Comics 1.2 Creating Comics PDF

ENLL 121 Creating comics Piotrowska, C. 2020. Vanderbijlpark: North-West University.  Story and plot  Simple narrative - revolves around a problem and ends with resolution  Complex narratives - plot is supplemented by a backstory, character developme...

ENLL 121 Creating comics Piotrowska, C. 2020. Vanderbijlpark: North-West University.  Story and plot  Simple narrative - revolves around a problem and ends with resolution  Complex narratives - plot is supplemented by a backstory, character development, and ongoing subplots  Antinarrative - purpose is not to tell a story, but to evoke a mood or response  Braided narrativity – follows intertwined destinies of a larger cast of characters.  No global plot - many parallel or successive subplots developing along the line of the character’s destiny.  Examples: Strangers in Public, Hate, and Cerebus.  Proliferating narrativity – main plot functions mostly as a support for the telling of adventures and anecdotes. Macro structure holds the micro-structures of smaller stories together.  Comic books which have a long history, and multiple writers - enables continuity, allows character “reboots” and retcons  Readers get to know a character through encountering varied character concepts.  Examples: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the X-men. (Ryan in Duncan & Smith, 2009:129-131) Terminology  Panel – area that contains a moment of a story  insert panel – a small panel that is inside a larger panel  frame or boarder – the lines that demarcate the ends of the panel  Encapsulation – process of selecting moments of prime action and enclosing it within a discrete space  Generally refers to the art of creating panels  But it can also happen at scene, sequence, and story level  The page is essentially a unit of encapsulation as well; there needs to be a conscious decision about which panels will appear together on a page  Gutters – spaces which separate the panels (conceptual or physical spaces)  Bleed – when the art extends beyond its frame into the “background”  Closure – process of expanding the isolated moments into a story (filling in the actions between panels)  Layout – the relationship between panels to the totality of the page and the story  Consider how meaning is affected by size, sequence, and juxtaposition  Grid layout vs. experimental layout  Splash page – a full page panel  Does not necessarily show significant situations in the narrative (Duncan & Smith, 2009; Saraceni, 2003)  Experimental layout Grid layout (irregular shapes and sizes) (neat squares or rectangles) Panels Panels Splash page Splash page Frame Gutters (small black outlines) Gutters (white spaces in between) Swamp Thing #23 Another Green World New X-men #121 ‘Nuff said - Silence The importance of frames  Frames and gutters serve several important functions within a comic book, namely:  Function of closure – the frame imposes limits on the image, and the gutter allows the reader to fill-in the blanks  Separative function – they separate the panels from one another  Rhythmic function – since the panels are cut into intervals of differing sizes, they can influence the rhythm of the text (i.e. the speed at which we read)  Structuring function – makes layout easier, panels must be organised, and the story itself gains structure. Rectangular panels often serve this function.  Expressive function – the frame can index the image that it encloses, enhancing its contents. This is frequently expressed by experimental, irregular, or angular shapes. (Groensteen, 2009:39-57). Creating panels (McCloud, 2006) When making comics, creators make decisions about 5 key aspects: Choice of moments  Deciding which images to show  Goal is to “connect the dots”, showing moments that matter and cutting those that do not  The types of transitions between panels:  Moment to moment (single action in a series of moments)  Action to action (single subject in a series of actions)  Subject to subject (series of changing subjects in one scene)  Scene to scene (transitions across space or time)  Aspect to aspect (transition between moods, places, or ideas)  Non-sequitur (seemingly unrelated images) (McCloud, 2006: 11-18) Choice of frame  The right distance and angle to view the moments  Goal is to show readers what they need to see  Creating a sense of place  Size, shape and position of panels  Composition: Zooming in or pulling back  How does cropping, balance or tilt affect the reader’s impression of the world  Choice of moment may dictate choice of frame (e.g. one or two close ups, in a sequence of actions shown from a distance and fixed viewing angle)  Focus on posture and attitude (stance) of the characters  Minor changes in viewpoint  “Establishing shot” (longer panel with more contextual/background detail) (McCloud, 2006: 19-25) Choice of images  Deciding how to draw the images  Rendering the objects clearly inside the frame  Regardless of style, you need to communicate quickly, clearly and compellingly with the reader  Goal is to effectively evoke the