', the other is the roboticized Shadow the Hedgehog.)
69** The first time is when Eggman and Wily opt to send Shadow Man at the Heroes... both of them.
70--->'''Eggman''': Still, I'm sending Shadow Man to intercept our main problem.\
71'''Wily''': You mean... '''my''' Shadow Man or '''our''' Shadow Man?\
72(beat, with Eggman and Wily glancing at each other with an eyebrow raised)\
73'''Both doctors''': '''Both!'''
74** The second time, it's Sonic and Mega Man confronting the robots, and their names being the same causes confusion between the heroes.
75--->'''Sonic''': Okay, I've got the naming convention down. You're--\
76'''Sonic and Mega Man, at the same time''': Shadow Man!\
77(beat, with robot and hedgehog giving each other confused glances).
78* ''ComicBook/BeastsOfBurden'': At the end of "The Gathering Storm", after the gang has just been sworn into the Wise Dog Society as junior apprentices, most of them suddenly realize that they need to get home and practically trip over each other rushing off. There's a panel of the remaining characters (Red, Emrys, Miranda and the Orphan) silently watching them go before the Orphan dryly remarks, "I feel safer already."
79* ''ComicBook/{{Loop}}'': After the blue twin tries to attack her sister in the past but ends up [[DidntThinkThisThrough just leaving her alone in the present]], the red twin is left just standing there alone for a couple panels, letting the failure sink in.
80[[/folder]]
81
82[[folder:Comic Strips]]
83* Pretty much every comic has used this at some point. It's been around since the early days of comics, but it really took off in the '60s and '70s, when a new generation of cartoonists raised on films and television sought to make their comics more cinematic. ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'' is often credited with popularizing the beat, and it remains one of the most frequent users of this trope.
84* A comic strip by Creator/DavidLynch was almost entirely made up of beat panels. The [[CutAndPasteComic same ones]]. For ten years.
85* ''ComicStrip/LifeInHell'' occasionally uses these to an extreme. Matt Groening refers to these as "all those Akbar and Jeff strips where they stare at each other." Keep in mind there were often dozens of panels to a page.
86* ''ComicStrip/{{Herman}}'' used this panel often, and sometimes so many at once that only one panel had any dialogue in it.
87* Interestingly, ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' occasionally pulled this off in a one-panel strip. The visual was some awkward situation, while the punchline came in the caption.
88* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] as well as demonstrated in this ''ComicStrip/BarneyAndClyde'' strip seen [[http://cdn.svcs.c2.uclick.com/c2/8d6c63008d05012ee3c400163e41dd5b here]].
89* A frequent occurrence in ''ComicStrip/{{Concyt}}'', usually involving either [[OnlySaneMan Conchy or Oom Paul]] pondering whatever idiocy or insanity has just been presented to them before passing wry judgement.
90* Sometimes happens in ''{{ComicStrip/Retail}}''. In [[http://retailcomics.com/comic/april-3-2007/ this]] strip, Cooper even asks if the trope is overused.
91[[/folder]]
92
93[[folder:Fan Works]]
94* ''Webcomic/{{Defragmentation}}: One comic has a dialogue-less panel between Pink catching Spamton going through their wallet and Spamton deciding to EatTheEvidence.
95[[/folder]]
96
97[[folder:Video Games]]
98* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', due to its manga-like cutscenes, is a rare VideoGame example. The game has this exchange in week three with several Beat Panels
99-->'''Beat:''' We ain't treading on thin ice! Shibuya's not cold enough for ice!\
100'''Uzuki:''' .....\
101'''Kariya:''' .....\
102'''Neku:''' .....
103** What really sells this is that all three of the people after Beat's comment are a DeadpanSnarker ensemble, and ''[[SarcasmFailure none of them have a comeback to that]]''.
104[[/folder]]
105
106[[folder:Visual Novels]]
107* ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' has quite a few moments where everyone sits in silence after what the witness has just said.
