MrrnwthG COLIC RO SECRETS OF COMICS, MANGA AND GRAPHIC NOVELS FROM THE AUTHOR OF UNDERSTANDING COMICS COTT McCLOUDPraise for Understanding Comics : by Scott McCloud Learn How to . Choose the right moments to clarify and strengthen your stories. “if you read, write, teach or draw comics; if * Frame actions and guide your readers’ you want to; or if you simply want to watch eyes through each comics page. " a master explainer at work, you must read + Choose werds and pictures that ' this book.” —Neil Gaiman communicate together. * Greate varied and compelling “Understanding Comics is a must-read for new characters. ny true connoisseur of comics.” + Master body language and facial ' —Jim Lee expressions. * Create rich, believable worlds for “Quite simply the best analysis of the me- your readers to explore. ' dium that I have ever encountered. Highly * Pick the tools that are right for you ' recommended.” —Alan Moore Navigate the vast world of comics ' styles and genres. Scott McCloud is the award-winning creator of Zot!, Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics. His books are available in sixteen languages. Sin City creator Frank Miller called him “just about the smartest guy E Isen-132 978-0-06-078096-4 Wee (S SA $22.95 Canada $28.95 ?MAKING OMICS STORYTELLING SECRETS OF COMICS, MANGA AND GRAPHIC NOVELS FROM THE AUTHOR OF UNDERSTANDING COMICS SCOTT McCLOUDWritten and Drawn by Scott McCloud Editors Kate Travers John Williams Editorial Consultants Kurt Busiek Jenn Manley Lee Neil Gaiman Larry Marder Ivy Ratafia Comics Font designed by John Roshell at Comicraft comicbookfonts.com HARPER MAKING COMICS, Copyright © 2006 by Scott McCloud. All rights reserved. Printed in the United Siates of ‘America. No part of this book may be Used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the cose of brief quotations embodied in critical articles ond reviews. For information address HarperCollins Pubishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022. HarperCollins books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information please wite: Special Markets Depariment, HorperColins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022, RST EDITION Library of Congress Cataloging in-Publication Dota is avaliable upon request. ISBN-10: 0-06-078094.0 ISBN-13; 978-0-06-078094-4 07 08.0% 10 @/RRD 109874Pre - Visit any big bookstore and you'll find tans of how-to-draw books on the shelves aimed at comics artists. Flip through them and you' llsee step-by-step instructions on drawing manga schoolgirl outfits, superhero muscles and strip gags. These ore the books that tell you what they all assume you want to.know—how to draw like your favorite artists—and they're pretty good at it, But there's something they're not telling you. in fact. there's a whole book's worth of secrets they're leaving out. If you've ever felt there must be something more to making comics than just copying drawing styles, then this is the book for you. in these pages, I've done my best to cover the storyteling secrets | don't see any other books talking about, tne ideas every comics artist needs to tackle before they even pick up a pen, including: + Choosing the right moments to make into panels—what to include, what to leave out. + Framing actions and guiding the reader's eyes. * Choosing words and images that communicate together, * Creating varied and compelling characters with inner fives and unforgettable appearances + Mastering body language and facial expressions. * Creating rich, believable worlds for your readers to explore * Picking the tools that are right for you, and understanding how those tools evolved. * Navigating the vast world of comics styles and genres The comics industry is changing fast. Old formats die and new ones are boi, Whole industries come and go. But these storytelling principles always apply, They mattered fifty years ago and they'll matter fifty years from now. Whether you want to draw graphic novels, superheroes, mangasstyle, comic stips or webcomics, you're going to be putting one picture ater another to tell a story, Here's how. é Scott McCloudEY 1 wtropuction 56 STORIES FOR HUMANS 5] se rr Taxes Two. Ea 6 wrrtine wite pictures [L_] 59 syymetay AND RECOGNITION fA 5 ctarity anp persuasion (Bh) 2 3 sreps To @eLievaate CHARACTERS 10 THE FIVE CHOICES (EG) 6a craracrer pesion Ey Wieacre ann Gila sakaite LAV @ connecting THe pots iia] 70 visuat DisTINCTION catibanctnoesain’ BE) 16 cxonessive rears [El it choice oF Frame F280 FACIAL exPREssiONS. 81 EMOTIONAL COMMUNICATION [Ey] 20 istance, ante AND Pio FE 22 estasuishine shots GB 0 ximos oF exeaessions [©] 23 THe emoTionaL PRIMARIES 24 THE READER'S CAMERA =] 84 MING AND MATCHING FE] e7 phvsicat stares 26 CHOICE OF IMAGE 30 CHOICE OF WORD 32. CHOICE OF FLOW =] 96 viRECT, SPECIALIZED SIGNALS 92 FACIAL MUSCLES [B) 29 pirectine THE eve 36 BEYOND THE PAGE 9H DRAWING EXPRESSIONS 37 FIVE CHOICES CHECKLIST (F8) 102 Boy LaNcuace BB WORKING METHODS, 103 DIFFERENCES FROM EXPRESSION 0% TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS: 95 CLARITY VERSUS INTENSITY [el] 105 etevarion ano starus & (E37 Panet-py-paneL Improv es A 53 INTENSITY VERSUS PERSUASION Dl 107 pis taNce AND RELATIONSHIP [FE] 54 NoTEs ano exercises [Rl] 107 IMBALANCE AND DISCONTENT [AC] oTHeR revarionsHies fl) 2 ban cesTurEs EB] 1 rtcure prawn [Si] my avarowy suecesmions [=] us THe IMPORTANCE OF GESTURE EE ts 8009 Laneuace w Acmion FI 20 owceme veerer ES] i22 nores ano exercises|28 THE POWER OF WORDS 12 BALANCE AND INTEGRATION 130. THE 7 TYPES OF Wi/P COMBINATION Gy worp-speciric 189 PICTURE-SPECIFIC DUO-SPECIFIC a 196 INTERSECTING 137 INTERDEPENDENT PARALLEL eHeaS 8 137 MONTAGE EB] 40 using THe 7 Tees EE] 42 wor eaLtoons QE 2 THe “Desperation pevice” [EI] 2 BALLOON To MoD MarcHING [7] 4 EMPHASIS AND cases Me SOUND EFFECTS WB WRITER/ARTIST COLLABORATIONS 150 PICKING WOUR STORY (\52 HERITAGE AND STRENGTHS ISH NOTES AND EXERCISES 158. WORLD BULOING (58 GEING THERE 66 REGIONAL VARIATIONS. DASA 169 COMIC STRIP MNIMALSy [comics asour peace 170 PERSPECTIVE fa FR] 17) Non-wesTeRN ALTERNATIVES: [Ei] 72 western perspective Gi] 173 PERSPECTIVE AND Comics 174 IMPROVISATION [ii] 176 REFERENCE AND RESEARCH FR 79 Nor Just “wackerounos™ 160 NOTES AND EXERCISES 160 REVISITING THE ESTAGLISHING SHOT (29 184 Toows, TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGY leit THE ONLY ESSENTIAL TOOLS 185 DRAWING ON THE CHEAP [26 Travrmonal Toots & tes THe sasic equipment EE] 0 aruskes, Pens aN MARKERS [Gy 5 TRADITIONAL LeTTERING 176. DIGITAL TRANSITIONS. / THIS BOOK 178 DIGITAL To PRINT 200 DIGITAL TO SCREEN 1 LetreRINe ano Fonts | 204 EQUIPMENT 206 PUBLISHING ALTERNATIVES 207 WHO'S THE BOSs? HABEAEBaS 8 208 NOTES [2] 212 your piace In comics [22 viscoverine vour sTe 215. UNDERSTANDING MANGA 228 UNDERSTANDING GENRES 229 UNDERSTANDING Comics CULTURE 238 WANDERING FAR AND WIDE 240 NOTES 244 MAKING COMICS 24 NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT 246 OLD AND NEW MARKETS 249 YOUR TURN igpea® [Dy 252 “THe eLank pace” El 2s notes 256 BIGLIOGRAPHY/SUGGESTED READING 258 ART CREDITS 260 INDEXFor Will Eisner Acknowledgments Thank you to my ealitorial kbitzers, Kurt Busiek, Jenn Manley Lee, Neil Gaiman, Lary Marder and Ivy Ratatia tor taking @ close look at early dratts of this book. Kurt. as aways, ied the pack with his merciless critiques and helped chop out any number of embarassing furnbling passages (any that remain you con blame on me) Thank you also to the comics pros who responded to my email tools survey (see the notes section of Chapter Five for the list). Special proofreading services provided by Carol Pond. Also helping out with information were Shaenon Gary. Ker Kesel and the staff af Graphaids in Agoura His, CA, and thank you to all our friends and fomily who offered reference materiais of posed for reference shots including: Ivy, Sky. Winter, Nat Gertler, Lauren Girard (that's Nat and Lauren in the goofy photo on page 94), Lori Matsumoto, John Wiseman, S. Krys tal McCauley, Matt Miller and of course. The Mighty Paul Smith for posing, sketching and helping us move the fridge. Thank you to Kelly Donovan for making Page 30, panel é possible. ‘Thank you te David, Kate, John, Lucy and everyone else at Homer for their advice and suppor Thank you to Judith Hansen for finding this book a great home and eternally watching out for us. ‘Thanks to Art Spiegelman for introducing me to the term “Picture Writing” which inspired the title of Chapter ‘One. and for influencing my own ideas abeut comics over the years. Thank you, with love, 16 the amazing Ivy for typing thousands of words into those balloons and into the index, ‘and to the whole family for enduring my very long work days for @ year and a half and for making it all worth- while. ‘The comics world lost Will Elsner in January 2005, while this book was being written. He was 67, but very much in is prime, His book Comics and Sequential Art seriously examined the art of making comics way back in 1985 and he inspired us to treat comics with dignity and respect throughout his century-spanning career, He'll be terribly missed.ON INTRODUCTI SO, You WANT TO MAKE DO You WANT TO CREATE COMICS THAT PULL READERS INTO. ‘THE WORLD OF THE STORY? EXPERIENCE SO SEAMLESS ‘THAT IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE READING AT ALL BUT LIKE BEING THERE? WHY I CREATED THIS BOOK, BECAUSE IF T CAN TEACH ANYONE ELSE TO MAKE GREAT COMICS ~~ DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THE KIND ‘THAT READERS REMEMBER? THE KINDS OF STORIES THEY'LL KEEP THINKING ‘AASOUT FOR HOURS OR EVEN DAYS AFTER ‘THEY'VE READ THEM? POPULATED BY CHARACTERS So VIVID THEY SEEM AS REAL AS THE READER'S OWN FRIENDS AND FAMILY? A READING AND THAT'S = MAYBE CAN TEACH MYSELF As WELL.IN TWENTY YEARS: ON THE JOB, I'VE LEARNED ENOUGH ABOUT ‘COMICS TO FILL TWO BOOKS VARIOUS ARTICLES AND A FEW THOUSAND HOURS OF ‘TALKING TO ANYONE WHO'D LISTEN. ‘THINNER = SOME CHALLENGES, LIKE IMPROVING MY FIGURE DRAWING, CAN ONLY BE MET BY HARD WORK, ‘OBSERVATION AND STUDY. FORTUNATELY, ‘THERE ARE PLENTY OF GOOD TEACHERS OUT THERE FOR THAT SORT comics (SA SECRET LANGUAGE ALL ITS OWN, AND MASTERING IT POSES CHALLENGES UNLIKE ANY FACED GY PROSE WRITERS, ILLUSTRATORS OR ANY OTHER CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS, UNFORTUNATELY, APART FROM A FEW GREAT BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT* == But MY OWN COMICS STORIES HAVE NEVER BEEN AS GOOD AS I KNOW ‘THEY COULD BE. 1M SuRE CAN DOA BETTER JOB AND I'M DETERMINED TO. LEARN HOW. sur THERE'S MUCH MORE To MAKING GREAT COMICS THAN DRAWING AND WRITING SKILLS. ~ MOST. oF THAT TERRITORY HAS REMAINED UNEXPLORED... NTL NOW. + See o1aLiogrAH50, FOR YOUR SAKE AND MINE, IVE GONE “BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD” ONCE MORE AND COLLECTED EVERYTHING | KNOW ABOUT THE ART OF TELLING STORIES WITH PICTURES —- THEN FIGURED OUT WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW, FILLED IN ‘THOSE GAPS AND PUT IT ALL TOGETHER, THESE ARE THE BEDROCK PRINCIPLES OF COMICS STORYTELLING... CONCEPTS How-To BOOKS, ‘THE PRINCIPLES OF CLARITY AND COMMUNICATION, FoR EXAMPLE, ‘AND HOW THEY GOVERN THE WAYS, ‘OUR STORIES ARE PACED — How THE READER'S EVE IS GUIDED FROM PANEL TO PANEL, AND HOW THE READER'S MIND IS PERSUADED TO. CARE ABOUT WHAT IT Sees, THAT 60 FAR DEEPER THAN THE USUALHOW ARTISTS CONNECT WITH READERS ON A HUMAN LEVEL THROUGH CHARACTER DESIGN -- -- FACIAL EXPRESSIONS —- A. How wHOLE WORLDS ARE CONSTRUCTED ON THE PAGE == AND IN THE READER'S IMAGINATION. WORDS AND PICTURES CAN COMBINE To cREATE EFFECTS THAT NEITHER COULD ‘CREATE SEPARATELY, Wy PEOPLE CHOOSE THE TOOLS THEY D0 TO __ CREATE THESE STORIES, AND Wily THEY ‘CHOOSE ONE KIND OF STORY OVER ‘ANOTHER.tS COMIC STRIPS, ‘COMIC BOOKS OR GRAPHIC NOVELS. EUROPEAN, NORTH COMICS TF IT?S RIGHT AMERICAN OR ANY | rwowT TELL YOU THE “RIGHT” Way TO WRITE OR DRAW BECAUSE THERE'S NO SUCH THING. any STYLE, ANY For YOU. THESE ARE THE ISSUES YOULL HAVE To FACE. UT, YOUR CHOICES NARROW WHEN YOU WANT YOUR COMICS TO PROVIDE A SPECIFIC REACTION IN READERS. THAT'S WHEN CERTAIN METHODS MIGHT THERE ARE NO LIMITS To WHAT vou can FILL THAT BLANK PAGE WITH -- ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLES THAT ALL COMICS STORYTELLING IS BUILT UPON. PANEL Ove: ART BY iN JomisTON Davi NABRLCEHELL 5 (GEEART CREDITS, PAE 39), "AND HERE THEY ARE.Chapter One Writing with Pictures ro Clarity, Persuasion and Intensity FoR AS LONG AS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TELLING STORIES TO ONE ANOTHER, = STORYTELLERS LIKE YOU C TES Axo Me Have wanreD TWO THINGS FROM e OUR AUDIENCES. TE fh am een \ FE ee Z SS == AND WE WANT THEM To CARE ENOUGH To STICK AROUND *TIL WE'RE DONE. WE WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT We HAVE TO TELL THEM =IF THE STORY YOU HAVE IN MIND IS COMPELLING, IN AND OF ITSELF, THEN TELLING IT STRAIGHT with a MAXIMUM OF B CLARITY May BE THE ‘ONLY PERSUASION ‘YOUR AUDIENCE WILL NEED. 70 ACHIEVE THAT FIRST GOAL, YOU'LL NEED TO LEARN THE PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATING WITH CLARITY == = AND TO ACHIEVE THE SECOND GOAL, YOU'LL NEED TO LEARN WHICH ELEMENTS OF & WORK CaN PERSUADE YOUR AUDIENCE TO ‘STAY WITH YOU, IN COMICS, THAT STORY WILL NEED To TAKE ‘THE FORM OF IMAGES IN SEQUENCE, PERHAPS wit WORDS -~ -- SO LET’S START BY EXAMINING HOW THAT CONVERSION 15 DONE WHEN CLARITY AND: COMMUNICATION ‘ARE THE PRIMARY GoaLs. ‘comics REGUIRES US TO MAKE A CONSTANT STREAM OF CHOICES REGARDING IMAGERY, PACING, DIALOGUE, COMPOSITION, GESTURE AND ‘TON OF OTHER OPTIONS —~ ~~ AND THESE CHOICES BREAK DOWN TO FIVE BASIC TYPES.CHOICE OF MOMENT DECIDING. WHICH MOMENTS: To INCLUDE INA comics. STORY AND WHICH TO LEAVE CHOICE OF FRAME cHoosiNe: THE RIGHT DISTANCE AND ANGLE TO VIEW THOSE MOMENTS -~ RENDERING THE CHARACTERS, OBJECTS AND ENVIRONMENTS IN THOSE FRAMES CLEARLY. = RE? CHOICE OF WORD ZA 7 GUIDING READERS THROUGH Ano BETWEEN PANELS On A CHOICE THESE ARE THe FIVE ARENAS wHere your CHOICES CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLEAR, CONVINCING: STORYTELLING: AND A CONFUSING MESS. {QO} choice CHOICE OF MOMENT OF FRAME OF IMAGE CHOICE CHOICETHESE EARLY CHOICES ARE COMICS’ ROUGH PLANNING STAGE WHERE A STORY'S EVENTS ARE FIRST BROKEN DOWN INTO READASLE CHUNKS. STARTING AT THE TOP, LET'S TAKE A LOOK ar EACH ONE AND HOW THEY FIT TOGETHER. J ic [Q] CHOICE OF FRAMES | Bj cHoIce OF IMAGE @] cHolce oF worD W “ | NOTHING FANCY, JUST = ae ee Perignon waltrep ro sou a naw JOo Par | fi Wauanen. f- OL Nr mo tg THEN, LET'S Say THE MAN FINDS A KEY ON THE GROUND, PICKS IT UP, TAKES IT WITH Him AND: COMES Te a DOOR, UNLOCKS ‘THE DOOR AND THEN nT DUNNO. A HUNGRY LION ‘JUMPS OUT! HERE'S HOW A SEQUENCE Like THAT MIGHT TAKE SHAPE IN COMICS FoRM.i oe EVEN WITH ROUGH SKETCHES LIKE THESE, A CASUAL READER SHOULD NOW BE ABLE TO our CHOICE OF MOMENT -- THE SELECTION PROCESS ‘THAT LED TO THESE EIGHT PANELS ~~ PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN INSURING THAT CLARITY. THE MOMENTS: CHOSEN IN THE ABOVE SEQUENCE REPRESENT THE MOST DIRECT, EFFICIENT ROUTE TO COMMUNICATING OUR SIMPLE PLOT. ANY NUMBER OF MOMENTS COULD HAVE SEEN USED TO REPRESENT “A MANS WALKING," GUT ALL WE REALLY NEEDED IN THIS CASE WAS QNE, SO THAT'S WHAT WAS CHOSEN.EACH PANEL FURTHERS THE “PLOT. REMOVE (ONE AND THE tant MEANING IS oy ba > ALTERED. walking. “He finds a key on the ground.” ral “He takes it | with him, then ae he comes toa oe locked door.” "He unlocks the door.” “Then a > hungry tion jumps out.” AND IN THIS CASE, EIGHT PANELS |S WHAT WE NEEDED TO GET THE Jos DONE.CLARITY IS ‘your SOLE PURPOSE -- ~- YOUR STORY'S MOMENTS SHOULD BE LIKE A DOT-TO-DOT PUZZLE. REMOVE ONE DOT AND YOU CHANGE THe SHAPE oF THE STORY. ORF THar’s NOT THE CASE, MAYBE THAT PARTICULAR “DOT” WASN'T NEEDED IN “THE FIRST PLACE. “HE FINDS A KEY ON THE GROUND” SREAKS DOWN INTO THREE SUCH ACTIONS: SEEING, REACHING DOWN AND EXAMINING (LE, GIVING READERS A CLEAR VIEW OF THE KEY ITSELF), EACH PANEL SHOWS A COMPLETE ACTION, Because WE'RE ADAPTING A PLOT THAT'S ANCHORED ENTIRELY IN ACTIONS, IF THE PLOT CALLED FOR THE MAN TO “SLOWLY” REACH DOWN, A CERTAIN NUMBER OF EXTRA “DOTS” MIGHT HAVE GEN NECESSARY TO SHOW THE FINDING OF THE Key —- Hed A] LG LY ge = GUT BECAUSE WE'RE ILLUSTRATING THE FACT OF ‘THESE ACTIONS, RATHER THAN THEIR QUALITY, ONE PANEL PER ACTION SEEMS TO BE ENOUGH.P CONSIDER 1 WHAT YOU WANT FROM EACH PART OF YOUR STORY: DO YOU WANT TO JUMP AHEAD TOA KEY EVENT? 