Would a real side-line conversation be that wordy? “Pass to Banner? Really” (The coach knows Banner’s nickname.) “Pass to Butter-fingers?” (The coach knows that’s what they call Paul Banner.) Of course the point of the dialog is to inform the readers – not the fictional characters in the comic strip. But it could be done in a slightly more naturalistic fashion.
Would a real side-line conversation be that wordy? “Pass to Banner? Really” (The coach knows Banner’s nickname.) “Pass to Butter-fingers?” (The coach knows that’s what they call Paul Banner.) Of course the point of the dialog is to inform the readers – not the fictional characters in the comic strip. But it could be done in a slightly more naturalistic fashion.