108-->'''Phoenix:''' .....\
109'''Edgeworth:''' .....\
110'''Judge:''' .....\
111'''Everyone Else:''' .....
112[[/folder]]
113
114[[folder:Web Comics]]
115* [[http://www.2pstart.com/ 2P START!]] features the mighty April Fools Day comic known as [[http://www.2pstart.com/2010/04/01/a-conversation/ A Conversation]], which may just be one of the tallest strips in existence due to the sheer number of beat panels it contains.
116-->"It's a trifecta. The comic tests the site's bandwidth, your patience, and my sanity."
117* In ''Webcomic/AMomentOfPeace'' there are three entire pages of "Awkward Pause" following Ito's [[http://www.amomentofpeace.net/index.php?num=135 declaration of love]].
118* ''Webcomic/Project0'' interestingly enough on [[http://www.centralcitytower.com/2010/02/new-installment.html page 8]] of part 1.1 and [[http://www.centralcitytower.com/2010/02/continuing-where-we-left-off-we-present.html page 8]] of part 1.2.
119* Refined into an art by ''Webcomic/{{Achewood}}'' except that it usually happens in the final panel to highlight an awkward silence or just something bizarre getting a bewildered reaction. [[http://achewood.com/index.php?date=05232006 Here is a good example for you to enjoy]].
120** Parodied by ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' [[http://xkcd.com/141/ in this tribute]].
121** Taken to comedic extremes [[http://achewood.com/index.php?date=02142005 here]].
122* Used often in ''ComicStrip/TheOptimist'' to represent [[http://the-opt.com/?p=24 listening]], [[http://the-opt.com/?p=25 waiting]], [[http://the-opt.com/?p=14 pausing to consider]], [[http://the-opt.com/?p=12 watching TV]], [[http://the-opt.com/?p=7 drawing]], [[http://the-opt.com/?p=942 consideration & reconsideration]], [[http://the-opt.com/?p=421 boiling with rage]], [[http://the-opt.com/?p=30 waiting for acknowledgement]], [[http://the-opt.com/?p=1314 disbelief]], and [[http://the-opt.com/?p=3186 scowling]].
123* ''Webcomic/AdorableDesolation'' uses the BeatPanel often, two examples are [[http://adorabledesolation.comicgenesis.com/d/20090202.html here]] and [[http://adorabledesolation.comicgenesis.com/d/20090126.html here]]
124* ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'' is famous for the third panel pause. [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/index.php?date=030513 Naturally]], it gets [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] ([[TropeName along with one of the author's more common comic formulae]]) in the course of the comic.
125** Especially [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/index.php?date=011201 this strip]], which had a three-panel pause.
126* ''Webcomic/CyanideAndHappiness'' uses this, frequently. Very frequently.
127* ''Webcomic/DeathToTheExtremist'' uses this ''constantly.'' Often {{exaggerated|Trope}} with comics like [[http://dtecomic.com/?n=3 this]].
128* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' uses this when Grace explains [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-07-08 the plan]] to cure Elliot of his [[GenderBender problem]].
129** Also, Tedd [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-05-27 and the spilled barrel of exposition]], Nanase [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-07-24 talking about Ellen with Susan]]. Grace [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2005-02-14 realizing she had to break her "morphing moratorium"]], Ellen [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2007-01-19 coming back to Earth]] and [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2008-09-03 informed]] of the Elliot's [[GenderBender upcoming powers]] and "Man Engulfs Food" [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-05-12 looking at dining Grace]].
130** Once [[http://egscomics.com/?date=2002-04-03 turned into gag in its own right]].
131--->And now, by popular demand, Jeremy, the creature nature never intended '''in his own comic!!!!!!!!'''
132** [[http://www.elgoonishshive.com/?date=2011-10-14 "Maybe you just think a woman can't be physically strong without turning into a man."]]