0 vou WANT TO PUT ON THE BRAKES AND FOCUS 1. MOMENT TO MOMENT A SINGLE ACTION PORTRAYED IN A SERIES OF MOMENTS. oN SMALLER MOMENTS? Do You WANT To DRAW ATTENTION TO CONVERSATIONS ‘AND FACES? DEPENDING ON YOUR ANSWERS, YOULL FIND THAT 2. ACTION TO ACTION A SINGLE SUBJECT (PERSON, OBJECT, ETC...) IN A SERIES OF ACTIONS. CERTAIN TYPES OF TRANSITIONS BETWEEN Panes . MAY GET THE J08 ES DONE GETTER Wel ‘THAN OTHERS, THESE PANEL TO PANEL 3. SUBJECT TO SUBJECT A SERIES OF CHANGING SUBJECTS WITHIN A SINGLE SCENE. TRANSITIONS ‘COME IN SIX VARIETIES, INCLUDING: 4. SCENE TO SCENE TRANSITIONS ACROSS SIGNIFICANT DISTANCES OF TIME AND/OR SPACE. 5. ASPECT TO ASPECT TRANSITIONS FROM ONE ASPECT OF A PLACE, IDEA OR MOOD TO ANOTHER. 6. NON SEQUITUR A SERIES OF SEEMINGLY NONSENSICAL, UNRELATED IMAGES AND/OR WORDS. MORE NORMATON ABOUT THE SI TRANSITIONSMOMENT TO MOMENT TRANSITIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE. USEFUL FOR SLOWING THE ACTION DOWN, INCREASING SUSPENSE, CATCHING SMALL CHANGES AND CREATING MOVIE-LIKE MOTION ON THE PAGE. ACTION TO ACTION a sce eee ee TRANSITIONS ARE white pee een ee ent es equally erricientar Jf chaaine ances Pan era rutroen ecto ovine THe STORY To biscr ReaDee ; NEEDED.* Ze LOY eet BACK) ay @ | oa i Tnsmiows ace ano five aS Tous ow We Poon le one Qik oF FRAMESOMETIMES IT MAY SUIT YOUR NARRATIVE TO Have TIME STAND STILL AND LET ‘THE EYE WANDER. SCENE TO SCENE JUMPS CAN HELP COMPRESS & STORY DOWN TO A MANAGEASLE LENGTH, WHILE STILL ALLOWING FOR A RANGE OF TIME-SPANS AND ‘A GREADTH OF LOCATIONS. LOOK HARD AT YOUR STORIES AND YOU May FIND YOU AN CUT ALOT OUT. ASPECT TO ASPECT TRANSITIONS DO JUST THAT AND THEY'VE SEEN USED SUCCESSFULLY IN JAPAN -~ AND RECENTLY, IN NORTH AMERICA =» TO CREATE & STRONG SENSE OF PLACE AND MOOD.. AND FINALLY THE NON SEQUITUR, WHICH, THOUGH IT MAY NOT BO ANYTHING ‘TO ADVANCE A STORY -— Has PLAYED A ROLE IN EXPERIMENTAL COMICS, PROVIDING THE OCCASIONAL NONSENSE ac IN OTHERWISE RATIONAL STORIES,IF YOU HAVE A STORY THAT'S VERY PLOT-DRIVEN. THESE TEND YOU MAY FIND THAT A LOT OF ACTION TO ACTION TO CLARIFY THE FACTS OF A TRANSITIONS WITH A FEW SUBJECT TO SUBJECTS SCENE: WHO DOES WHAT, WHERE AND SCENE TO SCENES ARE ALL You NEED. TPS DONE, How IT°S DONE. ‘AND SO FORTH, HEH = (Bays 2 ACTION 3. SUBJECT 2ACTION 4.SCENE WHATEVER YOUR CHOICE OF MOMENT, THOUGH, CLARITY MEANS LETTING THESE TECHNIQUES OPERATE GUIETLY IN THE BACKGROUND AND LETTING THE CONTENT OF THE WORK SPEAK FOR ITSELF, TRANSITIONS ONE AND FIVE, ON THE OTHER HAND, HELP CLARIFY THE NATURE OF AN ACTION, IDEA OR MOOD, AND WORK WELL IN MORE NUANCED OR EMOTIONALLY-DRIWEN STORES. ONCE YOU'VE PicKED OF course, THE RIGHT MOMENTS AND THAT'S WHEN PICKING CHOOSING THE FOR THE JO8, YOU'LL ‘THE RicHT VIEW oF THaT RIGHT MOMENT. NEED To SHOW YOUR. MOMENT CAN BE CRUCIAL, IS ONLY THE READERS WHERE THAT BEGINNING. moment's FOCUS: rT FATT STMT Les, We TPECHOICE OF FRAME 1S THE STAGE WHERE YOU DECIDE ‘HOw CLOSELY TO FRAME AN [ACTION To SHOW ALL THE PERTINENT DETAILS ~~ == OR How FAR TO PULL BACK To Ler ‘THE READER KNOW WHERE AN ACTION IS. “TAKING PLACE ~~ AND Maye GIVE A SENSE OF BEING THERE vs THe STAGE y THEIR SENSE OF POSITION were vou WITHIN THAT WORLD DECIDE How | conmesrionat | FACTORS LIKE CROPPING, | BALANCE AND TILT AFFECT YOUR READERS? ~\ IMPRESSIONS OF \ \\, YOUR WORLD -— 19THE CHOICE OF MOMENT FOR OUR ORIGINAL EXAMPLE WAS PRETTY SIMPLE QUST STRAIGHT ACTION TO ACTION) ~— == AND THE CHOICE OF FRAME FOR THOSE PANELS WAS TOO. ‘OUR TALE COULD HAVE GEN SHOT FROM MANY ANGLES AND DISTANCES, GUT SY OFFERING A VIEW OF THE ACTION THAT GARELY CHANGES — TWO OUT OF THE EIGHT PANELS FEATURED CLOSE-UPS To SHOW A FEW IMPORTANT DETAILS -- BUT OTHERWISE, THE ACTION WAS SHOWN FROM A FIXED MIDDLE DISTANCE AND FixeD VIEWING ANGLE. ~ THE READER IS ENCOURAGED TO FOCUS ON WHAT DOES CHANGE, SUCH AS THE POSITION AND ATTITUDE OF THE CHARACTER, AS WELL AS HIS UNCHANGING FORWARD STANCE -~ ~ INSTEAD OF BEING DISTRACTED Sy NEEDLESSLY VARYING SHOTS, IRRELEVANT TO THE NARRATIVE. READERS, LIKE CHANGE AND VARIETY, SO IT'S TEMPTING TO VARY ANGLES 4 LOT. JUST MAKE SURE THAT THE CHANGES Iw YOUR ARTWORK —- — ARENT DISTRACTING READERS FROM MORE IMPORTANT CHANGES TAKING PLAGE IN YOUR STORY.Win 00 Fane aa TAT SAID, Some Scenes Sremoesperme | | RES owen, REGUIRE FREGUENT CHANGES oF HUNGRY LION 2 ran FRAME, SUCH AS THE FLIP-FLOPPING ANGLES OF SUBJECT TO SUBJECT TRANSITIONS USED ‘TO CAPTURE THE RHYTHM OF TWO PEOPLE iN CONVERSATION. 80, Loge ar ‘You MEAN ey, At Least 00 ALL THE PANELS: HAVE To KEEP. GET 10 APPEAR Seren DOIG THIS?! | | Se 4 Re w NEED To KEEP EVERY PANEL AT EYE LEVEL. EYE” VIEW can Give WEIGHT AND GRANDEUR TO . OBJECTS Af = WHILE GETTING ABOVE A.SCENE CAN GIVE READERS ACCESS TO A WEALTH OF INFO ASOUT A SETTING -- OF *RISING ABOVE IT ALL” EMOTIONALLY ASCONCEPTS Like “1A MAN IS WALKING" DON'T REGUIRE PULLING GACK THE FRAME MUCH, GUT IF YOU WANT YOUR READERS TO KNOW WHERE THAT MAN IS WALKING ~~ INVEST SOME SPACE IN WIDER VIEW. NEED THAT INFORMATION ESPECIALLY WHEN MOVING FROM ‘SCENE TO. ‘SCENE — 7 HENCE THE TRADITION OF THE ESTABLISHING ‘SHOT: A Bic LONG-SHOT PaNeL. OR TWO AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH NEW SCENE, USUALLY FOLLOWED BY SOME MIDDLE GROUND AND CLOSE-UP PANELS OF INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERS. TRE URRY, I CAN MAKE IT THERE By SUNDOWN._£- < 22On THE OTHER HAND, BECAUSE READERS WANT ano EXPECT ‘THAT SENSE OF PLACE, & CLEVER STORYTELLER CAN CHOOSE TO DELAY THE ESTABLISHING SHOT To INCREASE SUSPENSE — oR To MIRROR THE THOUGHTS OF CHARACTER WHO'S TEMPORARILY UNAWARE OF HIS OR HER SURROUNDINGS. Look FoR MORE ON THIS TOPIC (Ny CHAPTER Al THEYRE WORTH THE EFFORT IF, BY DOING 50, YOU GAN GREATE A STRONG SENSE OF PLACE IN THE IMAGINATIONS OF YOUR READERS,CHOOSING How TO FRAME THERE ARE "SUCH AS MOMENTS IN COMICS 15 LIKE CHOOSING CAMERA DIFFERENCES-- THE ROLE THAT [ANGLES IN PHOTOGRAPHY AND FiL™. SIZE, SHAPE AND POSITION HAVE ON COMICS == BUT TO THINK OF ‘THAT FRAME AS: THE READER'S CAMERA IS A USEFUL METAPHOR, THis 1S THE DEVICE BY WHICH YOU CAN GRAS THE READER 8Y THE SHOULDER, GUIDE THEM TO THE RIGHT SPOT ~~ = AND TELL ‘THEM “YOU ARE HERE...” READERS WILL ASSIGN IMPORTANCE TO CHARACTERS AND ‘OBJECTS PLACED IN THE CENTER ~- == AND SOME COMICS tes nites omic ey si Sig )| | eortne ree nose oe oer cae THERE.~ AmySTERIOUS ABSENCE -- BUT THAT CENTER CAN ALSO POINT US TOWARD LESS. TANGIGLE IDEAS, SUCH AS THE MOTION OF AN OBJECT ~~ ~- A DISTANCE asour To se CROSSED -- -— A DISTANCE CROSSED ALREADY -- a a oa UST A FEW OF THE REASONS . I eK jerpewanacrercumces WP CURR Wee THAT AM ARTIST say MIGHT CHOOSE A, SEEMINGLY OFF-CENTER ‘COMPOSITION. WELL CONSIDERAFTERALL ‘THAT PLANNING) CHOOSING, ARRANGING AND SKETCHING THINGS OUT, HERE'S THE PART OF THE PROCESS. WHERE YOU GET TO PICK UP YOUR PEN, BRUSH OR DIGITAL STYLUS ‘AND FINALLY DRAW SOMETHING! NEXT UP IS YOUR CHOICE OF IMAGE: CREATING PICTURES TO FILL THOSE FRAMES AND BRING THE WORLD OF YOUR STORY TO Lire VISUALLY. Via] shore or cna Vig} croice oF mane © craice of word B ewoice oF FLow 08 19 TO COMMUNICATE QUICKLY, CLEARLY AND COMPELLINGLY WITH THE READER. vo Marten Whar STYLE oF nace Wu 01008 OUR PETURES FAST AND MOET MBORTANT |CAN YOU DRAW A MOPED CLEARLY ENOUGH THAT READERS CAN TELL THEY'RE NOT LOOKING AT A MOTORCYCLE OR A BICYCLE? DON'T JUST RELY ON STOCK GENERIC. FEATURES; A DRESS; ACAR, A SMILE. READY TO GET SPECIFIC. CAN YOU DRAW AN CAN YOU DRAW A CAN YOU DRAW A PICTURE OF MARK EXPRESSION OF MOCK SCORPION THAT's. = TWAIN THAT DOESN'T WIND UP LOOKING DISAPPROVAL THar CLEARLY ABOUT TO — LUKE ALBERT EINSTEIN? WON'T BE MISTAKEN STRIKE? =: = FOR THE REAL THING? EVEN WHEN WORKING INA MINIMAL STYLE LIKE STICK FIGURE MASTER MATT FEAZELL, YOUR PICTURES CAN STILL INCORPORATE A WEALTH OF REAL LIFE DETAILS. | warer soTTLE OR A | SHOE IN JUST a Few \_ LINES, How SPECIFIC couLD YOU GET? 27 PANE. Se ART $Y MATT FEAZELL (SEE ART CREDTS, Ons. 250)CHOICE OF IMAGE Is FROM LIFE TRADITIONAL EVEN MORE HOW-To-DRaw 50. ‘BOOKS CAN SE HELPFUL — CLASSIC DRAWING SKILLS Lice ANATOMY aND PERSPECTIVE CAN HELP YOU TO RENDER THE FORMS IN YOUR WORLD CONVINCINGLY -- =~ BUT IN COMES, HOW YOU DRAW THE INTERIOR OF AN THOSE CHARACTERS APARTMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN TELL YOUR READERS @ LOT [AND OBJECTS CAN BE 'AGOUT THE CHARACTER WHO LIVES IN IT. FAR MORE THAN JUST PRETTY PICTURES.‘A MINOR DETAIL It EVEN WHEN THE ART CAN FORESHADOW MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN A STORY. ‘THE STANCES aN EXPRESSIONS oF CHARACTER! = SILENT AND IN THE BACKGROUND -- CAN GIVE READERS A WEALTH OF INFORMATION ASOUT THEIR EMOTIONS AND ATTITUDES. = (OSS ae ‘AN ABSTRACT, EXPRESSIONISTIC OR AN EXTREME STYLISTIC CHOICE CAN INVEST EVERY SYMBOLIC IMAGE CAN STRENGTHEN THE MOMENT OF A STORY WITH AN OVERRIDING MOOD. RECOUNTING OF AN INTENSELY FELT EMOTION. 1 wahtad to buRY my. memories. | THE ULTIMATE TEST OF YOU MIGHT ALREADY SE ABLE GUESTION CLARITY IN COMICS, TO DRAW LIKE MICHELANGELO, BUT IF IT NUMBER ONE: ARTWORK IS IN HOW DOESN'T COMMUNICATE) ITLL JusT Wibt READERS WELL IT DELIVERS ON DIE ON THE PAGE —- GET THE THe BASIC INTENT 2 MESSAGE? OF EACH PANEL. wea — GRUDER BUT MORE 7 COMMUNICATIVE STYLE WILL WIN FANS By THE HUNDREDS OF “THOUSANDS. SNDEASON AN FRAT MILLER (SEE ART CREDITS PAGE 259, 27THE NEXT ASPECT OF CLARITY IN comics STORYTELLING (5 YOUR “On the bright ‘THey Brine THERE'S NO side, I got my. WITH THEM AN IMAGE SO VAGUE caffeine. On the UNPARALLELED THAT WORDS CAN'T donbitahe LEVEL OF LOCK IT INTO A DESIRED Dob-so-orie SPECIFICITY. MEANING. side, we got mugged on the way home.” p AND SOME ‘ SPECIFIC CONCEPTS: AND NAMES CAN ONLY BE CLeaRLy EXPRESSED THROUGH WORDS. 0} Hey, LOOK! 17°s KELLY DONOVAN, TWIN SROTHER OF THE GUY WHO PLAYED KANDER ON BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. PLUS HUMPHREY BOGART WEARING A FREDDIE MERCURY MASK AND A ROBOT DUPLICATE. OF FORMER UN, SECRETARY-GENERAL BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALIE twas IN A COUPLE OF EPISODES. Speci Tens TOKE Doonan {See oar abr. Pat 350), 30 ‘TRY DOING THAT. wiTH JUST PICTURES!ee WORDS CAN BE USED To COMPRESS A STORY, SUMMING UP VAST CHANGES IN, ‘A SINGLE CAPTION AS SEEN I ‘SCENE-TO-SCENE ‘TRANSITIONS, [ TEN vEARs LareR... lamer (ee A LONG TIME rane iN A | ALONG Fae aaa AND) | GALAXY aa FAR AWAY... MUCH MUCH CLOSER... Neopian tue pre Art of CONVERSATION. Words alone have been Se Rae ONL aE ede stories hao clearly for | millennia. || They've done || just fine | without pictures... HAVE A WHOLE CHAPTER ON THIS Sus.ecT, BUT FOR NOW, SUFFICE IT TO SAY THAT THE SECRET OF COMMUNICATING CLEARLY WITH WORDS IS JUST ‘TO LET WORDS DO WHAT WORDS DO BEST -- BUT IN COMICS, THE “TWO HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER SEAMLESSLY ENOUGH THaT READERS BARELY NOTICE WHEN SWITCHING FROM ONE TO ANOTHER, == AND WHEN A PICTURE Is THE BETTER SOLUTION, TO Ler THem GET OUT OF THE Way. AotW: AT 7 OGRE am tn 3IFINALLY, AFTER CHOOSING JUST ‘THE RIGHT MOMENTS, FRAMES, IMAGES AND WORDS, ALL THAT'S LEFT IS YOUR CHOICE OF FLOW: How vou GUIDE YOUR AUDIENCE THROUGH Your WORK FROM BEGINNING TO END, BETWEEN PANELS, YOUR CHOICE OF FLOW WILL RELY ON THE UNWRITTEN. CONTRACT BETWEEN ARTISTS AND READERS WHICH STATES THAT PANELS ARE READ LEFT-TO-RIGHT FiRsT. ‘THEN UP-TO-DOWN# -- » a THe, PANELS AND WITHIN PRINCIPLES WILL ADPLY TO CAPTIONS AND WORD BALLOONS. == AND THAT WITHIN EACH PANEL, THE SAME IT ALSO MEANS BEING ON THE LOOKOUT FOR ANY PART OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS THAT CAN HELP -- @Gewouce oF Zl cwoice oF erame choice oF @ cuoice oF CHOICE OF 32PP THE EASIEST WAY ‘TO AVOID: PANEL-TO-PANEL CONFUSION IS JO JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE, SUT IF YOu LiKe TO Mik THINGS UP, KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR CERTAIN INHERENTLY CONFUSING ARRANGEMENTS LIKE THIS ONE — IN WHICH HABIT = AND PRODUCING WILL SEND YOUR UST ENOUGH READERS LEFT TO SPLIT-SECOND RIGHT, Leavin CONFUSION TO YANK: ‘THE LOWER LEFT- READERS OUT OF HAND PANEL THE WORLD OF THE UNREAD -~ STORY. SURE, THERE ARE WAYS Jo COMPEL READERS" EYES TO MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, -- UNLESS, OF COURSE, YOU WANT TO 60 THE EXPERIMENTAL ROUTE, AST SOMETIMES DO, BUT THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER BOOK! JUST MAKE SURE YOUR LAYOUT IS SERVING YOUR STORY — — INSTEAD oF | tHe OTHER Way AROUND ANOTHER SOURCE OF “WHICH COMES NEXT?” CONFUSION OCCURS WHEN PANEL ARRANGEMENTS ARE OBSCURED By Too MANY “FOURTH WALL” BREAKS AND BORDERLESS maces. mT (SE MOTION IN YOUR FRAMES CAN HELP GUIDE THE READERS’ EVES, SUT MAKE SURE THEY'RE BEING ‘GUIDED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION! 33How vouR CHOICE OF FRAME CHANGES FROM PANEL TO PANEL CAN ALSO AFFECT THE READING FLOW. ‘BY ROTATING THE VIEWING ANGLE Too FAR SETWEEN PANELS, CHARACTERS CAN SEEM TO SWITCH PLACES, CREATING CONFUSION. CONSIDER SHOWING YOUR WORK-IN-PROGRESS. TO A FRIEND TO CATCH SUCH MIX~UPS IN THE ROUGH BLANNING STAGE -- AND IN THE FINISHED ART) OF course, ‘THAT's SUPPOSED DUDE, THIS GIRL'S To Be my DAD! BREAST DOES NOT NOT ALL PicTURES ARE CREATED EQUAL. READERS FOCUS ON AREAS OF CHANGE ‘AND RELEVANCE TO THE STORY— = WHILE BackeROUND DETAILS AND REPEATED ELEMENTS JUST FADE FROM VIEW AND ARE IGNORED. CHOICE OF FLOW IS PARTIALLY ABOUT »| LEARN OUR READERS! pats Or OBSTACLES "TA