Okay, this dialog is not moving the story along; it is merely two kids bickering. I don’t know why Rivera believes Rusty should score a point (“touché”) in his response, since Robbie already admitted he didn’t have any idea of what an axolotl is. So why should Robbie also know its taxonomic classification? Seen in this light, the conversation could be interpreted as “Rusty tries to ridicule Robbie.” In panel 4, Robbie’s body language indicates that it doesn’t seem to be working. Touché, Robbie!
Art Dept. There is a fundamental difference between the drawing of Rusty and that of Robbie. Where Rusty’s head (for example) appears quite naturalistic and animated, Robbie’s smooth head looks like it came from a stylized marionette or a china doll. At least it is a bit more defined than the yellow smiley face. The differences in style and facial definition are off-putting. I could be reading too much into this. What do you think?
The Daily Trail 
Art Dept.: I can see it, too, especially in panel 3. Robbie’s head does look like that of a doll. Additionally, the angle of his arm in the same panel looks strange.
On Tuesday, Robbie’s head was too large. It’s almost as wide as his shoulders. Do you think that was a cartoonish way to emphasize his feeling of shock? His head, on that slender neck, resembled a golf ball on a tee.
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Yeah, those “detached” extended arms Rivera draws do sometimes look out of alignment. For that matter, I think the same could be said for James Allen. To get it right, you actually have to draw the figure, including the part outside of the panel that you don’t see, in order to ensure the bones line up!
As for the expanded, cartoony head, it certainly could be an expressionistic attempt to portray a condition. since Robbie is not always drawn that way. It’s an interesting hypothesis that I’ll try to look into for earlier examples!
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