133**
134--->'''Gary:''' Oh, I'm terribly sorry! I didn't mean to be rude, it's just I used to think you didn't want to go on a second date with me because I was too geeky.\
135''[beat panel]''\
136'''Nanase:''' [[SureLetsGoWithThat Yes, it was entirely because I was a lesbian]].\
137'''Gary:''' Phew! Well, ain't that a boost for my fragile ego!
138** [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2013-04-05 This page]] is composed mostly of beat panels. It opens with Elliot sitting on the couch in a shocked pose due to his realization that [[spoiler: Sarah is like a sister to him.]] He breaks pose slightly to make a quick phone call to Ellen, and then promptly returns to his prior shocked pose.
139** Another one [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/party-080 here]] where Tedd projects an air of confidence that they're not really feeling.
140** The Emisary [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/balance-017 reacts]] this way to Grace's explination.
141* ''Webcomic/{{Flipside}}'' makes heavy non-comedic use of beat panels to represent contemplation and tension, to the point where most of a given day's strip may occur in total silence. As just one example, [[https://flipsidecomics.com/comic.php?i=4637 this page in chapter 59]] has only two dialogue panels in a seven-panel strip ... the rest is pondering and anticipation.
142* ''[[http://www.flyingmanandfriends.com Flying Man and Friends]]'' alternates between having the beat panel at [[http://www.flyingmanandfriends.com/?p=171 the end of the strip]] and having it [[http://www.flyingmanandfriends.com/?p=240 somewhere in the middle]].
143* ''Webcomic/FollyAndInnovation'' does this [[http://follyandinnovation.com/2010/04/o-holy-night-batman/ on occasion]]
144* Likewise, ''Webcomic/GarfieldMinusGarfield'' seems to thrive on the beat panel.
145* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' manages [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20070709 two in a row with different responses]]. Another one, [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20030910 courtesy of Sleipnir O'Hara]].
146** A RunningGag with characters realizing what they just said -- [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080314 Moloch]], [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090504 Agatha]] and [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20091014 Tarvek]].
147** When these airshipmen find the perfect extra bit of unnecessary weight to loose [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080801 Here]] and Tarvek and Gil come to realize just how good an argument can be made for the dingbots having the spark [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20091009 here]] it's an unspoken punchline.
148** When Gil and Captain Vole discuss the false Heterodyne heir.
149--->'''Vole''': De pipple of Mechanicsburg vould ''not'' ekcept [shutting down Castle Heterodyne] as proof dot she iz a Heterodyne.\
150'''Gil''': No, neither would my father.\
151'''Vole''':...not unless she danced nekked through de ruins vile trying to shoot down de moon, turned all de tourists into monsters--and den built a very dangerous fountain out of sausages.\
152''[beat]''\
153'''Gil''': [[RefugeInAudacity Well... yes, that goes without saying.]]
154* ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'' does this sometimes. The best example is probably Minmax [[https://www.goblinscomic.com/comic/03032010 here]].
155* ''Webcomic/HeadTrip'' doubles up on the beat panels in [[http://headtripcomics.comicgenesis.com/d/20080915.html this strip]] because, well, as that particular chapter of ''Literature/BreakingDawn'' put it, "There Are No Words For This".
156** Also, [[http://headtripcomics.comicgenesis.com/d/20081006.html this]]:
157--->'''[[TheAdjectivalSuperhero Hot Topic Avenger]]''': The acceptable pause for a punchline has passed, meaning either you're ''serious'' or you ''suck'' at telling a ''joke''.
158** And [[http://headtripcomics.comicgenesis.com/d/20100414.html this]].
159** [[http://headtripcomics.comicgenesis.com/d/20070723.html Another]] double beat panel when Mal "[[{{Troll}} cheers up]]" a chat room full of FanDumb.
160** Mal is ''[[http://headtrip.keenspot.com/d/20110221.html good]]'' at causing this.
161* Used in full by ''Webcomic/HelloEarthling'', and regularly too. Perhaps the most abusive example on this trope is [[http://www.helloearthling.co.uk/?strip_id=26 here]].
162* ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'' does this [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1763.html very often]].