SHOOTH READING EXPERIENCE. EQuaLLy IMPORTANT THOUGH, ISHOW | ‘THE SIGHTS ALONG THat Path DRAW THE READERS” LooKine ar THE TABLE | CLOTH IN Thar LAST PANEL? DIDNT THINK 50,YOUR READERS ARE HUMANS, Just LIKE YOU AND ME, AND We ALL SORT INFORMATION THE ‘SAME WAY, AND AT THE END OF ‘THE Day, IT'S THAT FLOW OF SELECTED. MOMENTS THAT WE REMEMBER - ‘THERE'S NO Way TO FORCE READERS TO TAKE A SPECIFIC PATH, GUT WITH EXPERIENCE, YOU CAN RELIAGLY PREDICT WHAT THEY'LL PAY ATTENTION TO ~- AND SE DISTRACTED BY ~~ AND USE THAT KNOWLEDGE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. EVERY Day, OUR FIVE SENSES TAKE Isl AN OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF INFORMATION, YET WE GUICKLY SEPARATE OUT WHAT WE CARE AGOUT FROM THE CHAOS AND DIRECT OUR ATTENTION TOWARD IT. == AND ALL THOSE OTHER Sensations ‘ARE LEFT ON THE CUTTING ROOM IN COMICS, YOU CAN DO ALOT OF THAT “CUTTING” BEFOREHAND TO INSURE “THAT THE FLOw OF MAGES READERS SEE ARE EXACTLY THE ONES YOU WANT THEM To SEE, IN THE ORDER THAT BEST SeRvES yoUR STORYTELLING GOALS.WEBCOMICS Have DAILY STRIPS IWTRODUCED NEW aneeceneerite weacomies YAN OPPORTUNITIES FOR —- COMICS PAGES FLow WW READERS OUT OF THE AND POTENTIAL SEN Te ansie ind AE THR STORY 8Y CONSTANTLY oastacles To — LU IR uasi one FORCING THEM TO Flow READING THEMIS A PRETTY SCROLL, THEN HUNT. INTUITIVE PROCESS. BUT MANY MULTI-PAGE THEN CLICK, THEN ay SOME New EXPERIMENTAL FORMATS ARE DISTRACTING Gy THEIR NATURE, OF COURSE, BUT EVEN THESE CAN ALLOW FOR SMOOTH READING IF ALL THE NAVIGATING [5 DONE WITH & SINGLE CONTROL LIKE AN ARROW KEY. NO MATTER WHAT SHAPE YOUR COMICS TAKE, AS LONG AS NAVIGATING THROUGH THEM IS A SIMPLE, INTUITIVE PROCESS, THAT PROCESS WILL BE TRANSPARENT TO THE READER —- FLOW CAN CONTINUE UNINTERRUPTED. WE'LL GET DOWN TO SOME NUTS AND SOLTS REGARDING THIS TOPIC IN CHAPTER FIVE, AND ITS ONLINE EXTENSION, “CHAPTER FIVE AND A HALE.” FOR NOW, THOUGH, CAN HELP YOUR AUDIEN PRINT, THE WEB on BOTH: IMPROVING FLOW YOUR STORY AND PASS FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER WITHOUT EVER SEING TORN AWAY sy THE WORLD OUTSIDE, WHETHER YOU WORK IN. Do THAT, AND youR ‘STORYTELLING CAN BUT ITS FULL WEIGHT GEHIND THE “STORY” WITHOUT THE “TELLING” GETTING INTHE Way. INCE ENTER THE WORLD OFTOGETHER THESE FIVE KINDS OF CHOICES ARE WHAT COMMUNICATING THROUGH COMICS REQUIRES -- *- AND COMMUNICATING WITH CLARITY MEANS MAKING READER COMPREHENSION YOUR utrimate GOAL. CLARITY CHOICE CHOICE CHOICE CHOICE CHOICE (OF oF oF oF @ oe oF MOMENT IMAGE FLOW Goats: Goats: Goats: sconnecrnse me I stow neaoens ceaney ano cleaniy ato culonieReaoes sors" swouwe Ml wnar tiev need PM uc evocne Persuasive BETWEEN aN The nonenTs Tostecetarne i riearoesnance [ commuvcatne PM wrran panens Trarmarrenano [Ml aseusece piace, [M orcunacress, tots, vocesavo [MI avo cacarnc « evrrme Tose Posen ano ‘oaseers, songs wscantess i TeaspanenT ax0 hat Do roaus ENR TS comenariow unre IM irurrive ReaDnie fanp s730.3. wats. Sevenieice Toots: TOOLS: Toois: TooLs: oows: nesurawsrons f reane sze ano everv anisms evervureranr we aRaance- Groxacrrosower I Sta Grape DEVICE AND UNGUISTC ENT OF PANELS Sacre so eeret. EVER INVENTED, DEVICE EVER ON A PAGE OR aeaxcrrosnact Tl cnoce of wivesreD Sesser, ano THE PEBEONES, [B Scarcee ancuss, I nesesounice, Anancenen OF Shevseamme distance, eer, fM specncry. rasce, soccnciry, J tuenens wrran aauaiee AND Bromessi coy fM Tcvusun voce, fl awe. riwiane paves coven, Eiseunce ano xesteact coun FOR ‘hee arora concers, THe RecN THe EYE EFFICIENCY, OR THe “ESTABLISHING MI woRLD. VOCATION OF THROUGH READER ADDING PANELS SHOT.” REVEALING OTHER Senses. B@ECTATIONS. For EMPHASIS. AND wiTHOLDINe STYLISTIC AND AND CONTENT, CHARACTER OF INFORMATION. EXPRESSIONISTIC BALLOONS, SOUND MOMENT. HOOD DIRECTING READER MM Devices To EFFECTS AND UsWe MOMENT, WORD / PICTURE INTE@RATION®| FRAME, IMAGE AND WORD IN TANDEM Focus. [AFFECT MOOD AND EMOTION, AND IDEA. ‘THESE AREN'T “STEPS” THAT HAVE TO 8E ‘TAKEN IN SOME PREDETERMINED ORDER. DECISIONS HAVING TO DO WITH MOMENT, FRAME AND FLOW ARE LIKELY TO BE MADE IN THE PLANNING STAGES oF A COMIC, WHILE IMAGE AND WORD DECISIONS ARE USUALLY SEING MADE RIGHT UP TO THE FINISH LINE ~~ MOST comics ARTISTS JUGGLE ALL FIVE as NEEDED. == BUT YOULL FIND THESE CHOICES CAN FIT INTO ANY | NUMBER OF WORKING: METHODS. 37 streaner es cr nono /ocTone wrravion hb THRYOU MIGHT WaNT TO: o THEN COME UP = THEN CREATE START WITH ROUGH WITH THE DIALOGUE ie FINISHED ART. SKETCHES OF THE AND NARRATION ~ WHOLE comic -~ OR You MIGHT START WITH A FULL SCRIPT, WRITTEN BY YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE “TAP! TAPE -- THEN USE THAT TO DO YOUR ROUGH SKETCHED THEN CREATE ‘THE FINISHED ART. YOU MIGHT EVEN CREATE ONE THEN DO THE SAME WITH PANEL FINISHED PANEL WITH No TWO AND JUST KEEP GOING! IDEA WHAT HAPPENS NEXT —~— AND EACH DECISION YOU MARE CAN BE INFORMED. By; AND EVALUATED ON THE BASIS OF, THESE FIVE CATEGORIES. WORKING METHOD YOU CHOOSE, MAKING COMICS COMES DOWN To A SERIES ‘OF DECISIONS ~~ {Gh cnorce oF moment ZQ| cHoice oF FRAME (& choice oF mace | cHoIce oF WORD EB] CHOICE OF FLow IMPROVISE A SIMPLE STORY, TOLD AS CLEARLY AS POSSIBLE, AND ‘SEE HOW OUR FIVE KINDS OF CHOICES ‘CAN GE MADE INREAL TIME. WE'LL START WITH A FEW THROWAWAY ‘CHARACTERS.LET'S START THEIR STORY WITH A 616 ESTABLISHING SHOT To SHow WHERE THE ACTION IS TAKING PLACE, THEN A MIDDLE SHOT ‘TO INTRODUCE CHARACTERS A AND B, AND THEN ‘A CLOSE-UP ON CHARACTER A, THREE MOMENTS, ACCOMMODATING THREE DIFFERENT FRAMES ON THE SAME SCENE, moans DONE MARY MORE FRAMES, GUT THREE GETS THE JOB DONE. i ( | es Ew ve NOW AS A STARTS FOLLOWING B, NOTICE HOW BOTH ARE SHOWN IN FRAME, TO REINFORCE THEIR RELATIVE POSITIONS. ALSO, DESPITE CHANGING VIEWING ANGLES, GOTH MAINTAIN A LEFT~TO-RIGHT FORWARD FLOW, TRACKING THE READER'S USUAL READING DIRECTION. NO FIREWORKS IN THE IMAGES DEPARTMENT. JUST A FEW RECOGNIZABLE DETAILS, SUT OUR CHOICE OF IMAGE IS AT LEAST SPECIFIC. Wwe KNOW WWE”RE IN A MIAMIMLIKE CITY; WE KNOW CHARACTER AIS A SERIOUS GUY. WE KNOW WHAT WE NEED “OR NOW.NEXT, BY SHOWING CHARACTERS A AND B FROM CHARACTER C'S POINT OF VIEW, WE GIVE READERS A CLEAR SENSE OF WHERE ALL THREE CHARACTERS ARE IN RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER, IT WASAUT PRACTICAL TO SHOW ALL THREE CHARACTERS IN A SINGLE FRAME —- ‘THEY'D BE TOO SMALL IN A LONG-SHOT —~ GUT THE VISUAL FRAGMENTS STILL ADD. UP TOA SINGLE IDEA. s ——— THE DOUBLE-CIRCULAR SHAPE OF THE © SINOCULARS IW THE FIRST PANEL TELLS US WE'VE INTRODUCED A THIRD POINT OF ViEW. mM Ss THEN WE PICK A plus A CLOSE | LONe enous ENOUGH ANGLE TO _- ANGLE TO SHOW ‘SHOW C'S FACE EC's POSITION ON. ‘AND THE eiNlocu: THE ROOF | LARS CLEARLY. WE'VE ARRIVED AT THE NEXT IMPORTANT LOCATION, SO THE CAMERA PULLS BACK AGAIN, FOR ANOTHER ESTABLISHING SHOT. ALSO, WITH D'S. INTRODUCTION, COMES OUR FIRST DIALOGUE.THE NEXT TWO MOMENTS ARE FRAMED A BIT TOO CLOSE To SHow US EXACTLY WHAT IS BEING BOUGHT OR FOR HOW MUCH AND THE WORDS: AREN'T VERY SPECIFIC EITHER. CHOICE OF FRAME AND CHOICE OF WORD ARE SOTH HOLDING: OUT on us! SECAUSE OF THAT DELIBERATE LACK. OF INFORMATION, WE ONLY KNOW WHAT CHARACTER A KNOWS. IN FACT, PANEL TWO HERE 18 SHOT FROM A'S POINT OF VIEW, 50 HiS DISCOVERY FEELS LIKE QUR OWN. Now, AS SOON AS WORDS ENTER, THE PICTURES. ALONE WOULDN'T QUITE TELL THE WHGLE STORY. wren “POLICE!” FOR EXAMPLE, YOU MIGHT MISS THE BADGE AND JUST ASSUME THAT CHARACTER A WAS NOTICE TOO HOW MANY OF THESE ACTION TO. ACTION choices ARE comPOsED FOR LEFT-TO-RIGHT FLOW RESULTING IN A SENSE OF FORWARD MOMENTUM. YET) WHEN CHARACTER Se ok ts ITELDS BUT ON THe as ene THe ACTION sLows LaresAS HAPPENS NEXT THE CAMERA CAN SHARE INFORMATION WITH READERS THAT CHARACTER A DOES NOT Have. SPECIFICALLY, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY B GOT, AND. THE PRESENCE OF & GUN IN PANEL 4, NOTICE HOw MOMENT, FRAME AND IMAGE ACCOMMODATE EACH OTHER: ADDING MOMENTS 70 INCLUDE ANGLES WHICH REVEAL MEANINGFUL DETAILS. NEXT, IT'S WORTH PULLING BACK THE FRAME, NOT FOR A NEW SCENE, GUT BECAUSE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SCENE IS CHANGING. ALSO WITH PHYSICAL CONFLICTS, THE LOCATIONS (OF CHARACTERS: MATTER, HERE ALSO, WE SEE How WORDS ano PICTURES CAN OPERATE ON DIFFERENT PLANES: ONE RELAYING DIALOGUE THAT ALL CAN HEAR; THE OTHER SHOWING INFORMATION CTHE AMOUNT OF MONEY) THAT ONLY SOME KNOW ABOUT. AND BY LETTING READERS “IN ON THE SECRET,” (OUR CHOICE OF FRAME AND IMAGE may LEAVE THEM FEELING A BIT LIKE COLLABORATORS.SCENERY STARTS SHIFTING FAST, (T°S IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE FRAMING THE ACTION WITH LONG-SHOTS AND MIDDLE~SHOTS TO ALLOW READERS TO TAKE IT ALL IN. Havine KEPT ALL FRAMES AT THE SAME HEIGHT TO THIS OINT, ADDING A DOUBLEHEIGHT PANEL CAN CHANGE THE FLOW OF ACTIONS TO ACCOMMODATE & VERTICAL SHIFT. AND FINALLY, A FEW CLOSE-UPS As We MOVE IN FOR SOME (CHARACTERIZATION ~~ == oR WHAT PASSES For IT WITH A THROW= AWAY STORY LUKE THIS ONE » S STORYTELLhiG AND A GOGD STORY. £m OFFERING [HS AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE FORMER CMY.IN OTHER wioRDS, THE CHOIGES OF MOMENT, FRAME, — Far MORE Psuns LINE AND FLOW IN ‘THAN THEY THe VISUALS Wy THESE EXANDLES ARE ‘THESE PANELS SE ANDES ow FEATURE coven &y MANY FANCY CAMERA ANGLES OR STUNNING IMAGERY. (F WE HAD To RATE THE DRAMATIC CONTENT IN THE ART, WE MIGHT SAY LOW" TO. “MODERATE.” NOW, DEFINING SINTENSITY™ IS A SUBJECTIVE BUSINESS. FOR SOME PEOPLE, A COMIC FILLED WITH NOTHING BUT PANELS OF ONE PERSON ASLEEP IN THEIR BED, SHOT FROM THE SAME ANGLE AGAIN AND AGAIN, MIGHT BE CONSIDERED. “INTENSE” BUT FOR NOW, WE'LL USE IT TO REFER TO THOSE VISUAL TECHNIQUES wHick ADD CONTRAST, DYNAMISM, GRAPHICEXTREME DEPTH ouener GRAPHIC CONTRAST. CUES. ‘BOLD JUXTAPOSITIONS OF COLOR, ‘THE SENSE OF GREAT FRAME SHAPE AND BRIGHTNESS. DISTANCES, EXTREME SIZE and ‘CLOSENESS AND THE SHAPE. \\\\ conTRAST BETWEEN VIRTUOSO DRAWING TECHNIQUE. BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL. BORDERLESS AND GORDER-BREAKING CHARACTERS AND OBJECTS, DIAGONALS. ‘TUTED SUBJECTS, ANGLES ==NOW, THE Way VE ILLUSTRATED THEM HERE, THESE QUALITIES May RECALL CERTAIN GENRES oF comics, PREPARE \= PARTICULARLY THOSE INVOLVING HIGH INCIDENCE OF HITTING, BLEEDING, COLLISIONS, EXPLOSIONS 08 PEOPLE SAYING. “OH MY GOD, NO!” ow A REGULAR Basis. BUT WHILE THE “EXAGGERATED POSE: [AND EXPRESSIONS” ~ 70 FIRE! i |i sa OR “VIRTUOSO DRAWING TECHNIQUES” OF OTHER GENRES MIGHT TAKE ON DIFFERENT FLAVORS -- - THE Basic EFFECT oF Such ‘TECHNIQUES STAYS CONSTANT: ATTRACTING aND/oR EXCITING READERS AS SOON AS THEY PICK COMIC OFF THE SHELF OR LOAD IT INTO THEIR BROWSER. CLARITY WITHOUT ANY PRESENTATIONAL FLAIR WHATSOEVER CAN SE A SITTER PILL FOR SOME TO SWALLOW. THIS IDEA OF ADDING A LITTLE PIZAZZ Toa STORYTELLER’S STYLE ISA TIME-HONORED THING 15, WHILE CLARITY AND INTENSITY CAN GO HAND IN HAND, YOU CAN ONLY LEAN ONL ONE SIDE SO HARD BEFORE THE OTHER STARTS TO SUFFER. ‘Sle THREE: ARTY ELOURE ODA, PANEL FOUR: AAT (Sy FRANCOWS SEMUITEN (SEE ART CREDITS, PAGE 250),= 22) Ss = Se e G “2 2 S = = FOR EXAMPLE, IF == SPECIFICALLY, WE TAKE THE BASIC MORE EXTREME == THESE PANELS i—/ COMPOSITIONS FouND DEPTH CUES, SOME START TO FEEL A IN OUR SAMPLE STORY, DIAGONALS, MORE LITTLE MORE LIVELY, AND: APPLY EVEN A, FEW EXAGGERATED POSTURES, WITHOUT SACRIFICING OF THESE DYNAMIC "AND ONE OR TWO FOURTH MUCH CLARITY IN: EFFECTS -- WALL BREAKS —- ‘THE PROCESS. 48a cs tS a SD ie in S| Fa a IN SUCH CASES, THE THE HOPE OF DRAMATIC CONTRAST 1S LOST! Bars IN FACT, THERE'S NO SINGLE LEVEL oF INTENSITY THAT?S LIKELY TO WORK IN EVE! "7 IT'S IN THE VARIATION BETWEEN PANELS THAT TRUE DYNAMIC EFFECTS ARE CREATED.‘DEPTH CONTRAST GRAPHIC CONTRAST RAN DIAGONALS EXTREME POSES: ATH WALL BREAKS: FRAME VARIATION eT poco eet ‘SURFACE APPEAL WHEN MAKING COMICS FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT'S TEMPTING TO TRY TO MAKE EVERY MOMENT OF A STORY HIT LIKE THUNDERSTORM. BUT JUST AS A THUNDERCLOUD NEEDS TIME TO GROW AND GaTHER STRENGTH GEFORE THE RAIN — comies STORIES NEED TIME TO BUILD ON THE KNOWLEDGE ano EXPECTATIONS OF READERS BEFORE THEY CAN DELIVER THEIR. STRONGEST MOMENTS. READERS CRAVE DRAMATIC CHANGES, BUT TO HIGHLIGHT CHANGE REQUIRES AN UNcHanicine POINT OF REFERENCE. INTRUDER. ‘THE FIXED, QUIET BACKGROUND SETS THE STAGE FOR THE CACOPHONOUSTHE FIXED CAMERA | ANGLE oraws THE FIXED. THREE-By- IMPACT OF THE CLOSE: BEN THINKS SHE. ‘ares neve® Shown ANY AND THE FIXED MIDDLE GROUND SHOT CONTRIGUTES TO THE EMOTIONAL “UP. IN SHORT, SOMETIMES JUST TELLING: IT STRAIGHT, WITH CLARITY AS YOUR GUIDE, IS THE BEST WAY FOR STORIES TO GATHER STEAM -- AND THEN STRIKE LIKE LIGHTNING WHEN IT COUNTS.FINDING THE RIGHT CHALLENGE. INTENSITY BETWEEN INTENSITY AND CLARITY 1S MORE THAN JUST A PRACTICAL IT ECHOES A GROADER PHILOSOPHICAL DIVIDE In comics ‘CULTURE — BALANCE cLaRITY ON A THRILLING COMICS HAS SEEN PLENTY OF GREAT ‘TALENTS ON BOTH ENDS OF THE SCALE. ‘THERE'S NO “RIGHT” Hoe. —- BETWEEN THE JOY OF TELLING STORIES WITH A STRONG: PERSONAL FLAIR, MAKING OLD STORIES SEEM NEWs TAKING READERS CELEBRATING VIRTUOSITY OF TECHNIQUE -- -- AND THE GELIEF THAT THE STORIES MOST WORTH TELLING CAN GE TOLD WITHOUT ANY GELS AND WHISTLES; ‘THAT THE CHARACTERS AND EVENTS IN A STORY WILL GE REASON ENOUGH TO KEEP READING, IF THE PRESENTATION IS CLEAR @ND EFFECTIVE. RIDE AND aut WHICHEVER SIDE THE PRINCIPLES OF PURE, CLEAR STORYTELLING SHOULD BE YOUR STARTING POINT, YOU PLAN TO LEAN TOWARD —la +o UNDERSTAND y wiar 0U Have TO arteries Lehi el TO THE GOAL OF UNDERSTANDING -- = AND YOU WANT Hen To CARE. ra (mace [(@ worp ey FLOW | Gur tHere are ONE RELIES ON THE ae: THE HUMAN BEINeS TWO PATHS You INTENSITY. oF Your THat uve WITHIN | can take Toeer PRESENTATION -— CTR FEL Ia ON THAT STORY. ‘YOUR READERS TO THE CONTENT. OF CARE. THE STORY ITSELF, THe IDEAS AND THE SENSATIONS TAKE A BREAK, MAYBE TRY SOME EXPRESSED THROUGH oF THe WORLD OF THE EXERCISES LISTED IN THE THEM AND BETWEEN YOUR STORY BRINGS FOLLOWING NOTES PAGES. THEM. TOLFE. THEN WE'LL SEE WHERE THAT SECOND PATH LEADS.INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I: WRITING WITH PICTURES* PAGE | - GUESSING WHAT YOU WANT (OKAY, I'M STARTING WITH SOME BIG ASSUMPTIONS HERE! THE KIND OF COMIC T DESCRISE ON PAGE ONE ISN'T THE ONLY KIND OUT THERE. CIN FACT, I'LL TALK ABOUT THE VERY DIFFERENT GOALS SOME CARTOONISTS HAVE IN CHAPTER SIX.) BUT T DO THINK THIS IS THE GOAL MOST OF US START WITH: TO TELL A STORY THAT SWALLOWS THE READER WHOLE, USUALLY BECAUSE THAT'S THE EXPERIENCE WE HAD AS READERS THAT LED US TO COMICS IN THE FIRST PLACE, ‘TELLING STORIES IS WHY COMICS EXISTS, AND THE DRIVE TO MAKE THOSE STORIES MEMORABLE, MOVING [AND INTOXICATING IS WHAT GIVES COMI¢S ITS CURRENT SHAPE, EVEN IF TOO MANY ARTISTS Fall AT THAT MISSION. IT'S LIKE LEARNING AGOUT SEX. EVEN IF MAKING BAGIES 15 THE LAST THING ON YOUR MIND, UNDERSTANDING HUMAN SEXUALITY STILL STARTS WITH THE REPRODUC- ‘TIVE SYSTEM. PAGE 2, PANEL 2- TEACHING