mood and appearance of characters, objects, environments and symbols  Generic features vs. specific features  Facial expressions  Style to create mood  Includes use of colour, lighting, movement  Minor details in art used to foreshadow major developments in story (McCloud, 2006: 26-29)  Visualised sounds like Composition these form part of the art [Choice of frame]  distance  establishing shot/long view, two shot, close-up  angle  high angle, eye-level, or low angle [Choice of images]  background details  colour, contrast, and hue  lighting and shadows  Chiaroscuro technique  movement  speed lines, puffs of smoke  visualised sounds  onomatopoeia (Bang! Pow!) and screams  Style – each artist and writer display their own style, but the art and language need to work together  Mood or tone of the comic is reflected in the art style. Swamp Thing #21 NB for themes! Anatomy Lesson (Duncan & Smith, 2009: 141-145)  Art style in comics  McCloud (1993:46) argues that art can be seen on a continuum between realistic (complex, life-like) to iconic (simple; or symbolic). In addition, they can differ based on how abstract they are.  Art styles differ exponentially depending on which comic you read. Eg: Little Bird (2019) Maus (1980) Die (2018) and Annihilator (2015) Paper Girls (2015) Adventure Time (2012) Choice of words  Choosing words that add valuable information to the moments  Goal is to communicate ideas effectively alongside images (McCloud, 2006: 30-31)  Balance between linguistic and pictorial elements (Duncan & Smith, 2009:146)  Word-specific – pictures illustrate but do not add to the complete text  Picture-specific – words do little more than to add a soundtrack to the sequence told with pictures  Duo-specific – words and pictures communicate essentially the same message  Additive – words elaborate on the pictures and vice versa  Parallel – pictures and words follow different, non-intersecting paths  Montage – words are used as part of the picture  Interdependent – words and pictures go hand in hand, conveying a message that neither could adequately convey on its own Use of text  Balloon – space in which the verbal text is contained  Thought bubbles vs. speech balloons  Shape and lines of balloons – dashes for whispering, spikes for shouting  Tail of balloon – function is equivalent to reporting clauses (“he said”)  Font – style reflects tone, mood, and assists with characterisation  Caption – additional linguistic element that provides setting or narration, usually positioned outside of the panel The long descriptions typical of written prose are replaced by images:  Background and setting are drawn  Actions are illustrated  The characters are likewise depicted; rely on facial expressions for emotion (Duncan & Smith, 2009; Saraceni, 2003)  Choice of flow  Guiding readers between panels and through panels (captions and balloons)  Goal is to create an intuitive reading experience  Layout does not operate on empty panels, instead it always takes into consideration the contents of each panel when considering their organisation  Western comics: usually read left-to-right, then up-to-down  Compel reader’s eyes to move, using composition and motion within the panels  A grid layout is usually the easiest to read  Bad panel layout might disrupt immersion  Confusion can occur due to too many borderless panels  Too much experimentation can increase reading difficulty (McCloud, 2006: 32-26) Layout & flow Watchmen #1 (left) has a grid layout, making it easy to complete the actions. We3 #2 (right) shows an action sequence over a double page, using two large panels with multiple insert panels that show events that happen simultaneously. Experimental layouts Ms Marvel #7 (left) uses rooms in the sewers for their “panels”, rather than separating them into blocks. Art “bleeds” to the ends of the page Moon Knight #2-3 (right) makes creative use of negative spaces (white spaces of gutters become part of the art), and remove frames to make panels bleed into the page  References  McCloud, S. 1993. Understanding comics: the invisible art. New York: Kitchen Sink Press.  McCloud, S. 2006. Making comics: storytelling secrets of comics, manga, and graphic novels. New York: Harper.  Duncan, R. & Smith, M.J. 2009. The power of comics: history, form, and culture. New York: Continuum.  Groensteen, T. 2009. The system of comics. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.  Saraceni, M. 2003. The language of comics. London: Routledge. Illustrations:  Ellis, W. (w) & Shalvey, D. (a). 2014. Moon Knight: vol. 5. New York: Marvel comics.  Gaiman, N. (w), Jones, K. & Jones, M. (a). 1990. The Sandman. New York: DC comics.  Moore, A. (w), Bissette, S. & Totleben, J. (a). 1984. The Saga of the Swamp Thing. New York: DC comics.  Moore, A. (w) & Gibbons, D. (a). 1986. Watchmen. New York: DC comics.  Morrison, G. (w) & Quitely, F. (a). 2001. New X-Men. New York: Marvel comics.  Morrison, G. (w) & Quitely, F. (a). 2004. We3. New York: Vertigo.  Wilson, G. W. (w) & Alphona, A (a). 2015. Ms Marvel. New York: Marvel comics.