163** [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1840.html Another strip]] has a NewsPost in which Morgan-Mar explains that he tried to avoid it (putting the silent panel earlier), but it just wasn't funny.
164** [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1926.html Another one does three]]- and a LampshadeHanging. [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1934.html The "Shakespeare" strip after that]] is entirely Beat Panels, possibly going for OverlyLongGag.
165** {{Inverted|Trope}} [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/1950.html here]], with the 3rd panel the only one with dialog.
166** Dare I suggest that [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/2168.html here]], he's going for an entire beat -strip-?
167** {{ExaggeratedTrope}}: why have ''a'' beat panel, when you can have [[http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/3088.html five]]?
168* Creator/MattGroening's ''ComicStrip/LifeInHell'' uses these quite a lot, especially in the strips featuring Akbar and Jeff. [[http://yourfaceisanadvert.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/jeff-and-akbar11.jpg Here]] is a typical example.
169* ''Webcomic/LotusCobraIsEvil'': By VisibleSilence in [[https://i.imgur.com/NbfiL1f.jpeg "Favorite Zendikar Card"]], as said by Cobra Commander.
170* ''Webcomic/MedicPics'': One is used when the artist realises his friend Partap doesn't like studying the same way he does. The panel that follows shows him wielding a baseball bat, with Partap suspiciously absent.
171* [[http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=535 Here]] is a HeroicBSOD version from ''Webcomic/{{Megatokyo}}''.
172** You don't have to go far to see this version: the [[http://www.megatokyo.com/index.php?strip_id=1 very first strip]] also has a Beat Panel.
173** [[http://megatokyo.com/strip/886 Three times]] [[http://megatokyo.com/strip/887 in a row]], two of those double panels.
174* ''Webcomic/{{Millennials}}'' has a few examples of awkward copy/pasted silence, like this one [[http://www.kotopopi.com/live/]] where the audience gives the speaker the silent treatment creating a super awkward moment.
175* ''Webcomic/MyMiddleNamesAdventure'' has been employing this since the [[http://www.doublepuma.com/adventure/comic/0001 first]] strip.
176** But most notably in strips with Amed. [[http://www.doublepuma.com/adventure/comic/0009/]]
177* The readers of ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'' refer to this as the "Silent Penultimate Panel", specifically when the next-to-last panel is the one that is the BeatPanel. Done often enough that one of the regular readers of ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}} Director's Cut'' maintains a running total.
178* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has a lot. "[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0303.html It seems unlikely]]". [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0482.html More good news]]. "[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0781.html How cute!]]" And a double [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0250.html when Roy x Miko ship sinks for good]].
179** The prequel book ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickOnTheOriginOfPCs On the Origins of PCs]]'' has a page with eight of these in a row, culminating in an outburst. [[ItMakesSenseInContext It fit the situation perfectly]].
180* There is an absolutely ''epic'' final panel beat in [[http://www.partiallyclips.com/pclipslite.php?id=1391&c=1# strip this]] ''Webcomic/PartiallyClips'' strip.
181* [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2001/4/18/ Nice little parody]] in ''Webcomic/PennyArcade''.
182** Elsewhere: [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/01/13 played straight]]!
183* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'' [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1557 uses]] [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1677 them]] [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1773 all]] [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3050 the]] [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3052 time]]
184** [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1280 This]] filler strip has two of them, and LampshadeHanging.
185* ''Webcomic/{{Realfield}}'' frequently subverts this by removing the punchline altogether. [[http://juannavarro.wordpress.com/2007/12/21/realfield-like-lasagna-too/ Trust me, it's funny.]]
186* ''Webcomic/SequentialArt'' has its share of beat panels. Like with [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=334 Kat looking at Art's art]] and [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=335 the next comic]], [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=465 this]] or [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=584 Iron-Pip]], [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=593 Art and colleague]] or [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=653 this]], with poor Kat... And now [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=681 Art and Pip]]. Later, with Hilary and [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=796 her foxy "new contact"]].