MYSELF NO JOKE. I'M PLANNING A MAJOR GRAPHIC NOVEL AS: My NEXT 81 PROJECT AND CREATING THIS BOOK HAS HELPED ME PREPARE FOR IT. I HAVE A LOT OF GAD HABITS TO GET RID OF! PAGE 5, PANEL I- ON MY EXAMPLES “THIS BOOK 1S BLACK AND WHITE SO MOST OF MY EXAMPLES COME FROM GRAPHIC NOVELS, MANGA OR ‘COMIC STRIPS WHICH FEATURE REPRODUCIGLE BLACK LINE ART. MOST WESCOMICS, SUPERHERO COMICS AND (CLASSIC EUROPEAN COMICS ARE IN COLOR AND HARDER “TO REPRODUCE, SO YOU WON'T SEE AS MUCH OF THAT WORK REPRESENTED UNLESS THOSE SUSJECTS COME UP DIRECTLY. T1°S NOT MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE, JUST KEEPING THE EXAMPLES AS SHARP AND READAGLE AS POSSISLE. MOST OF THESE IDEAS SHOULD APPLY TO ALL. KINDS OF COMIES, THAT SAID, IF T CAN PICK A COMIC T ADMIRE TO MAKE A GIVEN POINT, TPROBAGLY WILL. PAGE 19-25 - FRAMES AND GENRES CHOICE OF FRAME CAN DIFFER FROM GENRE TO GENRE. ‘SUPERHERO COMICS TEND TO FEATURE CONTRASTING ‘DISTANCES, CHANGES OF HEIGHT AND LOTS OF DIAGO- NALS TO KEEP THINGS LOOKING DYNAMIC (AT LEAST SINCE KIRGY REINVENTED THE GENRE, WHICH WE'LL DISCUSS IN CHAPTER Sid: woos AN exes wee Se Gy LS sone, ans = woos veneer, ae * bs CL icttt INA DAILY GAG STRIP, ON THE OTHER HAND, AN ARTIST. MIGHT GO FOR MONTHS WITHOUT EVER MOVING THE CAMERA” TO GIVE THE COMIC A MUNDANE, DOWN TO EARTH FEELING ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT DRAMATIC STAGING WOULD UNDERCUT THE HUMOR: T eapameeenr paula 9 PAGE 29 - DRAWING STYLES AND MOOD FOR A WHOLE CHAPTER ON HOW DRAWING STYLES CAN AFFECT MOOD, SEE UNDERSTANDING COMICS, CHAPTER FIVE, SLIVING IN LINE.” PAGE 36 = FLOW AND PANEL SHAPE FLOW CAN BE AFFECTED GY PANEL SHAPE IN VARIOUS WAYS. YOUR READERS INSTINCTIVELY KNOW THAT AS ‘THEIR EYES MOVE ACROSS. A ROW OF PANELS, THEY'RE MOWING FORWARD IN TIME, SO A ROW OF NARROW PANELS WHICH DIVIDE THE READING FLOW INTO SHORT BURSTS ARE USEFUL FOR FAST, CHOPPY SEQUENCES: WHILE WIDER PANELS CAN GE USED FOR MOMENTS THAT SHOULD PASS MORE SLOWLY, * WILL SNER MAS REFERRED TOMIMSELE AS “A WRITER wiko WRITES. GLP ‘uti pcruRES™ AUD EVE HEARD aT SPRL TALE ABOUT _EoieS AS A FORO "PRETURE WRITING” SO TIS INT MY TERM.PAGE 37 - CATEGORIES AND LIMITATIONS. ARTISTS HAVE SEEN DRAWING WONDERFUL comics [STORIES FOR WELL OVER A HUNDRED YEARS WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT TERMS LIKE MY FIVE CHOICES, OF COURSE. & LOT OF PURE INSTINCT GOES INTO MAKING COMICS. THESE IDEAS ARE MEANT TO SUPPLEMENT AND INFORM THOSE INSTINCTS, NOT REPLACE THEM, TF YOU'RE CREATING A COMIC, AND A PARTICULAR PANEL OR PAGE DESIGN JUST FEELS RIGHT TO YOU, GO FORIT. UST BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GO DOWN ONE OF MY NERDY CHECKLISTS FIRST DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY LESS VALID. BUT, WHEN YOU COME BACK TO THAT Comic AND SOMETHING NO LONGER FEELS QUITE RIGHT, OR WHEN A FRIEND READS IT AND DOESN'T GET IT, THAT'S WHEN T CAN PROMISE THAT YOUR SOLUTION LIES IN ONE OF THOSE FIVE COLUMNS. THAT'S WHEN YOU MAY WANT TO RECONSIDER SOME OF THE CHOICES YOU'VE MADE AND CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVES, PAGE 38 - ART STAGES CREATING FINISHED ART HAS TRADITIONALLY INCLUDED SOME KIND OF UNDER-DRAWING WITH LIGHT (HARD) PENCIL AND/OR LIGHT BLUE PENCIL TO GET DETAILS [AND PROPORTIONS RIGHT, FOLLOWED GY FINISHED INK DRAWINGS. IN THE INDUSTRY OVER THE YEARS, THESE SEPARATE TASKS ~- OFTEN PERFORMED BY SEPARATE. ARTISTS ~~ BECAME KNOWN AS “PENCILLING” (SIC) AND. “iniENG." ALOT OF LONE COMICS ARTISTS STILL SPLIT THEIR COMICS ART INTO THESE SEPARATE STAGES. IT MAKES SENSE TO HAVE A NONPERMANENT IWy TO WORK OUT WHERE LINES ARE GOING TO GO BEFORE INK HITS PAPER. STILL, I'M RELUCTANT TO USE THE TERMS BECAUSE THEY DON'T FIT WELL WITH OTHER TYPES OF FINISHED [ART LIKE PAINT OR DIGITAL MEDIA. THAT SAID, MOST CARTOONISTS Go THROUGH A FEW STAGES.ON THEIR WAY TO FINISHED ART, INCLUDING: + A ROUGH LAYOUT STAGE WHEN THEY FIGURE OUT WHERE EVERYTHING IS GOING TO GO ON THE PAGE. + A PENCILLING-LIKE STAGE WHEN THEY WORK OUT THE PROPORTIONS AND DETAILS OF CHARACTERS. AND OBJECTS IN THEIR STORY + A FINISHED ART STAGE WHEN RENDERING DECISIONS, [ARE MADE FINAL. PAGE 46 - INTENSITY BOOSTERS ALTHOUGH THESE TECHNIQUES ARE DISCUSSED HERE AS WAYS TO PUNCH UP THE SURFACE APPEAL OF A WORK, ‘THERE ARE ALSO PLENTY OF STRAIGHTFORWARD NARRATIVE USES, INCLUDING: EXTREME DEPTH CUES TO IMPLY THE EXTREME SIZE OR MASS OF A CHARACTER OR OBJECT! ie Up y om Se TILTED ANGLES TO REFLECT A CHARACTER'S SENSE OF DISORIENTATION: (OR HYPER-RENDERING TO SHOW IMPORTANT DETAILS OF AN OBJEC’ PAGE 447, PANEL 7 ~ CLARITY WITHOUT INTENSITY IT’S ACTUALLY PRETTY INTERESTING WHEN CARTOON= ISTS TRY DIALING DOWN THE INTENSITY NEARLY ALL ‘THE Way. CHESTER BROWN'S LOUIS RIEL INCLUDES STATIC CHARACTER POSTURES, VERY FEW CLOSE-UPS AND SOME DELIBERATELY MONOTONOUS LAYOUTS, SUT ‘THE DRAMATIC EVENTS STILL PULL THE READER IN: 55Cae GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE “ALTERNATIVE ComICS™ SCENE, INCREASINGLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE LITERATE, GRAPHIC NOVEL MOVEMENT, USES THE DYNAMIC ACCENTS DISCUSSED ON PAGE 46 ONLY SPARINGLY, CREATING MOODS MORE AKIN TO A STAGE PLAY THAN A HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER. BROWN'S LOUIS RIEL IS AN EXTREME EXAMPLE, BUT LOOK AT MATURE GRAPHIC NOVELS LIKE SPIEGELMAN’S MAUS, WARE'S JIMMY CORRIGAN OR MARJANE SATRAD!'S PERSEPOLIS FOR EXAMPLES OF THAT GENRE’S MORE RESTRAINED ANGLES AND COMPOSITIONS. OPTIONAL EXERCISES NOTE: IF YOU'D LIKE TO EXPLORE SOME OF THESE “TOPICS FURTHER (OR IF YOU'RE A TEACHER WHO'D LIKE ‘TO INCORPORATE SOME OF THESE IDEAS INTO A CLASSROOM SETTING) I'VE INCLUDED SUGGESTIONS FOR EXERCISES IN THE NOTES SECTIONS OF THE FIRST FOUR CHAPTERS. THEY AREN'T NECESSARY TO GRASP ‘THE IDEAS IN THIS BOOK, GUT YOU MIGHT FIND THEM USEFUL FOR GETTING A MORE HANDS-ON UNDERSTAND- ING OF THE COmiCS-MARING PROCESS, #1 CHOICE OF MOMENT (PAGES I-18) PICK A FAVORITE MOVIE AND TRY ROUGHLY BREAKING DOWN THE STORY INTO JUST SIXTEEN KEY MOMENTS USING ONLY PICTURES, NO WORDS. MAKE SURE THEY'RE CLEAR ENOUGH AND CONNECTED ENOUGH THAT A FRIEND WHO HASW'T SEEN THE MOVIE CAN TELL YOu WHAT'S GOING ON WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL EXPLANA TION. QUESTION: IF YOU HAD TO CUT TO JUST EIGHT PANELS, WHICH ONES WOULD YOU DROP? HOW MANY PANELS WOULD GE ENOUGH TO SHOW ALL OF THE KEY MOMENTS OF THE STORY? (See ART CREDITS, PAGE 258). # 2 - CHOICE OF MOMENT/CONNECTING THE DOTS (PAGES |3+14) PICK & FEW OF YOUR FAVORITE COMICS AND TRY TO FIND ‘AT LEAST ONE PANEL THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CUT WITHOUT ADVERSELY AFFECTING THE CLARITY OF THE STORY. CONSIDER WHAT MIGHT HAVE PROMPTED THE CREATOR(S) OF THE COMIC TO INCLUDE IT INTHE FIRST PLACE, NAS IT MEANT TO SLOW DOWN THE ACTION? OR FILL SPACE GEFORE A PAGE TURN? WAS IT GENUINELY USELESS OR WAS THERE A SUBTLER PURPOSE Int MIND? # 3+ THE SIX TRANSITIONS (PAGES 15-18) PICK ONE OF THESE THREE MINI-PLOTS AND CREATE A ROUGH SINGLE PAGE COMIC ABOUT IT USING ONLY ONE. OF THE TRANSITION TYPES FROM PAGES 16 AND I7: + THE QUEEN DIED AND THE KING DIED OF GRIEF AFTER HER. + BOY MEETS GIRL, BOY LOSES GIRL. + DOG EATS DOG, DOE BURPS, DOG FIGURE SKATES. ‘THEN TRY DRAWING A NEW PAGE OF THE SAME PLOT USING A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRANSITION AND SEE HOw IT AFFECTS THE STORYTELLING STYLE AND MOOD OF ‘YOUR COMIC. #4 CHOICE OF FRAME (PAGES 17-25) ‘GUY THE LATEST COMIC BY YOUR FAVORITE CREATOR. DON'T LOOK INSIDE, BUT INSTEAD GET A COMICS-SAVWY FRIEND TO COPY JUST THE PANEL BORDERS FROM A FEW PAGES AND WRITE A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN EACH PANEL. TRY TO GUESS HOW YOUR FAVORITE CREATOR COMPOSED EACH PANEL AND [DRAW A ROUGH VERSION INSIDE THE SORDERS. THEN ‘TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRINTED COMIC AND COMPARE {YOUR ROUGH VERSION TO THE REAL THING. #5 CHOICE OF FRAME (PAGES 19-25) SKETCH A I6-PANEL GRID ON A PIECE OF TYPING PAPER WITH A SIMPLE STANDING FIGURE IN THE FIRST PANEL: 56ASK A FRIEND TO DECIDE WHAT YOUR CHARACTER SHOULD DO IN PANEL TWO. DRAW THE SUGGESTION AND CONSIDER WHETHER IT WAS NECESSARY TO CHANGE THE VIEWING ANGLE. IF YOUR CHARACTER ENCOUNTERS AN ELEPHANT, DO YOU HAVE TO PULL BACK? IF HE/SHE CLIPS A TOENAIL, DO YOU HAVE TO PULL IN? DO ANY OF THE SUGGESTIONS REQUIRE A TILT OR ROTATION OF VIEWING ANGLE? DO ANY REGUIRE A CHANGE OF ELEVATION? REPEAT UNTIL THE PAGE IS FILLED! #6 - CHOICE OF IMAGE (PAGES 26-29) ‘TEST YOUR VISUAL MEMORY. TRY MAKING SIMPLE DRAWINGS OF FIVE COMPLEX ITEMS FROM MEMORY (EXAMPLES: & FIRE HYDRANT, YOUR FAVORITE SKYSCRAPER, A PAIR OF SCISSORS, A SNEAKER, A GAME CONTROLLER... THEN FIND THE REAL THING OR CHECK ‘THE WEB FOR PHOTOS. STUDY THE DIFFERENCES. THEN [DRAW THE SAME ITEMS AGAIN FROM MEMORY AND SEE IF YOU CAN CAPTURE THEM MORE EFFECTIVELY. ALTHOUSH DRAWING FROM MEMORY ISN'T AS NECESSARY: TODAY AS IT WAS FOR MY GENERATION (YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH FIND A PHOTO OF ANYTHING ONLINE) PRACTICING IT CAN HELP ISOLATE THE MOST IMPOR= ‘TANT STRUCTURAL DETAILS OF SUGJECTS THAT CAN JOG READERS MEMORIES WITHOUT OVERLOADING THEM WITH UNNECESSARY DETAILS. FOR EXAMPLE, IF ASKED TO QUICKLY SKETCH A BICYCLE FROM MEMORY, A LOT OF PEOPLE MIGHT SKETCH SOMETHING LIKE THIS: UT WITH REFERENCE, THE SAME NUMGER OF LINES MIGHT SETTER CAPTURE THE BASIC SHAPES OF A REAL BICYCLE: #7 - CHOICE OF IMAGE (PAGES 26-27) CAN YOU DRAW AN UNOCCUPIED ROOM WITH ENOUGH DETAIL THAT A FRIEND CAN TELL YOU AT LEAST TEN MEANINGFUL THINGS ABOUT THE KIND OF PERSON THAT LIVES THERE, JUST BY LOOKING AT YOUR DRAWING? INOTE: SEE CHAPTER 3 FOR CHOICE OF WORD EXERCISES.) # 8 - CHOICE OF FLOW (PAGES 32-36) FIND A COMIC OR GRAPHIC NOVEL WITH A LOT OF ‘VARIATIONS IN FRAME SIZE AND SHAPE. PICK AT LEAST ‘TEN PAGES AND CONSIDER HOW YOU MIGHT ARRANGE THE SAME PANELS IF YOU HAD TO FIT THEM ONTO THE PAGES OF & DIFFERENTLY-SHAPED BOOK WOULD SOME PANELS HAVE TO BE ADDED OR SUBTRACTED? HOW DOES THE NEW LAYOUT AFFECT TURN-OF-PAGE MOMENTS? CAN YOU KEEP THE READING ORDER EASY TO. FOLLOW? #7 - CLARITY VERSUS INTENSITY (PAGES 45-52) CAN YOU FIND A COMIC WHERE THE CLARITY OF SOME [SCENES COULD GE IMPROVED BY DIALING DOWN THE INTENSITY OF SOME LAYOUTS? CAN YOU DO A ROUGH ‘SKETCH OF YOUR IMPROVED VERSION? CONVERSELY, CAN ‘YOU FIND A COMIC WHICH COULD BENEFIT FROM THE ADDITION OF SOME INTENSITY, WITHOUT SACRIFICING CLARITY IN THE PROCESS? HOW WOULD YOU GO ASOUT im #10 - LOOSENING-UP EXERCISES ‘A. QUANTO COMICS CINVENTED By THE LEGENDARY DEWAN GRGTHERS, TED AND GRIAN?. GET TOGETHER WITH ONE OR MORE COMICS-MAKING FRIENDS. GET A FEW BLACK MARKERS AND SOME PLAIN WHITE PAPER. EACH ARTIST TAKES A FEW MINUTES MAKING A TITLE LOGO ON THE TOP OF A PAGE CTITLES SHOULD BE SOMETHING GENERAL LIKE “IS THAT YOUR DAD?,"" MGLIND DATE." “IGNORE IT AND IT WILL GO AlNay,” NCLOSED MONDAYS,” ETC; AVOID OVERLY SPECIFIC ‘TITLES LIKE “POPE BENEDICT AND JAMIROGUAL GO SKYDIVING OVER PENNSYLVANIA”). EACH ARTIST THEN TRADES PAGES AND DRAWS A ONE-PAGE COMIC TO MATCH SOMEONE ELSE'S TITLE. REPEAT UNTIL SLEEPY. B, THE 24-HOUR COMIC (BEGUN IN! 1990 AS A CHALLENGE TO MY PAL STEVE BISSETTED. DRAW AN ENTIRE 24 PAGE COMIC BOOK INA SINGLE 24-HOUR PERIOD. NO SCRIPT. NO PREPARATION. ONCE THE CLOCK STARTS TICKING, IT DOESN'T STOP UNTIL YOU'RE DONE. GREAT SHOCK THERAPY FOR THE CREATIVELY BLOCKED. (OVER 1,000 ARTISTS HAVE GIVEN IT A TRY SO FAR! ‘SUGGESTIONS: START IN THE MORNING, AFTER A FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP. PLAN TO HAVE PLENTY OF FOOD. CAFFEINE AND MUSIC AT THE READY. AND IF YOU DON'T. DO IT AT HOME, YOU MIGHT WANT TO HAVE A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMGER GIVE YOU A RIDE WHEN YOU'RE DONE. HF YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR COMIC IN THE COMPANY OF ‘OTHER CRAZY ARTISTS. CHECK OUT 24HOURCOMICS.COM, FOR DETAILS ON 24-HOUR COMICS DAY, AN ANNUAL CELEBRATION DURING WHICH GROUP EVENTS ARE HELD [AT COMICS STORES AND OTHER LOCATIONS IN SEVERAL ‘COUNTRIES. ADDITIONAL NOTES (INCLUDING MORE DETAILS ON THE 2ucHOUR COMICS CHALLENGE) CAN BE FOUND AT: WWW.SCOTTMCCLOUD.COM/MAKINGCOMICS 57p Character Design, Facial Expressions and Body Language Chapter Two Stories for Humans ri £ FOR MOST OF US IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, IT STILL you PROVIDE THE == Ano THe READER || “TAKES TWO TO CREATE NEW LIFE, AND CREATING SHAPES, LINES AND PROVIDES THE | NeW LIVES THROUGH COMICS IS WO DIFFERENT. COLORS OF YOUR HUMAN EXPERIENCE BUT THEY CAN'T BE JUST ANY SHAPES, LINES AND COLORS. CHOSEN ART — NEEDED TO GREATHE LIFE INTO THEM ‘THEY NEED TO. -- STARTING WITH ONE OF THE MOST BASIC INCLUDE JUST A FEW VISUAL QUALITIES THAT MARK ALL LIVING THINGS, KEY ELEMENTS AND SEPARATE US FROM THE NON-LIVING WORLD ~~ THAT WILL TRIGGER = RECOGNITION IN YOUR, READERS —- SeSymmerey ts LiFe’s CALLING CARD, THE WAY WE'VE LEARNED TO RECOGNIZE Each OTHER IN THE WILD. (7's THE KEY INGREDIENT THar says “YES, THIS IS AN ANIMAL LIKE ME, THIS IS ALIVING THING.” Wy i 4 |) i jun ij i (| i ial ul | ‘Zz 59 IT'S THAT BIT OF OURSELVES THAT BREEDS AFFECTION WHEN WE SEE IT IN OUR NEARER RELATIVES -- EVEN WHEN NOTHING cout ae FURTHER FRom Te TRUTH. WHILE THE DIFFERENCES IN LIFE EXPERIENCE BETWEEN ONE ‘CHARACTER AND ANOTHER CAN TRIGGER MANY STORIES. A CHARACTER RAISED IN POVERTY, FOR EXAMPLE, MAY HAVE TROUGLE RELATING. TO A SHOPPING-ADDICTED HEIRESS. MIGHT FIND ROMANCE PROSLEMATIC WITH THE DAUGHTER OF AN ANTHROPOLOGIST. ‘A RUNNER WHO'S BEEN ON THE WINNING SIDE [ALL HIS LIFE MIGHT APPROACH & COMPETITION DIFFERENTLY FROM A RUNNER FIGHTING TO OVERCOME A LIFE FILLED WITH LOSSES. THESE LIFE HISTORIES —— OR “BACKS TORIES” -- DON'T HAVE TO BE TOO ELABGRATE, ESPECIALLY FOR MINOR CHARACTERS, MUCH OVER SUCH DETAILS ISA classic BEGINNER'S MISTAKE! BUT BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR FACTORS THAT COLOR YOUR CHARACTERS’ EVERYDAY OUTLOOKS, HELP. (OF HINDER THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF OTHERS: AND INFLUENCE THEIR ACTIONS, IN OTHER WORDS, CONCENTRATE ON THE DETAILS ‘THAT SHAPE WHO THEY ARE TODAY,SOMETIMES, A PETER PARKER'S ONLY AFTER PETER’S. SINGLE, LIFE-CHANGING | | FIRST IMPULSE WHEN UNCLE IS MURDERED SY EVENT CAN! BECOME GETTING HIS UNIGUE ACROOK HED EARLIER ACHARACTER’S, POWERS WASN'T TO REFUSED To carcH DEFINING FIGHT GRIME AT ALL AS SPIDER-MAN = GUT TO MAKE MONEY AS A CELEBRITY. < WITH THEIR HERO'S MORAL BURDEN FIRMLY ESTABLISHED, WRITERS HAD A FIELD DAY THROWING ONE THORNY MORAL DILEMMA AFTER ANOTHER AT THE POOR GUY, GENERATING ALONG RUN OF SUCCESSFUL STORIES. 4 ALTHOUGH RARE Ist REAL LIFE, Suc EMOTIONAL Bic BANGS HAVE PROVED USEFUL OVER THE YEARS AS A SOURCE ? OF MANY SUPERHERO cm) “ORIGIN STORIES" STH Nee Z AC SU | | : =incwwonsuce SH =H AND DITKO"S 176! Tt % eee caicel con nana. is COMICS’ SPIDER-MAN. t | i ! 