187** Also, [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=515 used as a punchline]].
188** Or, one of squirrel girls [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=701 notices]] [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=699 Martian Trash Cans]] hunting for Art --
189--->'''Violet:''' ''[panically]'' [[BuffySpeak A bad, floaty, shooty, tinny thing is being bad]] upstairs!\
190''[squirrel girls look at each other]''\
191'''[[HiveMind All four]]:''' ''[[[MuggingTheMonster gleefully]]'' ♥ ♥ '''''[[MadScientist Field test!]]''''' ♥ ♥
192** And in the same vein as the above, a [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=704 couple strips later]].
193--->'''Kat:''' Scarlet?! What are you wearing?\
194'''Scarlet:''' [[PoweredArmor Soopa soots]].\
195'''Kat:''' You built them just now?\
196'''Amber:''' Nuh-uh. We've been working on them since the giant bug incident.\
197''(beat)''\
198'''Kat and Art:''' ''What'' giant bug incident?!\
199'''Amber:''' Oooh...
200* In [[http://www.shortpacked.com/2005/comic/book-2-pulls-the-drama-tag/05-faztivus/gordon/ this]] ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'' strip, when Franchise/{{Batman}} is left without an opportunity to complete his StealthHiBye, he gets two panels to come up with an alternate solution.
201* Beaten to [[http://thesketchy.com/ic/tag/beat-panel absolute death]] in ''Webcomic/SketchComedy''.
202* A fancomic called ''[[http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Sonic_College/index.php?p=454381 Sonic College]]'' did this with three.
203* A few choice examples from ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'':
204** In [[https://kevinandkell.com/2004/kk1125.html this comic]] we get a devious look between the titular couple when they realize they both masked their identities, and in the next panel they've called home and said they've checked into a motel. [[DontExplainTheJoke The implication is that March came late that year for them]].
205** In [[https://kevinandkell.com/2004/kk1125.html this comic]] Kell is pulling out a laptop after sending Rudy and his Caliban hunting teammates out as Herd Thinners interns so she can track them with a GPS tag sewn into Rudy's hat.
206** In [[https://kevinandkell.com/2016/kk0405.html this comic]] we get an awkward silence between Edgar and Miranda after she had explained the overprotectiveness of her uncle/adoptive father, followed by Edgar with a choice question:
207--->'''Edgar:''' What species did you tell him I was?\
208'''Miranda:''' Iguana.
209* ''Webcomic/LightningMadeOfOwls'' gota [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/owls/?comic=188 Beet Panel.]]
210* ''Webcomic/SquareRootOfMinusGarfield'' does this [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=10 here]] with reference to this page, and comment that ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' might not use it enough.
211** The comic likes to experiment with these, the most notable one being the ''27 beat panels'' in [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=1253 We Got the Beat(s)]].
212** Then there's [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=462 Garfield Plus Beats in the Beat Panel]], where a video game-related strip is edited to put [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic three]] [[VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou different]] [[VideoGame/EternalSonata Beats]] in the beat panel.
213* ''Webcomic/StickmanAndCube'' does this often, usually when one of the characters does or says something incredibly bone-headed.
214* Ruben Bolling's ''Webcomic/TomTheDancingBug'' mocked this trope mercilessly, with a strip that claimed that "the more silent reaction panels before the punchline, the funnier it is!", demonstrating by showing a strip with one beat panel, two beat panels and ''100'' beat panels [[OverlyLongGag (which was, in fact, hilarious)]].
215* ''Lots'' of these in ''Webcomic/{{Vexxarr}}'': [[http://www.vexxarr.com/archive.php?seldate=070405 when]] a Minionbot finally wraps its mind around [[HumansAreWarriors some inclinations of the humanity]]. And [[http://www.vexxarr.com/archive.php?seldate=120505 again]]. And [[http://www.vexxarr.com/archive.php?seldate=020608 this]].