5S AND WHEN THOSE DESIRES AND EXPECTATIONS COLLIDE weTH THE DESIRES OF OTHERS OR WITH NATURE == FECTS HOW WE SEE “THE WORLD. Gassrcsonsmecan 66 >= DOES PETER UNDERSTAND THAT WITH GREAT POWER COMES “GREAT RESPONSIBILITY” AND EMBARK ON THE DIFFICULT PATH OF DOING 6000. THEY KNEW THAT AS MANY STORIES. GouLD STEM FROM CONFLICTS UNDER THE MASK AS OUT ON THe STREET. THAT'S, ‘THE SOURCE OF MANY OF THE BEST STORIES EVER TOLD, 7IN SCHOOL, WE'RE TAUGHT THaT SToRIES —\| conruict RELY ON “CONFLICT” AND |, MEANS THAT SOME CONFLICTS ARE FIGHTING, INTERNAL WHILE SOME ARE. RIGHT? ' EXTERNAL, Wt SS yy ont lich 7 iy \y RA ic f OT Track THem 70. \| Tein SOURCE, THOUGH, AND NEARLY \ ALL conruicts are \ teRvat — -- BECAUSE THEY ALL START WITH SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, WANTING SOMETHING. wet f WE CAN ADD TO A CHARACTER'S PERSONALITY ALL WE WANT =~ MAKE THEM KIND-HEARTED OR WITTY OR SENTIMENTAL OR NEUROTIC == = BUT IT'S ONLY WHEN THEY START TO WANT SOMETHING THAT THOSE TRAITS ARE SET IN MOTION AND GIVEN A PURPOSE. EVERYBODY IS AHERO IN THEIR ‘OWN MIND. FULLY REALIZED CHARACTERS DON'T SEE THEMSELVES AS PART OF YOUR STORY AT ALL. 67 == AND How IT AFFECTS THEM IS ‘THEIR PRIMARY MEASURE OF EACH MOMENT'S. IMPORTANCE, WHATEVER, You THROW aT THEM 5 JUST PART OF THEIR OWN story —MOST WRITERS PUT A GIT OF THEMSELVES WTO EVERY CHARACTER, HICH CAN ADD WARMTH AND CREDIBILITY To A STORY, SUT CAN ALSO DULL THE VARIETY OF & CAST IF TAKEN TOO FAR. ONE. way TO BOLSTER THAT VARIETY IS TO BASE EACH CAST MEMBER ‘ON A DIFFERENT UNIFYING: IDEA. THAT'S WHAT T DID IN THE EARLY '80S WHEN T PARTIALLY MODELED THE FOUR MAIN CHARACTERS. FOR My FIRST COMIC BOOK SERIES 207! AFTER ‘CARL JUNG'S FOUR PROPOSED TYPES OF HUMAN THOUGHT. ZOT JENNY PEABODY BUTCH INTUITION FEELING INTELLECT SENSATION SOUNDS WEIRD, T KNOW, BUT BECAUSE OF THAT, I COULD PREDICT How EACH CHARACTER WOULD REACT IN ANY GIVEN SITUATION. GUYS! WAKA ‘CRASH THE ARCHETYPES FROM MYTH AND LEGEND LiKE THE SOLD WISE MAN,” THE "HERO" OR “THE TRICKSTER™ CAN ALSO BE USED TO INSURE A WARIETY OF DESIRES AND WORLD VIEWS ~~ RING MUST BE DESTROYED! THE “OLD WISE MAN” CLUS — WHILE TAPPING INTO UNIVERSAL VALUES. THAT TRANSCEND ANY ‘ONE GENRE OR ‘CULTURE, [concer vou 68HUMAN Benes ARE COMPLICATED CREATURES wiTH 4 LOT oF suBTLE VARIATIONS. CAPTURING iy’ Tear sustuery AND COMPLEXITY 15 A CHALLENGE MANY MODERN CARTOONISTS ARE TRYING TO MEET, ESPECIALLY IN! THE GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE REASONS: WE ALL LOVE STORIES 1S THAT THEY OFFER PROPOSALS FOR, LIFE’S MEANING AND PURPOSE. (SEE ART CREDITS age 6 ‘THE RELIANCE On A == AND IT CAN IF SINGLE THEME USING SUCH THEMES FORA CHARACTER'S ‘JUST PRODUCES. INNER LIFE May SEEM CHARACTERS MIRED TO RUN AGAINST I CLICHES AND ‘THAT AMBITION — STEREOTYPES — THE IDEA (ST To SIMPLIFY A CHARACTER AT ALL, BUT ‘TO INSURE, Gy WHATEVER MEANS, THAT YOUR ‘CAST OF CHARACTERS REPRESENTS A FULL SPECTRUM OF APPROACHES TO LIFE BY PRESENTING CHARACTERS WITH COMPETING: PHILOSOPHIES OF LIFE YOU CAN OFFER A ‘TRIANGULATED, FULLER PICTURE OF THE WORLD YOUR CHARACTERS LIVE IN. — SUT EVEN GROADLY-CONCEIVED (CHARACTERS CAN EVOKE SUBTLER, ASPECTS OF THE HUMAN CONDITION THROUGH THEIR INTERACTIONS: WITH ONE ANOTHER, + BECAUSE WITHOUT THar ‘VARIATION, YOUR CHARACTERS AREN'T GOING TO HAVE MUCH TO TALK ABOUT! ‘AND FOR ALL THE BEAUTIFUL ART OR WORDPLAY YOU MIGHT DELIVER, IT'S THAT PICTURE OF THE WORLD THar YouR READERS May REMEMBER SEST.OF course, comics =" 50 VARIETY AND ISA VISUAL THAT INTERNAL VARIETY OF DISTINCTION MEDIUM CHARACTER TYPES WILL NEED AN CHARACTER DESIGN OUTWARD varieTy oF VISUAL [ARE IMPORTANT FOR DESIGNS To MATCH, ‘A FEW REASONS. ‘ON A PURELY PRACTICAL LEVEL, THEY HELP AND EVEN IF DETAILS LIKE FACIAL HAIR AND ‘THE READER KEEP TRACK OF WHO'S WHO. CLOTHING ARE THROWN IN To DISTINGUISH ACAST OF CHARACTERS THAT ALL LOOK THE THEM, TOO MUCH SIMILARITY IN CHARACTERS? SAME CAN BE CONFUSING. UNDERLYING APPEARANCE CAN LEAD TO A BLAND COOKIE-CUTTER Loox. BUT BEAUTY IS MORE = AND THERE ARE SOME STRIVE TO MAKE EVERY ONE OF THEIR EFFECTIVE WHEN MANY DIFFERENT. CHARACTERS BEAUTIFUL, AND IN DOING GIVEN A BASIS FOR KINDS OF BEAUTY 50 RELY ON THE SAME IDEAL FACE AND COMPARISON - To CHOOSE FROM. BODY REPEATEDLY. "f Y 2 l rie SEVER ART By RUN TAKANASH (SEE ART CREDITS, PRE 259,NOW, DRAWING PEOPLE IS HARD FOR SOME GF US, SO T UNDERSTAND Wty MANY ARTISTS RELY ON THE SAME BASIC FACE AND FIGURE AGAIN AND AGAIN, i. |,2e serine iT : RigHT ONCE (5 [SSS { oirmcutr enouch Ie ‘ WITHOUT Havin = TO REINVENT THE es - WHEEL EACH % TIME. SUT ADDING VARIETY DOESN'T REGUIRE YOU To BE AMASTER DRAFTSMAN. IT JUST MEANS TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT YOUR ARTWORK AND ASKING YOURSELF A FEW QUESTIONS. SUCH AS: “ARE ALL "DO KNOW EACH OF My CHARACTERS CharacTeR’s THE same WEIGHT HEIGHT? 00 my AND BUILD?” THEY ALL STAND. EYE TO EYE?” DRAWING THE SAME NOSE AND. UPPER LIPS OVER AND OVER?” “DOr KEEP 5 “DOES EVERY WOMAN 1 DRAW HAVE THE SAME BUST oR HIPS?” DEEPER DIFFERENCES oF FACE AND BODY TYPE HELP READERS KEEP TRACK OF YOUR CAST, AND GIVES THEM & UNIQUE VISUAL REMINDER oF CHARACTERS’ DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES. AS YOUR READERS GET To KNOW YOUR CAST, ‘THOSE FEATURES WILL come 10 SYMBOLIZE WHAT EACH CHARACTER MEANS TO THEM == p ~ JUST AS. REAL-LIFE PHOTOS OF ‘OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN RECALL ‘THE WHOLE PERSON IN ‘OUR MEMORIES, 7CARTOONY STYLES ACCOMMODATE MORE DRAMATIC VARIATIONS IN BODY TYPES, SO SUCH BUT IN Some comics, EXTREME DIFFERENCES HAVE TRADITIONALLY CULTURES, DRAMATIC GEN ASSOCIATED WITH ALL“AGES TITLES. STORIES HAVE ALSO BENEFITED FROM, = AS WITH INNER DRIVES, SOMETIMES A CHARACTERS OUTER APPEARANCE CAN GE GUILT AROUND & SINGLE IDEA. JAIME HERAANDE® (SEE ART AND COPYRIGHT CREDITS, 72 == AND EVEN REALISTICALLY PROPORTIONED PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION To EYES. I FOUND WHEN FIGURES CAN SHOW DISTINCT VARIATIONS IN DOING ZOT/ THAT £ COULD HIGHLIGHT CHARACTERS’ SHAPE, SIZE aND OTHER FEATURES. UNIGUE QUALITIES BY GIVING EACH ONE A UNIQUE AND EASILY RECOGNIZED PAIR OF EYES. = OR JUST UNDER ‘THE SURFACE, AS IN LEE AND KiRGY'S FANTASTIC FOUR. SUCH THEMATIC “CASTING” CAN BE OPENLY ACKNOWLEDGED, AS IN NEIL GAIMAN'S SANDMAN SERIES ~~ DESPAIREISNER SUGGESTS USING ANIMALS* AS A BASIS ANYTHING GOES. EVEN AFTER ONE SET OF FOR CHARACTERS, IN PART TO TAD INTO READERS? ‘THEMES HAS BEEN USED, IT CAN ALWAYS BE USED PRIMORDIAL REACTIONS, AND LUCKILY THERE ARE A [AGAIN -- 50 LONG AS YOUR TAKE ON IT 15 FRESH, LOT OF ANIMALS OUT THERE TO CHOOSE FROM! ese YOU MAY EVEN WANT TO TAP SOME OF THE VARIOUS ‘THESE HAVE THE IMAGINATION and \ | PHYSICAL STEREOTYPES can ToonisTs Have USED ADVANTAGE OF pepgyhlenyty (OVER THE YEARS, THE FACE AND BODY TYPES. EING INSTANTLY Bone up WT MANY THAT CAN MARK A CHARACTER AS “HEROIC” OR RECOGNIZABLE AND spe pales “BRUTISH” OR “NERDY;” ETC. | CONFORMING TO GROUPS TO.USE. 4 4 READEH EXPECTATIONS. — 2 SOME SUGGESTIONS: + THE FOUR SEASONS “CHESS Pieces “THE FIVE SENSES ‘AT TIMES, £ THINK: POETRY IS CIVILIZATION’S ONLY RATIONAL RESPONSE TO THE FUTILITY OF LINGUISTIC REPRESENTATION. OF COURSE, You COULD ‘ALSO CONTRADICT THOSE ASSUMPTIONS, GIVE YOUR READERS A SURPRISE, AND PUNCTURE “MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURES *S COUNTRIES/STATES \CRSORAL ERAS SOME REAL-LIFE HEY! “THE PLANETS STEREOTYPES IN THE war THE HELL) LZ ARE YOU TALKING “HISTORICAL FIGURES STREES/PLANTS sTO¥s TAROT CARDS: “THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS Sones HAND TOOLS “ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS 73 ‘0145 8008 GRAPHIC STORYTELLING (See siaUoGRAEHY)‘once you've DECIDED ON A BASIC DESIGN FOR YOUR CHARACTER, YOU MAY WANT TO. LOCK THAT DESIGN IN, WITH A “MODEL KIND OF BLUEPRINT YOU CAN REFER TO ‘WHEN DRAWING. A Good MODEL SHEET Will USUALLY INCLUDE BOTH FULL FIGURE AND FACIAL ‘CLOSE-UPS —AS WELL AS NOTES on HOW THE BODY IS CONSTRUCTED, SoTH UNDER THE. CLOTHES; aND UNDER THE ~- COSTUME DETAILS, IF THERES & cosTUME -— DIFFERENT STYLES ‘OF CLOTHING YOUR CHARACTER LIKES TO WEAR. 75“THIS IS WHEN YOU CAN START PLANNING FOR WHAT KINDS. OF EXPRESSIVE TRAITS YOU'D LiKE EACH CHARACTER TO HAVE. ‘THESE ARE THE VARIQUS TENDENCIES oF BODY LANGUAGE -- = AND OTHER PERSONAL QUIRKS. “THIS IS WHERE YOU GET TO MAP OUT THE EMOTIONAL TERRITORY EACH CHARACTER OPERATES WITHIN! — 76— = AND LOOK. FOR THOSE TWO OR THREE KEY EXPRESSIONS or POSES UNIQUE To EACH CHARACTER. eu) SLIGHTLY CROSSED uctiane\ | Meecrossen YOUR CHARACTERS: FLAKY CHARACTER, iincameris, |) | Rs ca care re a OR A FULL SUPPLY OF WRINKLES, TAILOR-MADE FOR SNEERING. OR A PERMANENT SLOUCH For GRUMPY, DEFEATED. PERSONALITY, MINOR CHARACTERS. SOME TRUST ‘THEMSELVES TO DESIGN CHARACTERS ON THE FLY =~ -- AND MANY MODEL SHEETS ARE LITTLE MORE THAN ROUGH SKETCHES. 4 NOW, TO GE HONEST, NOT EVERY CARTOONIST GOES sor ‘TO THIS MUCH TROUBLE, ESPECIALLY FOR ONE-SHOT Prrdineny we PLAN To THE LAST DETAIL oR PREFER TO WING IT, your coals. SHOULD Be THE SAME == To Figure our WHAT MAKES EACH CHARACTER UNIQUE AND PUT THOSE QuaLiTies FRONT ‘AND CENTER, 77THESE ARE THE THREE COMPONENTS OF SUCCESSFUL CHARACTER ‘TO MAKE SURE EACH CHARACTER HAS A MENTAL) VISUAL AND BEHAVIORAL TERRITORY ALL THEIR OWN, BY HIGHLIGHTING ‘THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHARACTERS ~~ ‘THE READER WILL BE GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS ACROSS HUNDREDS OR EVEN THOUSANDS OF PANELS, THROUGH SMALL FRAGMENTS OF SPEECH, SIGHT AND ACTION ~~ THEY PRESENT AN INNER DIFFERENT. LIFE CHALLENGES, SUT ALL SHARE A COMMON STRATEGY: VISUAL DISTINCTION EXPRESSIVE TRAITS ano oN Lie PLANETS, ‘at vooe ae aon sepanare re within Tue Sepa, EACH ONE. ree > — WHICH CAN ADD F THose UP TOA SINGLE FRAGMENTS CONTINUOUS ILLUSION DO THEIR JOB, oF HUMAN LIFE ~~ CONSISTENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY FROM GEGINNING TO END.MAINTAINING = AND OVER THE YEARS, SOME CHANGES are BOUND TO OCCUR IN “THE WAY YOU DRAW YOUR CHARACTERS J wae soTw corre a ar ‘GH ROUNDER ovix THE YEARS, FoR EWA CONSISTENT LOOK FOR YOUR CAST IS PART “OF THAT CHALLENGE —— WAY IN WHICH MODEL, ~ AND ANOTHER SHEETS CAN HELP. BUT WITHIN A SINGLE, SELF-CONTAINED WORK LIKE A GRAPHIC NOVEL, CONSISTENCY IS IMPORTANT FOR KEEPING READERS IN YOUR SPELL. By b] Dow worey asour MATCHING youR ART 0 (| THE MODEL SHEET EXACTLY. THERE'S NOTHING WITH IT. You CAN CREATE A SENSE OF A SINGLE CHARACTER PASSING ‘THROUGH LIFE IN PANEL AFTER WITHOUT 17, THAT SPELL CAN BREAK, AND Leave YOUR READERS WITH NOTHING BUT LINES DRAWING THE SAME CHARACTERS OVER AND OVER IS HARD WORK. ALL THE MORE REASON To Pick. DESIGNS THAT ARE A JOY TO DRAW RATHER ‘THAN A CHORE. AFTERALL, YOU'RE GOING TO SE FACE-TO- FACE with THESE GuyS ALOT. ‘aL TWor ART By CRAIG THOMSON {ELART CREDITS Pat 230),EXPRESSIONS AREN'T ‘THEY'RE A COMPULSIVE WE ALL KNOW HOW == BUT FEW OF US CAN SOMETHING WE CAN! FORM OF VISUAL To “READ AND CONSCIOUSLY REPRO- ‘OPT OUT oF Easily, COMMUNICATION “WRITE” THEM DUCE THEM IN ART ‘AS WITH WORDS. ALL OF US USE. WITH GUR FACES ~~ WITH AS MUCH STYLE ALMOST ANY STORY CAN SE EVALUATED Gy ITS AGILITY TO PROVOKE EMOTION IN THE READER, COMICS ARTISTS. we NeeD 70 0 EVEN IF EMOTIONS AREN'T IT'S PRIMARY FOCUS == EXACTLY THAT IF WE WANT THE EMOTIONS OF OUR CHARACTERS TO COME THROUGH ON THE PAGE. ‘== AND THERE'S NO STRONGER CONDUIT TO YOUR AND READERS’ EMOTIONS THAN THROUGH THE EMOTIONS WITH FOUR ~ you, OF THE CHARACTERS YOu CREATE FOR THEM, SENSES, MOST WANT To GET Nataly SOUND, THE MOST OUT OF UNAVAILASLE TO. ‘THE ONE YOU you =- HAVE.PUTTING FACIAL EXPRESSIONS To USE IN COMICS REQUIRES YOU To TACKLE FOUR SUBJECTS: “THe DIFFERENT How THOSE ‘THe various [AND HOW FACIAL KINDS oF Facial EXPRESSIONS ARE STRATEGIES FOR EXPRESSIONS WORK EXPRESSIONS AND: FORMED BY THE RENDERING IN CoMICS-STYLE WHERE THEY COME MUSCLES oF THOSE EXPRESSIONS SEQUENCES. FROM. THE FACE. GRAPHICALLY. her} LS it ~ _ inv1872, DARWIN WROTE THAT SOME THE HUMAN ‘ Re een BUT THE Lion's “THe RESULTS EXPRESSIONS MIGHT BE [ANY NUMBER OF SHARE OF THE OF THAT PROCESS UNIVERSAL. A view SHADES IN THE FACE'S POWER TOMOVE CAN BE VARIED AND | sHaReD @y MODERN wun ew! US LIES IN ITS ABILITY — compLEx, auT AT TS | ExPRESSIONS EXPERTS : TO CONVEY BASIC SOURCE ARE A FEW oo LIKE PAUL EXMAN.* EMOTIONS. SIMPLE BUILDING SOME INDICATE PHYSICAL STATES SucH AS PAIN OR EXHAUSTION. SOME ARE MEANT TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS DIRECTLY. i ‘THESE ARE THE BASIC EMOTIONS WHICH ALL HUMAN BEINGS EXHIGIT, REGARDLESS OF CULTURE, LANGUAGE oR AGE, A SMALL HANDFUL OF “PURE” EXPRESSIONS FROM WHICH OTHERS ARE DERIVED. 2 a Wy * see nauosaamn.NOW, SOME OF YOU MIGHT BE THINKING: “THAT CAN'T GE ITI THERE ARE FAR MORE EXPRESSIONS THAN THOS! AND THERE ARE! UT JUST AS THREE PRIMARY COLORS CAN BE MODIFIED on MIXED TO ACHIEVE EVERY COLOR OF THE SADNESS SURPRISE 83 n= $0 TOO CAN THESE EMOTIONAL PRIMARIES ge MODIFIED ano MIXED To creare ‘MANY OF THE EXPRESSIONS WE SEE EVERY DAY.FOR EXAMPLE, 8Y ‘VARYING THE INTENSITY oF (OUR PRIMARIES YOU cant SEE OTHER FAMILIAR EMOTIONS SO INGRAINED ARE THESE INTERMEDIATE EMOTIONS THAT EACH ONE CARRIES A SPECIFIC MEANING = == AND EACH GETS ITS OWN STERNNESS CONCERN SATISFACTION EJECTION ALERTNESS INDIGNATION ANMIETY LAUGHTER AMUSEMENT soy MELANCHOLY WONDER a4AND BY MIXING any TWO oF ouR EMOTIONAL PRIMARIES, WE CAN PRODUCE A THIRD EXPRESSION —- WHICH, IN MANY CASES, IS ALSO DISTINCT AND RECOGNIZABLE ENOUGH TO EARN ITS OWN NAME, 9-8 cnr acer saoness =a aa +S s aver surest piscust“THROW IN MIXTURES oF THE OTHER. INTENSITIES -— AND THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS wHic CAN ADD EVEN MORE vaaiery. REMEMBERING A DECEASED LOVED ONE. FOR EXAMPLE, NOTICE How ALL OF THE FACES STEMMING FROM THE EMOTIONAL PRIMARIES HAVE GEEN LARGELY SYMMETRICAL? = OR EVEN. COMBINATIONS OF THREE on MORE « <= AND THE NUMBER OF DISTINCT EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIONS You Have aT YOUR ft) FINGERTIPS CAN GROW TO WELL ‘over A THOUSAND. Gi a1 EMOTION GUT THERE'S A HAS NO woRLD OUTSIDE DIRECTION. ‘THOSE FACES THAT IT COMES FROM CAN ALSO PLAY A Part IN FACIAL EXPRESSIONS.PHYSICAL STATES ARE AS INBORN AND: ANCIENT 4, FACTOR IN FACIAL = BUT BECAUSE THEY INVOLVE ‘GuR CHAOTIC INTERACTIONS WITH THE PHYSICAL WORLD. THE SHADES THEY TAKE CAN BE LESS BALANCED ano PREDICTABLE. HEAT OVERLOAD CRA BODILY f AND NATURALLY, THESE EXPRESSIONS CAN BE y THIS LEADS TO ON ARE COMBINED WITH THE VARYING INTENSITIES ‘AN EVEN GREATER “THE EXTERNAL [AND COMBINATIONS OF THE EMOTIONAL NUMBER AND SOURCES oF |) PRIMARIES. VARIETY:0F STIMULATION ALL \ EXPRESSIONS ~~ YET COME INTO PLAY. l l I's STILL JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG —= BECAUSE WHEN YOU THROW IN) ALL ‘THE MANY WAYS WE USE OUR FACES AS A FORM OF DIRECT SPECIALIZED SIGNAL ~~ — No SYSTEM OF ANALYSIS COULD EVER BEGIN TO. CATALOG ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FACIAL EXPRESSIONS YOUR CHARACTERS COULD WEAR! OF CULTURALLY-SPECiFiC SIGNS AND SYMBOLS. UNDERSTOOD GY BOTH SENDER AND RECEIVER. ‘THESE ARE THE VISUAL SIGNALS WE SEND TO EACH OTHER DIRECTLY, OFTEN INN COMBINATION WITH BODY LANGUAGE SIGNALS LIKE HEAD AND HAND POSITION AND GAZE DIRECTION. ‘THEY'RE DEEPLY ROOTED IN OUR INGORN EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIONS An STILL AFFECTED 8Y PHYSICAL STATES ~ ‘THEY ARE, FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, LANGUAGE — THOUGH A LANGUAGE ONLY PARTIALLY UNDER OUR CONSCIOUS CONTROL.