216* [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=183 This]] ''Webcomic/VGCats'' comic has six beat panels. The extended silence is probably a measure of Leo's dimwittedness.
217** He almost gets it about halfway through.
218*** Also, the last panel [[ShoutOut seems to be]] a reference to the end of the seventies remake of ''Film/InvasionOfTheBodySnatchers''.
219* Used in [[http://xninjared.deviantart.com/art/What-a-Man-would-do-for-a-Girl-162055287 this comic]] after the girl had a bit of a FridgeLogic.
220* Creator/{{Humon}} uses beat panels to hilarious effect in [[Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld all]] [[Webcomic/{{Niels}} of]] [[Webcomic/LoveAndTentacles her]] [[Webcomic/ManalaNextDoor webcomics]]. Some of the funniest ones:
221** [[http://satwcomic.com/it-s-complicated It's Complicated]]
222** [[http://nielsg.com/just-visiting-2 Just Visiting]] (NSFW)
223** [[http://nielsg.com/the-big-cover-up The Big Cover Up]]
224* Appears a few times in ''Webcomic/{{Harkovast}}'' during the more light hearted moments, especially on this [[http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=735366 page]] where it actually happens twice in succession.
225* [[http://www.pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF026-Butterflies.jpg Butterflies]] in ''ComicStrip/ThePerryBibleFellowship''.
226* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' has [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=62 unimpressed Annie]]. And [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=856 two more]] with highly unimpressed Kat. A [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=478 double beat panel]] punchline, and later ''[[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=862 triple]]'' beat panel, the scenes in question entirely justifying this much.
227* ''Webcomic/RustyAndCo'':
228** In the [[http://rustyandco.com/comic/39/ re-acquaintance]] of The Princess and White Knight.
229** Roxy gets a [[http://rustyandco.com/comic/level-7-74/ magnificent one]] when she realizes she's standing [[spoiler:right next to lit dynamite]].
230* ''Webcomic/TheExtremelyPostModernAdventuresOfFlintAndHinawa'' revolves around having two or even three beat panels between the setup and the usually oddball punchline. This is used to the extreme in [[http://local-static1.forum-files.fobby.net/forum_attachments/0023/2741/flintandhinawa6.gif Comic #6]], where [[spoiler: the beat just continues right to the end without a punchline.]]
231* [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/a-negative-influence/ This]] strip of ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'' uses beat panels in a rather creepy way. Pay attention to the light from the window.
232** The comic seems fond of the traditional use of this trope as well. It occurs most often when [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/whereitcamefrom/ Monica suddenly realizes something]], but [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/all-my-life/ other]] [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/whowhatwhere/ characters]] [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/sainthood/ aren't]] [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/ohigetit/ immune]].
233* ''Webcomic/MiscellaneousError'' uses a beat panel in an early comic.
234* ''Webcomic/{{Fans}}'' used beat panels(and other silent panels) in an innovative way in the arc "[[http://www.faans.com/crossover/ Crossover]]", which involves an attack on a crossword-fans convention. Each of the 18 pages has six square frames, with periodic beat panels, and each beat panel is framed in a thick black outline. As the final page displays, when all the panels are arranged in order, they form a crossword panel, with each beat panel as a black space, and the first letter in each of the other panels is used in the crossword solution.
235* ''Webcomic/SweetBroAndHellaJeff'' does this all the time [[StylisticSuck in a highly exaggerated manner]].
236** ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' proper finally gets ''four'' beat panels (a lot for a comic that usually has one panel on each page) when Gamzee prototypes [[JokeCharacter Equius]] into Dirk's sprite and causes a highly-anticipated awkward moment.
237* This webcomic [[http://mind-numbinglyboringwebcomic.smackjeeves.com/comics/1403290/prologue/]] consists entirely of beat panels in the first comic. But what do you expect from a comic called "The Mind-numbingly Boring Webcomic"? It appears to get better and actually funny in the next actual comic, but who knows how it will proceed.
238* A [[http://www.sexdrugsandjunecleaver.com/2010/01/18/anni/ Sex, Drugs, and June Cleaver]] strip uses two consecutive beat panels ''as the punchline''.
239* ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' has one [[RhetoricalRequestBlunder while checking for an answer to]] a [[http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_766.php rhetorical question]].
240* In ''Webcomic/{{Savestate}}'', an epic beat panel comes in the [[http://www.savestatecomic.com/2015/10/halloween-2015/ Halloween 2015]] strip. Rick shows up so they can go to a Halloween party, and when he responds to a question about his costume with "Rick", Kade and Nicole look at each other with genuine concern. He explains he means Rick as in ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty''.
241-->'''Nicole:''' Oh, okay. I thought we might have to drop you off at the psychiatric ward.
242* ''Webcomic/OHumanStar'' has plenty of these, but especially [[http://ohumanstar.com/chapter-1-page-26/ here.]]
243* Creator/ShamusYoung, writer of the webcomics ''Webcomic/DMOfTheRings'', was pretty proud of himself when he used [[http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=1042 three consecutive beat panels]]. It worked very well.
244* Used every now and again in ''[[{{Webcomic/Morphe}} morphE]]'' to build an awkward moment. [[http://morphe.thewebcomic.com/comics/1938513/chapter-3-page-39-arts-and-crafts/ One moment in particular took up more than half the update for the gag.]]
245* The first three panels in this ''Webcomic/LadiesInWaiting'' [[http://www.ladiesinwaitingcomic.co.uk/comic/231115/ strip]] are all beat panels.
246* Quite common in ''Webcomic/TheBirdFeeder'', and lampshaded in TheRant for [[http://thebirdfeeder.com/comic/88 #88]], "Museum." Usually referred to there as the "silent penultimate panel."
247* Random comic generators such as ''Pandyland'' often include beat panels, where the characters just stand there. With enough persistence it's possible to get a comic that's nothing but beat panels.
248* ''Webcomic/TheBestGamepiecePhotocomic'':
249** After Martin is informed that a building has dedicated exits for tsunamis, earthquakes, and tornadoes, [[https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/The_Best_Gamepiece_Photocomic/5641957/ it takes a second]] for the FridgeLogic to kick in.
250** One also occurs in [[https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/The_Best_Gamepiece_Photocomic/5642716/ Strip 15]], after Sven uses a LogicBomb against a KnightsAndKnaves puzzle.
251* [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/punchline This]] SMBC comic has only the first panel as a non-beat panel (including both the bonus panel and hover-text).
252* ''Webcomic/DumbingOfAge'':
253** Played for drama [[https://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-9-comic/03-sometimes-the-sky-was-so-far-away/shortsighted/ here]] when Joyce asks a brutal ArmorPiercingQuestion to her closeted transgender sister Jocelyne - "[[spoiler:Is Mom a... good person?]]" The two panels of dead silence that follow make it very clear that Joyce isn't going to like Jocelyne's response.
254** [[https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-11/03-see-you-in-the-funny-page/doris/ Discussed here]] (also note the position of the beat panel in the strip):
255--->'''Dorothy''': Have you even drawn any comics before?\
256'''Joyce''': It's easy! You just leave the second-to-last panel wordless and it's always funny.\
257'''Dorothy''': Seems like that'd get monotonous real fast.\
258'''Joyce''': Then move around the wordless panel, I dunno!
259[[/folder]]
260
261[[folder:Web Original]]
262* There's [[http://penultimate-panel.blogspot.com/ a blog]] devoted to watching for the silent penultimate panel.
263* Another final panel beat example from [[http://encyclopediadramatica.wiki/DOUBLE_NIGGER this]] hacked ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' comic ({{NSFW}}).
264* [[http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=garfield_sucks A vicious parody of beat panels,]] courtesy of [[Website/TheBestPageInTheUniverse Maddox.]] This in spite of how, as is noted elsewhere on this page, ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' [[ShallowParody rarely ever uses beat panels]].
265[[/folder]]

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