‘AS FORMALIZED AS TRAFFIC THE THE THE WINK, OUTSTRETCHED “OH, MOM...” TONGUE. LooK. gut most ARE MORE SUBTLE AND IDIOSYNCRATIC. TAILORED TO SPECIFIC | PEOPLE ww seeciric SITUATIONS, ano SUBJECT TO THE WWOWVIDUAL STYLE OF THE SENDER. BY ADDING HEAD POSITION AND GAZE DIRECTION To THE Mix, AND ALLOWING FOR ASYMMETRY, THEY ACHIEVE FAR MORE VARIETY THAN THE BASIC EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIONS -- SUSPICIOUS coy SELF-RIGHTEOUS = BUT THEY'RE ALSO HARDER TO PIN DOWN, OR MAKE UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZABLE, SO CONTEXT IS IMPORTANT WHEN SEPARATING “PLEADING,” SAY, FROM MERELY SAD, OR “REGRETFUL” FROM FORGETFUL. SELF-SATISFIED. PLEADING REGRETFULEACH EXPRESSION. Has To MATCH AFEW KEY FEATURES: TO 6E RECOGNIZABLE. NARROWED PP ensane Pus + “nl LoweReD ecw EQUALS + SUSPICION ‘BUT, ONCE THOSE KEY FEATURES ARE IN PLACE, THE SENDER CAN SPIN THAT EXPRESSION IW ANY NUMBER OF DIRECTIONS, FOUR VARIATIONS ON SUSPICION: i, e*MoRL YOU. we CATCH YOU ‘YEAH, 70U"RE A DON'T REALLY MAKING PERSONAL ) LIAR. BUT YOU'RE 19 KIND OF LAR! MSTREST My DAUGHTER AND PLL HAVE YOU EXPECT ME TO ALLS AGAIN, KILLED. GELieve THAT? ‘YOU'RE FIRED, ‘A BIT OF AN EMOTION BUT IF THAT EMOTION IW REAL LIFE, WE LiKE DISGUST CAN BE BECOMES THE FACE’S ACHIEVE THESE KINDS ADDED, FOR EXAMPLE, DOMINANT VISUAL (OF PRECISE EFFECTS TO GIVE SUSPICION A STATEMENT, THE WITHOUT Much DISDAINFUL AIR. EXPRESSION CAN SE CONSCIOUS KNOWLEDGE HIJACKED. oF HOW we DO IT. YET, WE MUST UNDERSTAND ON SOME LeveL How (OUR FACES ACHIEVE THESE LOOKS —- == BECAUSE WE CAN ALSO CONSCIOUSLY IMITATE ANY OF THESE EXPRESSIONS, AND EVEN ADD AN ELEMENT OF STYLIZATION OR EXAGGERATION TO PRODUCE AMOCK VERSION OF EACH ONE.IWSOME CASES, AN ATTEMPT TO STOP INFACT, ADULT SOCIETY RELIES, IN LARGE PART, SHOWING EMOTION CAN ACTUALLY BE ONE OF ‘ON THE SUPPRESSION GF BASIC EMOTIONS. THE THE KEY FACTORS THAT MAKE A GIVEN FACIAL WAYS IN| WHICH WE SUPPRESS AND REDIRECT THEM EXPRESSION RECOGNIZAGLE. ARE THE SOURCE OF MUCH OF OUR EXPRESSIONS? VARIETY AND DEPTH. RTF, EMBARRASSMENT: RESENTMENT: AVERTED, FEARFUL GAZE. AVERTED, ANGRY GAZE. MOUTH EXPRESSIONLESS, MOUTH CLOSED TIGHT. LOOK AT THE ‘AS PART OF HUMAN WE DON'T WANT TO y UT AS q ‘SMILES SOCIETY, WE ALL WANT DECONSTRUCT THEM ARTISTS HOPING SNAPSHOTS AND To SEE PAST cach TO THE PONT WHERE ‘Jo REPRODUCE EACH WILL SEEM AS ‘OTHER'S FACES TO THE ‘THE HUMAN FACE THOSE INNER UNIQUE As a PERSON WITHIN. ‘SEEMS LIKE A PERSONALITIES IN SNOWFLAKE. MACHINE. THE MINDS OF OUR READERS ~~ w a7 ol AND THE ONLY Way TO -- We NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT. UNDERSTAND THAT MACHINE {5 TO GO THE HUMAN FACE 1S. BENEATH THE SUI A MACHINE OF SORTS, FOR ALL ITS BEAUTY as ‘AND SUBTLETY. bein ITS PARTS IN ACTION. BUT UNDERNEATH THEM ALL ARE. THESE Same BASIC PRINCIPLES PLAYED OUT AGAIN AND AGAIN,Die mown, ‘THe CORRUGATOR, wich vestoun PUSHES DOWN THE SROW. KNOWN BROW-LIFTER. AS THE “FROWNING MUSCLE” BUT. THAT'S JUST CONFUSING, FACIAL MUSCLES onsicuaRs (OCU, wie ‘SQUEEZES THE EyEASIN SSQUINTING, 30, ters eau rt THe SQUINTER, (Canady "CORRUGATOR JUST Levaror PALPESEIAE, WHICH ‘ALS@ SOUNDS coat, BUT LID~ LIFTER is EAsien 0 REMENGER secause THAT'S ALL IT Does. (ar steenons S ‘THREE RANCHES (OF MUSCLES, KNOWN COLLECTIVELY AS, THE SNEERING MUSCLE. 2¥GOMATIC MAJOR, ‘sown aS THE SMILING MUSCLE. ‘TRIANGULARIS which PuLLs DOWN THE MOUTH'S CORNERS. (WOULD CALL IT THE “FROWNING MUSCLE” BUT.D 10 DEPRESSOR LABI NFERIONS XY PULLS THE BOTTOM LIP DOWN AS IW SPEAKING, SOLET'S CALL IT THE ep) @ /- SPEAKING MUSCLE. ISORIUS (8), KNOWN AS THE UP-STRETCHER, USED In ‘CONJUNCTION WITH THE NECK MUSCLES KNOWN AS PLATYSMA (3). THERE ARE MANY muSCLES THAT MOVE ‘THE FACE, BUT THESE MUSCLES STRETCH FROM A [ARE THE ONES THAT “oe ewTaLis. om onsicutaRs CONTRISUTE PRIMARILY POUTING MUSCLE, ‘ORNS, THE LIP= BONE OUTWARD To EXPRE SSION.* WHICH PUSHES UP THE TiGHTENER. 0 THE SURFACE 7 CHIN AND LOWER LIP, WaicH CURLS AND OF THE SKIN. CREATING A BULGE WY STATENS THE Se oH tes. 5 a K YY ap M anenonss’ / 7 ||P BONE / ose wuse.es \y INTHE BoDy Connect cme BONE-TO- 3 j BONE Across ! A JOINT. THEY ; Ueeenn CONTRACT, 3 we MOVE. i? st Gor THESE TWELVE FROM Gan Plc EFCELLENT {00K On THE SUBDECT (SEE BBLIGRABD, THOUGH TWHEN vou SMILE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE SURFACE END oF THAT MUSCLE (#6) IS PULLED TowarD ‘THE ANCHORED. END ULLING THE FLESH FROM UNDERNEATH i TOWARD THE CHEEK GONE WHERE (T BUNCHES [| UP AND LEADS 70 THE IRREGULAR WRINKLES WE fF CALL “DIMPLES.” q TAKE ANOTHER LOOK aT ‘OUR EMOTIONAL, PRIMARIES wit ‘THESE MUSCLES IN MIND. CCORRUGATOR PLUS LiD-LIFTER ADDS. UP TO AN ANGRY GLARE, Whe THE ACTIVE SNEERING, SPEAKING AND Up-STRETCHER muscies PRODUCE THE SQUARE MOUTH OF THE (CORNERED PREDATOR. CoRRcaTOR PLUS SQUINTING MUSCLE SHUTS THE EYES TIGHT Im REACTION To THE DisaUST- Ing o@sEcT OF ATTENTION, WHILE ‘THE MOUTH AND NOSE RECOL VA ‘THe POUTING, aND SNEERING MUSCLES. eoRRUGATOR AND [BROW-LIFTER. ‘COMPRESS AND RAISE THE FOREHEAD OVER THe LirteD Lips OF FEAR-FRLLED EYES, WHILE THE LS Re TigHTLy STRETCHED APART [AND OPENED. By LEARNING WHAT'S GOING ON UNDER THE SIKIN You can BETTER SHOW WHAT'S HAPPEN ING ON THE SURFACE -. “THe smn Muscle PULLS THE CORNER OF THE. MOUTH UP AND (UT, COMPRESSING CHEEKS Wice, TOGETHER wTH THE SOUINTER, PRopUCE THE ARCHED EYES OF Joy. CORRUGATOR/BROW- LIFTER STRUGGLE VER SQUINTED EVES, WHILE THE LIB-STRETCHER, TRANGULARS AND POUTING MUSCLE PRODUCE THE SIDEWAYS "8 SHAPE (OF THe CRYING: THe BROW-LETER PULLS THE UPPER PACE STRAIGHT UPN SURBRISE OVER WIDE OPEN LiD-LiFTED evES, WHILE THE MOUTH FALLS. OPEN. ALL OTHER Muscles REMAIN ACTIVE, AND ‘SHOW YOUR READERS: WHAT'S GOING ON INSIDE, Your CHARACTERS MINDS.EXAGGERATION. AMPLIFYING THE KEY FEATURES THAT MAKE AN EXPRESSION RECOGNIZABLE. IF CHOOSING A MORE REALISTIC APPROACH, YOU MIGHT NEED TO USE LIVE MODELS or PHOTOGRAPHIC REFERENCE. WHEN DRAWING EXPRESSIONS, YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM A FEW DIFFERENT GRAPHIC STRATEGIES. SYMBOLISM. Images THAT DEPICT EMOTIONS SYMBOLICALLY RATHER THAN WITH REAL~ WORLD RESEMBLANCE. REALISM. SIMPLIFICATION. REPRODUCING THE SEARCHING FOR A FEW REAL-LIFE APPEARANCE —_KEY LINES OR SHADES (OF EXPRESSIONS WITH WHICH CLEARLY CONVEY REALISTIC TONES AND [AN EXPRESSION. DETAILS, WORDS. EXECUTE HE PRISONERS AND YOU GAs INDIRECTLY AFFECT HOw! YOUR [AUDIENCE READS AN EXPRESSION BY ITS CONTEXT. WITHIN A STORY, OR HOW IT'S PAIRED WITH BECAUSE T LOVE vou, -- 50 GET READY TO USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF EXPRESSIONS TO BRIDGE THE GAP WHEN NECESSARY, OF COURSE, YOUR FRIENDS MAY NOT aLwayS GE GREAT ACTORS ~~] EVEN IF YOU'RE WORKING IVA SIMBLE OR re: Ps. EXAGGERATED STYLE, REAL-LIFE REFERENCE sui Jeha Do. SeenON i. CAN IMPROVE YOUR RESULTS. ee Sereeriye : start Drawing att} |) Wen it your cHaracters to] || caprunes THE A LOT OF ARTISTS REFER LOOK Like YOU! KEY FEATURES TOA MIRROR WHEN DRAWING (OF AN EXPRESSION, EXPRESSIONS, pS Fy ‘THE ARCHED eves OR THE PINCHED GROW OR THE RAISED AND How iT AND BUNCHED AND NOSE, SQUARED ROW, POPPED EVES DIFFERS FROM THE CHEEKS OF JOY. UPPER LIP AND AND SLACK JW OF TORTURED ROW AND FOR EXAMPLE. BULGING CHIN) OF ‘SURPRISE -- STRETCHED MOUTH DisGusT. ‘OF FEAR. EXAGGERATION SEIZES ON THESE SAME KEY FEATURES AND SIMPLY RAMPS UP THEIR. GEOMETRIC EXTREMES. CHEEKS BULGING AACE PINCHED NEARLY AHEAD STRETCHED EYES LITERALLY LIKE GRAPEFRUIT... OUT OF EXISTENCE... THIN... “BULGING OUT OF THEIR SOCKETS. an biSOME BEGIN THEIR == THEN parr | LINES as SMDLE INTO THE MORE ) | pictures o ABSTRACT ACTUAL PHYSICAL TERRITORY OF REACTIONS SucH PURE SyMaOLS. AS SWEAT -— FURIOUS ‘ANIOUS CRAZY SPITEFUL EMBARRASSED PRouD OTHERS ARE STRICTLY METAPHORICAL AND REGUIRE YOU [AND YOUR AUDIENCE TO GOTH “KNOW THE CODE” SEFORE THE MESSAGE (CAN GET THROUGH. SYMBOLIC EXPRESSIONS DON'T RELY ON AN UNDERSTANDING OF REAL FACIAL EXPRESSIONS TO WORK. a SIMPLE DOODLE OR TWO. 1S USUALLY ALL IT TAKES. GT. 2 TNA => Anxious = JUST ASA WORD means THE SAME THING REGARDLESS OF HANDWRITING OR FONT CHOICE. ‘SYMBOLIC EXPRESSIONS ARE CLOSER TO ‘THE WRITTEN WORD IN ‘THE SENSE THAT THEIR MEANING 15 FIXED REGARDLESS OF HOW ‘THEY'RE RENDERED ~~ Caan %RECENTLY SOME ~- BUT OTHER MANGA SYMBOLS STILL SEEM PRETTY STRANGE TO WESTERN READERS, SO” SEFORE USING ANY SYMBOL, CONSIDER WHETHER YOUR READERS CAN DECODE IT OR NOT, 2 BUT THE RIGHT EXPRESSION WILL ADD. STRENGTH AND PRECISION THaT YOU CAN'T ACHIEVE ‘ANY OTHER WAY, uNuixe SYMBOLS FROM ‘THE gasic JAPANESE comics, EMOTIONAL LIKE THE BULGING EXPRESSIONS, VEIN-ON-FOREHEAD, WHIcH ANYONE, Have BECOME MORE ANYWHERE FAMILIAR IN CAN RECOGNIZE, ENGLISH LANGUAGE SYMBOLIC EXPRESSIONS VARY FROM CULTURE To CULTURE, SYMBOLS ARE A GREAT WAY TO GET [AN EXPRESSION ACROSS, REGARDLESS OF YOUR DRAWING OF NOSE = ASLEEP A FACE SURROUNDED ABILITY — IN THE END, MOST Comics ARTISTS INCORPORATE AT LEAST A LITTLE REALISM, SIMPLIFICATION, EXAGGERATION AND SYMBOLISM INTO THEIR STYLES -- == BUT DON'T Sy SWEAT BEADS: LET THEM WILL READ AS ANXIOUS BECOME A NO MATTER HOW IT’S CRUTCH! DRAWN Q 9 P o ? i WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SPECIFY THE EMOTION AND GET THE JoB DONE.| FACE LIKE THIS MIGHT SEEM MILD AND UNTHREATENING ~~ WHEN CREATING FACIAL EXPRESSIONS FOR COMICS SEQUENCES, PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO HOW THOSE EXPRESSIONS WILL BE READ IN CONTEXT, ESPECIALLY IN COMBINATION WITH WORDS. = COMPARED TO BUT INTHE (OUR “CRUEL” FACE RIGHT CONTEXT, TM GOING TO TELL = evEN THE KINDEST My FRIEND TO CUT OFF YOUR TS are SMILE CAN CONVEY FINGERS now. ec ee | soceroscauecesusraom psriame | || oveRuy st#ONe eworions, 30 NOST OF US AS SOCIAL CREATURES, YOUR READERS WiLL | NOTICE SMALL CHANGES OF EXPRESSION IN ||| | your cHaRacTeRS, JUST a5 YOUR CHARACTERS NOTICE SUCH CHANGES IN EACH OTHER. KEEP iT DIALED DOWN MOST OF THE TIME. iDON'T GET TOO SUBTLE, THOUGH! IN REAL LIFE, WE CAN COMMUNICATE THE INTENSITY OF OUR FEELINGS THROUGH VOCAL INFLECTION, WHILE OUR FACES’ EXPRESSIONS STAY FAIRLY MUTED — FINE, WE'LL ALL GO FISHING NEXT WEEK == BUT IN COMICS, we CAN ONLY APPROXIMATE THE SOUNDS oF woices — == AND READERS AREN'T LOOKING DIRECTLY AT YOUR CHARACTERS’ FACES AS THEY READ THEIR WORDS — — $0 You MIGHT NEED TO TURN UP THE EMOTIONAL VOLUME (ON SOME FACES TO COMPENSATE. FINE. WELL ALL GO FISHING NEXT WEEK mii CHOOSING THE RIGHT EXPRESSION CAN BE A, FUNCTION OF CHOOSING THE RIGHT MOMENT. (OUR FACES CYCLE THROUGH A LOT OF EXPRESSIONS WHEN SPEAKING. SURE, WE COULD Buy THE THEATER, BUT WED HAVE TO SELL THE HOUSE 70 cet WHEN A SINGLE RACE HAS TO REPRESENT ALL THE WORDS IN A BALLOON OR TWO, SUCH FACES ACT AS A SORT OF “EMOTIONAL AVERAGE” SUMMING UP THE BALLOON AS A WHOLE, THEN AGAIN, IF EMOTIONAL CHANGES ARE THE FOCUS oF a GIVEN SCENE —— = DEVOTING A PANEL TO EACH CHANGE OF EMOTION MickT ACHIEVE THE INTENSITY THE SCENE REQUIRES,TO BE HONEST, ¥0U DON'T HAVE TO SE A MASTER OF SUBTLE EXPRESSIONS To (MAKE EFFECTIVE COMICS. ‘SOME comics CHARACTERS Have JUST A HANDFUL OF BASIC EXPRESSIONS, 70 FILL IN THE GLANKS Het, 3 EMOTIONALLY, JUST yourRe AS: YOU FILL IN THE LOOKING BLANKS BETWEEN AT ONE! PANELS. EVEN WITH THE GAREST OF EVIDENCE YOU'LL WANT TO SEE ME ASA PERSON, NOT JusT A SERIES OF DRAWINGS, TRNOW I CAN TRUST YOU READERS MAY EVEN “SEE” EXPRESSIONS THAT AREN'T THERE. BASED SOLELY ON THE ‘SURROUNDING STORY AND TEXT. PANELS FROM JACK'S LUCK RUNS OUT BY JASON LITTLE, A COMIC WITH UNCHANGING FACES TAKEN FROM BLAMING CARDS. PAMIL FIVE ART BY ART SPRGELMAN AND CIS WARE. PANEL Sh ART BY JASGN LITLE (SEE ART CRED Pa 280). 100 SOME OF THE MOST EMOTIONALLY COMPLEX COMICS IN| HISTORY HAVE FEATURED PROTAGONISTS WITHA LIMITED PALETTE OF EXPRESSIONS, YET Iw CONTEXT. THOSE FACES SEEM TO HAVE BOTH BREADTH AND DEPTH. ART SPIEGELMAN'S MAUS (LEFT) FEATURES ONLY A FEW BASIC EXPRESSIONS, WHILE CHRIS WARE'S CHARACTER “JIMMY CORRIGAN STICKS MOSTLY TO JUST THIS ONE. BUT IN MANY POPULAR COMICS ‘OVER THE YEARS, CHARACTERS FEATURE SEVERAL BASIC TYPES of EXPRESSIONS= WHICH CAN THEN BE FINE~TUNED ay THEIR, ‘CORRESPONDING WORD BALLOONS. BUT ALSO BECAUSE FACIAL THs coud) MEAN THE END oF ALL MANKIND. EXPRESSIONS -- iN PART, AS A RESULT (OF THEIR TRADITIONALLY LIMITED ROLE -— MAY REPRESENT ONE OF COMICS’ GREATEST ‘AREAS OF UNTAPPED POTENTIAL: A CHANCE FOR & NEW GENERATION OF CREATORS To CONNECT WITH & NEW GENERATION OF READERS -- 50 WHY BOTHER LEARNING TO MAKE A THOUSAND EXPRESSIONS WHEN Just A FEW wit, IN PART, BECAUSE UNDERSTANDING ‘THE THOUSANDS WILL HELP YOU DRAW THE FEW wiTH GREATER CONTROL and PRECISION. lol -- MANY OF WHOM FIND THE EMOTIONAL ARENA AS COMPELLING AS THE PHYSICAL =~ AND WHO WILL EXPECT, WHEN THEY LOOK INTO THE EYES.OF YOUR CHARACTERS -~3, BODY LANGUAGE. LANGUAGE AN DousTr DOUBTFUL oR TELL READERS WHO encers WHE CONFIDENT? ‘ARE GEFORE THEY EVEN SPEAK. JUST AS. FACES EXPRESS ALOT OF WHAT'S GOING ON INSIDE A CHARACTER EMOTIONALLY, ‘THEIR BODIES CAN SEND SOME POWERFUL MESSAGES OF THEIR OWN. AND AS. WITH FACES, THEY CAN SEND SOME OF THOSE MESSAGES DELIBERATELY — == AND SEND OTHERS WITHOUT EVER REALIZING i IT-TARES TIME TO LEARN HOW 4 To PORTRAY IT IN COMICS, SUT WHEN DONE WELL, BODY LANGUAGE CAN FILL @ PAGE WITH LIFE, ENERGY anid PERSONALITY FROM TOP TO SOTTOM! Eealitirn 10a Sa GeUaNINAN EI : ‘908 08 WORD GALLOON PLACEMENT N CHABTER 3. lo2FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND SODY LANGUAGE EXPRESS MANY OF THE SAME FEELINGS AND OFTEN WORK TOGETHER == == BUT THERE ARE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES. THE Basic EXPRESSIONS ARE FalRLY CONSISTENT IN APPEARANCE, A FACE OF EXTREME FEAR, WHATEVER THE CAUSE, TENDS TOWARD THE SAME FAMILIAR SHAPE, SODY LANGUAGE IS MORE SITUATIONALLY-BASED, AFFECTED By DIRECTION, TERRAIN, SOURCE OF DANGER, PHYSICAL OPPORTUNITY, ETC... BODY LANGUAGE IS MORE GRAVITY= BOUND THAN FACIAL EXPRESSIONS -- - AND EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES LEAD TOA SPLIT BETWEEN WHAT WERE DOING ON THE OUTSIDE AND WHAT WE'RE FEELING ON THE INSIDE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, FOR COMICS ARTISTS, FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ARE MORE SURFACE-ORIENTED, MORE AFFECTED GY NUANCE, SKIN SHADOWS, ETC. —— = WHILE BODY LANGUAGE 1S MORE SILHOUETTE-BASED, ALL AgouT How ouR LIMBS, HANDS AND HEAD ARE POSITIONED, THERE'S A KIND OF CALLIGRAPHY To SODY LANGUAGE, JUST AS AN AMIS AN HA NO MATTER HOW IT’S WRITTEN AY aA AA 103 == $0, T00, Do GESTURES ano POSES commuNicaTe THEIR MEANINGS NO MATTER HOW THEY'RE DRAWN.JUST AS WITH FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, MASTERING BODY LANGUAGE IN COMICS MEANS TACKLING FOUR SUSJECTS: THE VARIOUS KINDS OF S0DY SIGNALS, THE ANATOMY THAT UNDERLIES THEM, STRATEGIES FOR DRAWING SUCH POSES AND. HOW BODY LANGUAGE WORKS IN COMICS SEQUENCES. es maemetoe | | mepardnnenae ee Teirtse | | Swomusteraccs EXPRESSIONS, THESE @ RELATIONSHIPS |S A AND ASKED YOU WHICH “THERE AREN'T INCLUDE: SIMPLE STATEMENT (ONE LOOKED MORE Lee meee | | sexoupe eoment “PRIMARY” GEOMETRY. “THINK IT WAS A WEIRD: orbs see Penne ae crore ioe bom. area ssosnres i “THERE ARE oe as one RELATIONSHIPS: prac ee pore sone rer comma Seas ae ee aa = ur wrtunes ine TSR ‘rena eaaie GUESSING WHICH ONE I sas finwnie oF RR “THAT'S YOUR UNDERSTANDING ‘OF ELEVATION AND STATUS AT WORK. antec ano Saas | LE« GESTURE AND COMMUNICATION A B.FOR ALL THE DETAILS OF ANATOMY, CHARACTER, CLOTHING AND LIGHTING CONTAINED IN A PICTURE LIKE THIS, [TIS THE SIMPLE GEOMETRIC FACT OF A AND B'S POSTURE THaT SPEAKS THE LOUDEST. Low Guy: HUMBLE. HigH Gus POWERFUL, WHETHER IT COMES FROM OUR OLD MAMMALIAN ‘COMBAT INSTINCTS OR THE PARENT/CHILD ARCHETYPE, THE IDEA OF HEIGHT AS POWER CAN USED TO STILL BE SEEN IN EVERYTHING FROM CEREMONIES TO ARCHITECTURE. THOSE PAPERS, SIR. TODAY, WE MAY NOT Bow AS LOW AS WE = guT THAT OLD-BRAIN IDEA OF THE “BOW” IS EVERYWHERE! “THANE You. THAT'LL GE ALL. iN n= WHEN WE'RE ‘SHY — WE "BOW" WHEN WE MAKE MISTAKES ~~ YOU'RE RIGHT; SHOULD Have SEEN THAT. TM SURE You DON'T REMEMBER "OR ASHAMED ~ WHAT ARE YOU HOLDING, RICKY? ~- OR DEFEATED.We ALSO TAKE THE “HIGH GROUND” IN ‘A LOT OF ways, well, WELL... LOOK WHO'S (OH, YOU LIKED. ‘COME BACK. THE Da VINCI CODE, LIKEWISE, A ENT, LOWERED POSTURE WILL BE IDENTIFIED WITH THE WEAK AND DISPOSSESSED, [AND |S FREQUENTLY SEEN ON PROTAGONISTS FROM UNDERGROUND, AUTO-GIO AND ALTERNATIVE COMDX, A RAMROD STRAIGHT POSTURE, LIKE THE (NE SEEN IN ALOT OF SUPERHERO BOOKS, WIKL COMMUNICATE: STRENGTH AND CONFIDENCE sy BEING SYMBOLICALLY TALLER, Passe POSTURE CAN BE SUCH A POWERFUL INDICATOR WarHouT wonos: OF ATTITUDE AND PERSONALITY, IT CAN EVEN TLL BET YOU Con AFFECT HOW WE HEAR CHARACTER’S VOICES. STILL “HEAR? THE DIFFERENCE. mercenaries: (06ANOTHER PRINCIPLE AT WORK IN GODY LANGUAGE IS THE CORRELATION SETWEEN DISTANCE AND RELATIONSHIPS, HAVE HEARD THE TERM “PERSONAL SPACE” == THAT GUSBLE AROUND US THAT DEscrIBeS OUR COMFORT ZONE. THE SIZE OF THAT ZONE DEPENDS ON WHO WE'RE IN SOCIAL GATHERINGS, THAT INTERACTING WITH. FOR PUBLIC ENCOUNTERS WITH BUBBLE SHRINKS AS WE'RE ExPecTeD To) | STRANGERS, WE LIKE TO KEEP A DISTANCE OF INTERACT ON A MORE PERSONAL Level wit | ‘OUR FELLOW HUMANS, bh SEVERAL FEET. FOR EXAMPLE. Hey, Loved THE FIRST Book! BM STbby Ute, EXCUSE ME, DO You HAVE THE TIME? AND IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY, THE BuBSLE EVEN WHEN SOCIAL SITUATIONS PUT US AT A CERTAIN FIXED DISTANCE FROM OTHERS, WE STILL INDICATE OUR DESIRED CLOSENESS To EACH OTHER THROUGH OUR STANCES. ( 4 SORRY, AM STANDING TOO Lose?ONLY A FEW LOVED ONES CAN GREACH THE ZONE OF PHYSICAL CONTACT, BUT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF WAYS THEY CAN DOT, AND THAT GIVES CARTOONISTS HUNDREDS OF WAYS TO SHOW INTIMACY BESIDES HUGGING AND RISSING (OR SEX, IF IT'S THAT KIND OF COMI. LIKEWISE, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF WAYS TO SHOW A CHARACTER RESISTING INTIMACY WITH ]] ANOTHER, THROUGH THE WAYS THEY TURN AWAY, STEP BACK, AVERT THEIR EYES OR ERECT “BARRIERS “THe RELATIONSHPS YOU COME UP AN YOU CAN BuILD AND STRENGTHEN THOSE [A WITH FOR YOUR CHARACTERS CAN HAVE A RELATIONSHPS IN EVERY PANEL, 87 SHOWING Powerrut errect on THe revarionsnies MA] How THEy PLay THEMSELVES OUT IN SPACE. YOUR CHARACTERS HAVE WITH YOUR A - READERS. @ = me | iw CONTRAST, A DOWNTURNED PALM SYMBOLICALLY m= JUST AS AN HANDS ARE A Bic RAISES THe SPcaren clatine AUTHOR. Bout aanrmis fat or toni we POWER ano CONTROL oven ovtune comme oven seer CHILD. EACH OTHER. IF vou CuunacTErS aerect nar — THEN HANDS CAN 0 You BEA SiG PART OF HOW SEE WHAT I MEAN? EM ONLY MAKING YOU communicare DOES THaT SOUND This POINT ONCE, WITH YOUR REASONABLE’ READERS. |e | Q é = S 3NATURALLY, IF YOU WANT TO DRAW CONVINCING BODY LANGUAGE, YOU'LL WANT TO LEARN HOW TO DRAW A CONVINCING BODY. HERE'S WHERE A GOOD WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN ANATOMY ‘CAN SE INVALUABLE. TWONT ATTEMPT A WHOLE COURSE IN ANATOMY ‘AND FIGURE, DRAWING WERE. THERE ARE SOME 6000 BOOKS on THE SUBJECT, WHICH TLL MENTION IN THE BIBLIOGRAPHY. BESIDES My WHICH, (PD TAKE OWN FIGURE DRAWING ISNT EXACTLY THE ‘GREATEST. AHUNDRED PAGES AND, UM... | BUT EVEN IF YOU'RE LIKE ME AND ANATOMY DOESN'T COME EASILY, YOU CAN STILL IMPROVE YOUR STORYTELLING DRAMATICALLY Sy JUST GETTING THE GESTURE ACROSS IN EVERY FIGURE YOU DRAW. 4‘THE GESTURES OF FIGURES HaWE A FLOW AND RHYTHM WHICH HAVE INSPIRED ARTISTS FOR CENTUREES. . MASTERS USE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF ANATOMY To MAKE SUCH GESTURES VIVID AND CREDIBLE, ARTISTS WHO CONCENTRATE ON ANATOMICAL ACCURACY SUT NEGLECT GESTURE, MAY CREATE TECHNICALLY “CORRECT” FIGURES, SUT THE RESULTS May BE UTTERLY LIFELESS — — WHILE ARTISTS WITH TECHNICALLY “INGORREGT” Ficus BUT A STRONG: SENSE OF GESTURE MAY PRODUCE ART THAT SEEMS REAL AND ALIVE. ET'S TIME!) 1ETS 60. V7 wy vanes ram reppy)( Fines win “To FIGHT, // \ REMORSE, o THavewT civen UP ON LEARNING TO IMPROVE MY FIGURE DRAWING AND NEITHER SHOULD. DON'T PLAN TO GET BY ON GESTURE JUST REMEMBER THAT (81 ANY COMICS PANEL, IT'S THE MESSAGE OF YOUR CHARACTER’S GESTURE THAT READERS WILL BE WAITING FOR, AND THE FIRST JOB OF FIGURE DRAWING IS TO DELIVER THAT = LOUD AND ses Tow han (Et A AEDT PAE 5LET'S TAKE & LOOK NOW AT HOW FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND BODY LANGUAGE CAN WORK TOGETHER BY ADAPTING SOME WRITTEN DIALOGUE INTO COMICS FORM. WELL START. X IN A HIGH SCHOOL © STUDY LOUNGE. TWO STUDENTS MEET AND START TALKING. Pete: Hey, are you okay? ‘Carrie: Not so much. | gota” " on the history Pete: Huh Lucky you. !goran “F” ‘Carrie: No way! You always ace those things! ‘Pete: Accualy | think Me Duncan kinda lose i. 1 heard everybody got a ‘D" or an "F” today. ‘Carrie: Really? Wow. He was acting kind of weird (nvelass, All chat stuff about J Peanut Butter and the Communists. Miller entering): Roam for one mote? Cartie: No, Pete: Hey, Miler Miller: So, did you hear? Duncan went on a rampage! (Carrie: What? Miller: | was there! He smashed all the iMacs in Roem 4 with a basaball bt! Then he stole the ‘rhino head off che wall and ran off Pete: You're Riding: Carrie: Oh my God! Pete: Wow. | kinda love Mr: D- now. (Carrie: You swear you're not making this up! Miller: | swear! The police are looking for him and everything. Pete: Y'know, | always heard Mr.D. was nuts: Did you guys know that last year, he was — Carrie: Uh, Pete: What? Mr. Dunean: Hello, children, THESE ARE THROWAWAY CHARACTERS, SO WE CAN! JUST IMPROVISE THEIR DESIGNS ON THE SPOT. LET'S PICK A CRISP, SMART LOOK FOR CARRIE, A LAID-SACK SLOPPINESS FOR PETE AND A DORKY, GREGARIOUS LOOK FOR MILLER. CARRIE STARTS OUT DEPRESSED AND WE ‘CAN SHOW THaT BEFORE SHE EVEN OPENS HER MOUTH, BUT How INTENSE SHouLD ‘THE EMOTION BE? WE COULD DRAW HER CLOSE TO TEARS, aS (F THE TEST WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO HER. ARE You GAA?) (Chor so muer BUT GASED ON HOW QUICKLY SHE RECOVERS IN THE SCRIPT, IT SOUNDS LIKE SHE'S JUST FEELING A GIT DEFEATED. AN EMOTION GEST EXPRESSED BY A SLUMPED POSTURE AND TIRED FACE.LET'S PUT A COUPLE OF IM FACT, WE CAN AN EASY-GOING CHARACTER Lee eve CAN 8 A CHALLENGE. VENDING MACHINES JUST INCLUDE THE SHOE HOME EMOTE Fe ee INTo THAT LOUNGE SO MACHINES INA BiG LANBUAES CHE GE reat PETE WILL aT LEAST ESTABLISHING BOUT OF UNINTERESTING, HAVE SOMETHING TO DO ‘SHOT ON THE WITH His HANDS, FIRST PAGE. Now, NOTICE HOW EVEN. INALONG-SHOT, WE CAN ALREADY READ” CARRIE'S POSTURE? [AND “LISTEN™ TO PETE'S VOICE. wiTH A DIFFERENT POSE. ‘AND EXPRESSION. ‘THE EXACT SAME DIALOGUE WOULD FEEL DIFFERENT. 7NO WA i ACTUALLY, T THINK H.DUNCAN You ALWAYS ACE THOSE THING HE WAS ACTING KINDA WEIRD IN CLASS, ALL THAT STUFF ABOUT JF PEANUT BUTTER. AND THE ‘COMMUNISTS. IWAS THERE! WE SMASHED ALLTHE IMACS IN ROOM 4 WITH A BASEBALL BAT! THEN HE STOLE THE RHINO HEAD ‘OFF Tv WALL Na. CARRIE 1S TRANSITIONING TOWARD THE POSE OF THE | WILLING LISTENER NOW, BECAUSE SOMEONE | SHE LIKES |S SAYING: SOMETHING THAT INTERESTS HER. NOT TRUE FOR POOR MILLER, THOUGH, whose unwetcomeo | INVASION GF HER PERSONAL SPACE EARNS Him EVERY “BARRIER” SIGNAL IN THE BOOK. WITH MILLER'S NEWS. However, HER POSE SOFTENS AND HER EXPRESSION ACKNOWLEDGES HIM (ALL STUDENTS ARE FAMILY WHEN DISSING TEACHERS).SHE STILL DOESN'T PETE SEEMS ALITTLE MEANWHILE, MILLER’S WANT To DATE THE MORE ACCEPTING Bopy Is ALL AOUT GUY OR ANYTHING — OF MILLER, GUT FORWARD THE GARRIERS ARE JUDGING BY THE LEG, MOMENTUM. STILL UP -- BUT LAME WAVE AND HE'S CONFIDENT THAT MILLER AT LEAST HAS FIFTEEN-WATT SMILE, HE'S GOT THE coos. HER ATTENTION. HE'S NOT AIG FAN. ‘SO CONFIDENT, IN FACT, THAT HE'S GOT HIS HANDS DOWN IN THAT “QUIET! YOU WANNA HEAR THIS,” way. 2 He's COMMAND. | SEE CARRIE'S = FOREFINGER JAG? WOW, TKINDA YI I” z swears ‘THAT'S SERIOUS. LOVE HRD. NOW. ‘TE POLICE ARE ‘SHE'D KICK HIS LOOKING FOR. HIM, iy mm AND EVERYTHING! Se aN a , 3 a 2 4 | JL | CY 3 be s Eee YkNOw,r ALWAYS HEARD wear? WORDS HAVE ALSO PLAYED ‘A ROLE IN THE GRAPHIC EVOLUTION OF MODERN COMICS AND THROUGH THEIR OFFSPRING == THE WORD BALLOON, CAPTION AND SOUND EFFECT ~~ HaVE GIVEN RISE TO A WEALTH OF UNIGUE GRAPHIC DEVICES, MANY OF THEM NOW CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH COMICS ‘AND APPROPRIATED IN OTHER MEDIA ON A REGULAR BASIS. + SOME APPROACH THE COMICS PROFESSION HOPING TO WRITE FOR OTHERS TO DRAN, AND FOR THEM, WORDS |ARE THE VERY SUGSTANCE OF THEIR CRAFT. BUT WHETHER YOU PLAN TO WRITE FOR OTHERS, OR WRITE AND DRAW EVERYTHING YOURSELF, IT'S A STRONG VISUAL IMAGINATION AND THE SEAMLESS INTEGRATION OF WORDS AND PICTURES WHICH MARES COMICS? BEST WRITING. + TODAY, WITH A CENTURY OF MODERN % COMICS UNDER THEIR BELT, GARTOONISTS HAVE EVOLVED AN ARTFUL, SOPHISTICATED DANCE BETWEEN WORDS AND PICTURES WHICH EMPHASIZES EACH ONE'S STRENGTHS, SUT ALSO STRIVES, WHENEVER POSSIBLE, TO FIND THE NEN PERFECT -- 3 IN MOST GREAT COMICS, THAT BALANCE IS A DYNAMIC ONE. SOMETIMES WORDS TAKE ‘THE LEAD, SOMETIMES PICTURES D0 -- BALANCE BETWEEN THE THO. -- BUT BOTH WORK TOGETHER To PROPEL THE STORY FORWARD.COMICS IS A MEDIUM OF FRAGMENTS -- A PIECE OF TEXT HERE, A CROPPED PICTURE THERE -- SUT WHEN IT WORKS, YOUR READERS WILL COMBINE THOSE FRAGMENTS AS THEY READ AND EXPERIENCE YOUR STORY AS A CONTINUOUS WHOLE. AND AS NOTED IN CHAPTER ONE, IT'S THAT SENSE OF CONTINUOUS EXPERIENCE THAT CAN HELP MAKE READING FEEL LiKE LIVING. SEA ORT TA REN Ail Ege Nall i UR ri bs aeeN = CAPTURING THE = PLUS THE ART OF USING WORD BALLOONS To GIVE VOICE TO YOUR CHARACTERS — ESSENCE OF SOUND wiTH SOUND EFFECTS — WN THIS CHAPTER, WE'LL EXAMINE SEVEN WAYS WORDS AND PICTURES CAN! COMBINE ‘TO ACHIEVE THAT SEAMLESSNESS ‘AND BALANCE = == AND SOME NOTES ON COMBINING WORDS AND PICTURES THROUGH THE JOINT EFFORTS OF WRITER-ARTIST TEAMS, 129IN UNDERSTANDING COMICS, t IDENTIFIED A FEW DISTINCT CATEGORIES OF MIRANDA GAVE ME THE KEYS. AND SPHILED “DONT FORGET THE 206 F000)" WORD/PICTURE COMBINATIONS.* WORD-SPECIFIC WORDS PROVIDING ALL YOU NEED TO ‘NOW, WHILE THE PICTURES ILLUSTRATE ASPECTS OF THE SCENE BEING ‘DESCRIBED. 2. PICTURE-SPECIFIC PICTURES PROVIDING ALL YOU NEED TO NOW, WHILE THE WORDS ACCENTUATE ASPECTS OF THE SCENE BEING SHOWN. 3. DUO-SPECIFIC WORDS AND PICTURES BOTH SENDING ROUGHLY THE SAME MESSAGE. 4, INTERSECTING WORDS AND PICTURES WORKING TOGETHER IN SOME RESPECTS WHILE ‘ALSO CONTRIBUTING INFORMATION INDEPENDENTLY. 5. INTERDEPENDENT WORDS AND PICTURES COMBINING TO ‘CONVEY AN IDEA THAT NEITHER WOULD CONVEY ALONE. 6. PARALLEL WORDS AND PICTURES FOLLOWING SEEMINGLY DIFFERENT PATHS WITHOUT INTERSECTING, 7. MONTAGE WORDS AND PICTURES COMBINED PICTORIALLY. IT MIGHT HELP TO THINK OF THESE SEVEN CATEGORIES DIAGRAMMATICALLY. WoRD-SPECIFIC 6 PICTURE-SPECIFIC 9 Duo-sPeciric INTERSECTING % INTERDEPENDENT PARALLEL bh MONTAGE o “SEE UNDERSTANDING COMICS pasts 3-55, CATEGORY, “ADDITIVE” (5 NOW “INTERSECTING’ 130WORD-SPECIFIC COMBINATIONS OFFER SOME POWERFUL ADVANTAGES: FOR STORYTELLERS. MIRANDA GAVE ME THE, WORD-SPECIFIC ‘THIS IS ESPECIALLY USEFUL WHEN YOU'RE WRITING A SHORT. AND/OR FIXED=LENGTH COMIC, AND YOU WANT To JUMP AHEAD quickly ‘TO THE HEART OF YOUR STORY, FIVE YEARS LATER, THAT TEN DOLLAR BILL HAD BECOME THIRTY MILLION? ‘THESE SEVEN CAN HELP SO; HERE'S How — HEME ~~ Each OF Go THE FIRST OF THESE ADVANTAGES, COMPRESSION, Makes Use OF ‘THE WRIFTEN WORD'S ABILITY TO REDUCE BIG CHUNKS OF TIME ‘AND INFORMATION DOWN S_ TOAFEW TINY > WORDS. S NO MATTER HOW BIG “THE EVENT, WORDS CAN PACK IT DOWN FOR YOu. YOu JUST NEED TO [DECIDE HOW MUCH YoU WANT YOUR READERS To SEE FOR THEMSELVES ano HOW MUCK YOU WANT ‘THEM TO IMAGINE,ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF WORD-SPECIFIC comeos 1S THE WAY THEY FREE UP THE PICTURES GY PULLING THINK ABOUT ITH ‘THE WHOLE WEIGHT OF THE STORY USING WORDS ALONE. IF EVERYTHING YOUR READERS NEED TO KNOW IS IN THE WORDS, YOu CaN PUT PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING YOU WANT IN ‘THE PANELS, ART-WISE. WITH EVERYTHING SPELLED OUT IN THE TEXT LIKE THAT, YOUR ART CAN GOIN A LOT OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. WELL, OKAY. NOT “ANYTHING” MavBe = BUT YOU DO HAVE A LOT OF LATITUDE. FOR EXAMPLE: SUPBOSE you HAD A COMPLETE TEXT READING. SOMETHING LIKE THIS: Bob was a happy baby. am At 18, be went to “)) sae? At 36, he bought a me house. | He died at 72 A il YOU COULD ILLUSTRATE THE EVENTS IN A FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD wi. HANDS. BOB WAS A HAPPYYOU COULD SHOW A NARRATOR SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO THE READER. = MOST WORD=SPECIFIC comsas ocauR CARTOONISTS LIKE TO ALONGSIDE OTHER LeT THE PICTURES SORTS OF COMBOS. TELL THE STORY JUST 1AS OFTEN AS PICTURE-SPECIFIC comsinarions SIMILARLY GIVE LICENSE TO THE WORDS, AND ‘THEY OFFER OTHER BENEFITS. : 2. PICTURE-SPECIFIC YOU COULD EVEN ILLUSTRATE IT ENTIRELY WITH SYMBOLS. BOB WAS A HAPPY P=] AT 18, HE WENT BaBy. TO WAR. | | | AT 36, HE BOUGHT F_| ve cep ar 72 A HOUSE. = ® 1S eur THERE ARE LARGELY WORD-SPECIFIC comics THAT MAKE USE OF THAT “ARTISTIC LICENSE” ON A REGULAR BASIS. FACT, YOU'RE READING ONE AMONG THEM, A CLOSER LINK TO ‘THE WHOLE IDEA OF SEQUENTIAL VISUAL STORYTELLING WHICH THE ART OF COMICS 1S BASED ON. 133BECAUSE OF THE PICTORIAL NATURE OF COMICS, PICTURE-SPECIFIC SEQUENCES CAN FUNCTION WITHOUT ANY WORDS AT ALL FOR AS LONG AS NECESSARY iy WORDLESS PANELS CAN PROVOKE. — BUT THERE ARE A SENSE OF DIRECT EXPERIENCE fil ( COMPELLING REASONS AND IMME DIACY wich 15 SOMETIMES ‘TO CONSIDER ADDING GEST LEFT ALONE -~ TEXT -- ae ORGIVE US A WINDOW WTO A CHARACTER'S INNER LIFE AND SENSATIONS. == SUCH ASIF ~- unlike word-specific sequences, which can’t go picture-less for more than a panel or two without simply becoming prose. YOU WANTED TO. EVOKE THE SOUNDS OF A FAMILIAR LANDSCAPE.WHEN BOTH WORDS AND PICTURES: ARE TELLING THE SAME STORY, YOU'VE GOT ‘A DUO*SPECIFIC comao. I 3, DUO-SPECIFIC ime , 1ERE"S ONE NOW: eee WATERMELON ON My HEAD! TAM STANDING IN A, PANEL! SCOTT SAID SADLY. WELL, OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT A FAN OF COMBINATIONS ‘THAT ARE JUST POINTLESSLY REDUNDANT LIKE ‘THAT. FORTUNATELY, MODERN COMICS WRITERS ‘AVOID: REDUNDANCY MOST OF THE TIME. INFO=COMICS, FOR EXAMPLE, USE REDUNDANCY TO INSURE MAXIMUM CLARITY. —a WALK, DON'T RUN, TO THE NEAREST EXIT. | AND q DUo-SPECiFiC COMBINATIONS DO HAVE SOME LEGITIMATE UO-SPECIFIC COMBINATIONS CAN ALSO BE USED TO EVOKE A CHILDREN’S BOOK TONE ~- Rollo and Squeoker, the dummy, shared a bath, PANELS SEVEN-EIGHT: ART GY RENEE FRENCH AND 135 == OR TO LEND AN AIR OF ANTIQUE STORYTELLING ‘TRADITIONS. EY AND JUST 45 HE TOOK HER NYO His ave, THe PomTaess f | WALL GAVE WAY TO THE FLOOD. EnTHESE ARE PANELS IN WHICH THE WORDS AND PICTURES CoveR SOME OF THE Same GROUND, INTERSECTING: BUT EACH ADDS SIGNIFICANT DETAIL OR COMBINATIONS can BE A sit PERSPECTIVE To THE scene. HARDER TO PICK OUT THAN OUR LAST THREE, BUT THEY'RE USEFUL AND PRETTY HOw D'YA LIKE MY NEW THREADS, BABE? IMPORTANT miro ABOUT | [ IMPORTANT INFO ASOUT ‘THE CHARACTER'S “THE CHARACTER'S APTITUDE AND HIS PHYSICAL. APPEARANCE ‘TARGET AUDIENCE. [AND FASHION CHOICES: Lert To THEIR INSTINCTS, MANY CARTOONISTS WILL USE A LOT OF INTERSECTING COMBINATIONS, CREATING PAGES WHICH READERS COULD PARTIALLY MAKE SENSE OF WITHOUT THE WORDS, AND PARTIALLY MAKE SENSE OF WITHOUT THE ART. eae Ed te WHATS YOUR NAME, KI02, serene ares 136HERE, THE RESULT OF WORDS AND PICTURES IN COMBINATION IS UTTERLY UNLIKE WHAT EITHER INTERDEPENDENT comaiNaTIONS COULD ACHIEVE ALONE. AREN'T AS COMMON, SUT WHEN DONE WELL THEY CAN ACHIEVE MEMORABLE EFFECTS. warvour 1H rt acc en (CM SO HAPPY FOR VOU. ono ar race ne warraour THE WORDS, we WOULDN'T NOW SHE Wass Lyn. P IN THE COMICS ADAPTATION OF PAUL AUSTER’S \ IN PANEL TWO, ONLY THE WORDS TELL q CITY OF GLASS, STORYTELLERS KARASIK AND US THE SOURCE OF QUINN’S EMOTIONAL MAZZUCCHELLI USE SUCH A COMBINATION TO SYMBOLICALLY —_—“WOUND" AND ONLY THE ART PORTRAYS THE SHOW THE INNER TURMOIL OF A MAN C*QUINN"? MOMENT AS ANYTHING MORE THAN A WHOSE WIFE AND CHILD HAD DIED. POLITE CONVERSATION. Bunn FELT AS THOUON NUSTER WERE TAUNTING Hine wits THE THINGS Ke WA LOST. 7 Know soar oF LAST MINUTE BUT Way DONT YOU STAY AND. RAVE DINNER? Bia FWA VERY IND: Bor Emus Be borne. INTERDEPENDENT COMBINATIONS KEEP READERS’ MINDS FULLY ENGAGED. ECAUSE THEY REQUIRE THEM TO ASSEMBLE MEANINGS OUT OF such DIFFERENT PARTS. SUCH EFFECTS CAN BE STIMULATING, GRATIFYING KIND oF EXPERIENCE RARELY FOUND OUTSIDE OF ‘AND THIS 1S HY DEAR WIFE HELEN. {SexanT ener, Pace 260. 137IN PARALLEL COMBINATIONS, WORDS [AND PICTURES DON'T CONNECT AT ALL — “DONT FORGET THE B0e F000!" SUCH COMBINATIONS CAN HAVE GOTH PRACTICAL AND AESTHETIC APPLICATIONS. = THOUGH THEIR PATHS MAY BEND TOWARD Each OTHER IN LATER PANELS. TED! ARE YOU LISTENING TO) DIALOGUE FROM ONE SCENE CAN RUN THROUGHOUT ANOTHER TO SAVE ROOM AND CREATE A DENSE, LAYERED TEXTURE ~~ Do YOU Miss “MIND GIVING ME. i CHARLIE?" A BACK-RUB ? ~- OR IT CAN BE USED TO SOFTEN A TRANSITION FROM ONE SCENE TO ANOTHER r JAND THAT'S HOW | LET ME DRIVE iner My REAL FATHER. 8 PP mans COMBINATIONS CAN ‘ALSO BE PUT TO MORE EXPERIMENTAL oe iq oe pe IN ART SPIEGELMAN'S 1773 PAGE “DON?T GET AROUND MUCH ANYMORE” WHERE THE CONTENTS OF THE CAPTIONS REFER PRIMARILY TO THE PICTURES THAT PRECEDE THEM, CREATING A DISORIENTING SENSE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INERTIA.*AND FINALLY THERE'S THE MONTAGE WHERE WORDS AND LETTERS ‘TAKE ON PICTORIAL QUALITIES AND ARE COMBINED MORE FREELY WITH THE PICTURES “THAT SURROUND THEM. 7. MONTAGE ‘THE USE OF PURE COLLAGE TECHNIQUES IN’ Comics. HAS BEEN PRETTY RARE OVER THE YEARS, GUT CARTOONISTS DARBLE IN IT FROM TIME TO TIME — ~ THE MOST FAMOUS EXAMPLE BEING WILL EISNER WHO DEVISED MANY INGENIOUS WAYS TO INCORPORATE LOGOS DIRECTLY INTO A STORY'S OPENING PANEL. “THE IDEA THAT WORDS MIGHT “CROSS THE FENCE” INTO PICTORIAL TERRITORY ONCE IN A WHILE SEEMS. REASONABLE ‘SOME MODERN CARTOONISTS HAVE TESTED THE POTENTIAL OF TREATING COMMON ELEMENTS LIke CAPTIONS AND WORD BALLOONS WITH & STRONG PICTORIAL SENSIBILITY ~~ AND OF COURSE THE SOUND EFFECT sPitis OVER INTO THIS TERRITORY OFTEN — Jel far Least -- UT FOR THE MOST PART, MONTAGE REMAINS A LARGELY UNEXPLORED TERRITORY. INNOVATORS: OF THE FUTURE TAKE Akl TWO, THREE AND Se ART By STEVE OYTO, WAL SER AND CHOE AND OFS WARE (SEE ART CRED. BAG 250)1. WORD-SPECIFIC We 2. PICTURE-SPECIF| @») 3, DUO-SPECIFIC 4, INTERSECTING (CP CD & PARALLEL Cw) Cr 1c 5. INTERDEPENDENT ‘THERE'S NO SET RULE FOR WHEN AND HOW TO USE A GIVEN TYPE OF WORD PICTURE COMBINATION, MOST CARTOONISTS JUST RELY ON THEIR, INSTINCTS AND DON'T GET HUNG UP ON ANYONE'S NERDY CATEGORIES. PLAY AROUND, SEE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU, AND BUILD YOUR OWN INSTINCTS THROUGH PRACTICE. UT WHEN THOSE INSTINCTS FAIL -- AND IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF us -~ ROAD Map. THAT CAN HELD you 6eT Back ON COURSE. (sou 7] 7. MONTAGE en Ask YOURSELF A FEW QUESTIONS NOW AND THEN: ADVANTAGE OF THE FREEDOM WORDS GIVE TO. AT 36, HE BUG! HT a AM I TAKING FREEDOM MY ART. Gives To My WoRDS? ADVANTAGE OF THE [ARE THERE GOOD REASONS TO TELL MY READERS. ANYTHING: TWICE? lois sins THE FORTRESS GAVE WAY TO THARE BOTH PICTURES AND WORDS CONTRIBUTING SOMETHING OF VALUE 70 EACH PANEL? COULD THE TWO TOGETHER SE MORE THAN THE SUM OF THEIR PARTS? ‘OR COULD THEY EACH CARRY A VASTLY DIFFERENT Messace? DO WORDS AND PICTURES NEED TO BE TREATED ALL THAT DIFFERENTLY? BUT WAY DONT You STAY AND HAVE DINNERT ‘ONCE AGAIN, THERE'S NO “WRONG” Way TO MIX WORDS WITH PICTURES, BUT IF YOU WANT TO HOLD YOUR READERS? ATTENTION —— = THERE ARE ACOUPLE OF THINGS TO WATCH FOR, MOST OF ALL, KEEP FOCUSED ON YOUR STORY, WHICH BOTH WORDS AND PICTURES SHOULD EQUALLY P ~ BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOUR READERS WiLL 82 FOCUSED ON IF YOU DO ‘YOUR JO8 RIGHT. “MIND GIVING Me. | J A BACK-RUB 7" FIRST: KEEP YOUR WORD COUNT UNDER CONTROL! IF HALF OF EVERY PANEL CONSIDER USING A HEALTHY WARIETY OF COMBINATIONS 50) ‘THAT NEITHER SIDE: 1S COVERED IN WORDS, ‘er Roun READERS: YOU MIGHT WANT TO eran CONSIDER SAYING MORE NeeLecreD. WITH THE PICTURES, ADDING MOMENTS TO BREAK UP THE TEXT INTO SMALLER CHUNKS, OR SIMPLY USING FEWER WORDS TO GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS. ALSO, DON'T or dase He atte “BoNtT'bO THIS! NOW THAT WE'VE COVERED THE DIFFERENT WAYS OF MIXING WORDS AND PICTURES TO TELL A STORY, LET'S EXAMINE HOW THE TWO ARE COMBINED GRAPHICALLY — = STARTING WITH THESE FREAKY, WORD-FILLED BLOBS: (OVER MY HEAD! PRAELS ON, Two AND FOUR: SE ARY eaEDWTS, PAGE 58, l41TAU ol TT \N COMICS AND x THE RELATIONSHIP OF WORD SEQUENTIAL BALLOONS To THE DRAWINGS ART, WILL EISNER: Mi ‘THAT SURROUND THEM HAS ALWAYS CALLS THE WORD BEEN AN UNEASY ONE. BALLOON A “DESPERATION ; DEVICE”; an * ATTEMPT TO SCAPTURE AND MAKE VISIBLE AN ETHEREAL ELEMENT: SOUND.” My WORDS CANNOT BE ‘SEEN! BALLOONS DON'T EXIST IN ‘THE SAME PLANE OF REALITY [AS THESE PICTURES, YET HERE THEY ARE, FLOATING ABOUT LIKE PHYSICAL OBJECTS! ASIF TO Say SHE, PM NOT REALLY HERE, THIS 1S JUST WHERE ‘THE PICTURE, ENDS" -~ ‘SOME RESPOND TO THIS PARADOX BY DE-EMPHASIZING THE PHYSICALITY OF THE GALLON SHAPE USING HAIRLINE BORDERS (OR NO BORDERS AT ALL == Whatday wednesday, Thought I'd s| Seton” | Sharlene” out...go into B =o 2 plunger...hi rods..or may @ plumber. | ohil would've SHAPE AND STYLE ‘ARE ENTIRELY UP TO YOU, OF COURSE — =" BUT DO KEEP AN EYE ON THE SIZE oF ‘YOUR GALLOONS. = WHILE OTHERS EMBRACE THE PHYSICAL PRESENCE OF BALLOONS WITH HEAVY CONTOURS, MORE DELIGERATE SCULPTING OR DIRECT INTERACTIONS WITH THE SURROUNDING ART. PARTIALLY FOR THE REASONS OF TEXT/IMAGE BALANCE CITED EARLIER —~ Shoes brennan sh 2== BUT ALSO To AVOID FORCING PicTuREs TO REPRESENT Too Many EMOTIONS INA SINGLE IMAGE. THs WiLL BE THE BEST PARTY EVER! wiy,1F- WAIT A MINUTE... WHAT DIDHE SAY ABOUT “FRANCE” > OH MY GOD, HE WONT BE HERE! My PARTY THAT'S THIS WEEKEND.! 's RUINEDY THis WILL BE THE |BEST PARTY EVER! WAIT A MINUTE, WHAT DIDHE SAY ABOUT PFRANCE” ? on My GOD, THAT'S THIS WEEKEND! HE wonT BE HERE! ALSO, WHEN OVERSIZED WORD BALLOONS TP THE TEXT/IMAGE BALANCE TOO FAR, A KIND OF NEUTRALITY OF IMAGE KICKS IN ~~ AN EXTREME VERSION OF THE “EMOTIONAL AVERAGE” MENTIONED EARLIER ~~ AND ‘A COMIC CAN START TO FEEL MORE LIKE ILLUSTRATED PROSE. ALSO, IN PANELS LIRE THIS ONE, OR THIS CHAPTER'S FIRST PAGE, THE READER IS LIKELY TO START NOTICING THaT THEYRE JUST READING TEXT ~~ EVEN TO THE POINT OF DEBATING WHETHER TO SkIP PARTS OR NOT == = WILE 1 MORE BALANCED COMBINATIONS TEXT. AND IMAGE KEEP ‘TAPPING EACH OTHER ON THE SHOULDER ~~ 143 READER NEVER LOOKS Lone ENOUGH To BREAK THETHE woo staate> [ NOTHING HUMAN CAN. QUESTION OF How MUCH our IN THE STAND UPTO THE THING! EMPHASIS MELODRAMATIC ‘TO GIVE INDIVIDUAL WORDS INA WORLD OF THAT'S THE SCARY BALLOON |S LESS CLEAR-CUT. SUPERHERO eg A THOSEOF US Baw? wao%™ WORRIED? ] comics, é GECAME ACCUSTOMED ‘To FREQUENT Uses oF OVERSIZED, BOLD on ITALICIZED LETTERING, ALLOWING FOR STRONG VARIATIONS IN LETTERING CAN HELP TO INTEGRATE WORDS AND SOME GN TOC La Oe UNAUANIE MAREN Tore VOCAL PICTURES BY CELEBRATING THEIR COMMON bide can penelerc hay CEE x CRAPiNG EYBOLE. INFLECTION ON A WORD-TO-WORD BASIS. (ON THE OTHER HAND, WILL EISNER -- HIMSELF A LONG-TIME USER OF BIG. Se WORDS -- POINTS OUT THAT HOW WE “HEAR” A WORD BALLOON 15 ALSO ene ArTEZTE By Tit EXPRESSIONS 2d BODY LANGUAGE OF THE SPEAKER, l P D SEARDLeSS OF HOw THE DIALOGUE S LETTERED" — KE A BIG FONT! ane.s Two, Tee POR AD SOC ART 8 IROL 2 = rake A SAR Bon On Pde 6, POMEL [FIRBY, PATRICK MEDONNELL, DAWE SIM/GERHARD L “SEVEN, BUT EISNER SAID IT FIRST &Y 20 YEARS. tio ts sien et ant estos, mae 20== ANDAS PROSE WRITERS WILL TELL YOU, 8Y THE MEANINGS OF THE WORDS THEMSELVES. THUS. A NUMBER OF THE CARTOONISTS WORKING ON QUIETER, MORE NATURALISTIC STORIES HAVE BEEN USING EMPHASIS, MORE SPARINGLY IN RECENT YEARS. SIMILARLY, IN) THE LAST DECADE A GROWING NUMBER OF ARTISTS ARE TURNING FROM COMICS? GRASSY ALL-CAPS TRADITION TO EMBRACE UPPER- AND LOWERCASE Fons. Upper- and lowercase let ters do have some advantages including their more distinct word shapes that facilitate scanning. Is it possible that the whole ALL CAPS thing is just an old habit! that comics needs to outgrow? ‘Dams boo) eye erER OF Ing goone” HaeRinct “hae (oe Sin 3s Sebi Beata 32, PERSONALLY, | GO BACK AND FORTH A LOT ON THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT TO USE UPPER- AND. LOWERCASE LETTERING. YE No’ FiRsT BOOK WASP aH. weet noo HAND-LETTERED IN ALL Be used an UPPER-and CARS 8Y PRO LETTERER E08 LAPPAN. fowercase font with ‘THIS ONE USES A FONT BASE OW My HANDWRITING. CHECK OUT THE NOTES SECTION AT THE END OF ‘THIS CHAPTER FOR MORE ON THIS DEBATE AND WHY I'M STILL ON THE FENCE, ALSO CHECK CHAPTER FIVE FOR SOME INFO ON TRADITIONAL AND DIGITAL LETTERING TECHNIQUES. 145THANKS TO FILM AND RICH, IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES. WORDS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN COMICS BY BRIDGING THAT GaP. THEY GIVE VOICE 70 OUR CHARACTERS, ALLOW US TO DESCRIBE ALL FIVE ‘SENSES ~~ AND IN THE CASE OF SOUND EFFECTS, THey GRAPHICALLY BECOME WHAT THEY DESCRIBE TELEVISION, WE'VE GOTTEN USED TO STORIES THAT CONTINUOUSLY USE SIGHT AND SOUND AND OFFER = AND GIVE READERS A RARE CHANCE TO LISTEN — 8UT AS comics CREATORS, IF WE WANT To REPRODUCE ‘THAT KIND. OF EXPERIENCE, WE NEED To DO IT USING ONLY ONE Sense. D FA CREATING GREAT SOUND EFFECTS. DOESN'T REQUIRE THE SORT OF METHODICAL CONSISTENCY THAT GOOD BALLOON LETTERING NEEDS. SOUND EFFECTS ARE ‘ONE-SHOT INVENTIONS yOu CaN IMPROVISE Like cRazy. “RIGHT” OR “WRONG” APPROACHES ~- =- BUT THERE ‘ARE SOME SET VARIABLES THAT YOU CAN IMPROVISE WITHIN, IncLuDINe...LOUDNESS, as TIMBRE. THe ASSOCIATION. GRAPHIC INDICATED BY SIZE, QUALITY OF THE SOUND, FONT STYLES AND INTEGRATION. eouoness, tar ano. | | irs roucHNess, shapes Taat rerer | | pune Desion EXCLAMATION waviness, sarpvess, | | TooR mimic THE CONSIDERATIONS OF POTS. FURZINESS, ETC. SOURCE OF THE SHAPE, LINE AND. SOUND. COLOR — AS WELL AS HOW THE EFFECT | fcurane paeTuRe, 1IT9-,)) Ke g ae xe , * KNlock- Kw0cK. KNOCK-KNOCK ANOCK! KNOCKS iroHeé SCCRIST TCM 0 Si Sed | K Cane! OD ‘OF COURSE, IF YOU'RE GOING FOR A MORE <= BUT IF yOu == SOUND UNDERSTATED KIND OF STORY YOU MAY DON'T MIND. pe. NT TO AVOID TOO MANY FLASHY EFFECTS ~~ - wa SHOWING-OFF putea ‘ToDo IT! Dinner forone. [7IN SOME CASES, THE COLLABORATION (OF WORDS AND PICTURES INVOLVES ‘THE GOLLABORATION OF A SEPARATE WRITER AND ARTIST. MosT oBviously. THINK VISUALLY. MISUALS CAN E REPRESENTED. INA SINGLE ‘All 87 animals are suddenly lifted off the ground toward the mothership... == WHILE SOME VERY SIMPLE actions MIGHT NEED MORE, THAN ONE. IF YOU PLAN TO WRITE STORIES FOR OTHERS To DRAW, HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS. ‘TRY VARIOUS METHODS OF COLLABORATION. HIN THEIR '605 SUPERHERO STORIES, STAN LEE AND JACK KIRBY REPORTEDLY WORKED OUT ROUGH PLOTS IN CONVERSATION. KiRSY THEN FLESHED THEM OUT AS HE DREW," AND LEE ADDED THE DIALOGUE LATER. UST naieTED 70 Stow wit On HAS Ince, ‘OTHERS LIKE ALAN MOORE Have SEEN ‘NOUN TO WRITE RICH, DETAILED: DESCRIPTIONS OF EACH AND EVERY PANEL FOR HIS ‘VARIOUS ARTISTS. ASSUMING YOU KNOW WHO YOUR COLLABORATOR IS, YOU CAN ADJUST YOUR METHOD To WHAT WORKS BEST FOR BOTH OF You.THE comics SCRIPT 1S THE TOOL MOST ASSOCIATED WITH WRITING comics THAT OTHERS wit DRAW = THOUGH THERE ARE SOME LONE CARTOONISTS WHO WRITE FULL SCRIPTS FOR THEMSELVES. wiring COMICS SCRIPTS IS. AN ART UNTO ITSELF; CHECK THE BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR SOME BOOKS “THAT CAN GIVE YOU DETAILED GUIDES ON BUT REMEMBER, EVEN IF You TEAM UP WITH SOMEONE TO CREATE COMICS, YOUR STORIES WILL BE [AT THEIR STRONGEST IF THEY FEEL LIKE THEY WERE CREATED WITH A SINGLE-MINDED Purpose. SEWARE OF THE WRITER-VERSUS-ARTIST SYNDROME WHERE ONE COLLABORATOR TRIES TO WIN ‘THE READER OVER WITH EVOCATIVE PROSE AND THE OTHER TRIES TO DAZZLE THE READER WITH SUMPTUOUS ART ~~ == WHILE NEITHER ART NOR WRITING EVER FULLY ACKNOWLEDGES EACH OTHER, NO MATTER WHAT KINDS OF WORD/PICTURE MDCTURES YOU PUT IN YOUR COMICS =~ “IT'S WHEN woRDS, were you ND PTURES wor ALONE of AS SEAMLESSLY Petes EMS rar couies ane ar | | THATS 6 ouL wort THEIR BEST, aNEL Five Hee ART CREDITS PAGE AS50 FAR, I'VE BARELY TOUCHED ON WHAT MAKES “GOOD STORY” -- PARTLY SECAUSE I"m STILL TRYING ‘TO FIGURE THAT ONE OUT FOR MYSELF. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT HOW To TELL THE STORIES YOU ALREADY HAVE IN MIND, REGARDLESS OF WHERE ‘THOSE STORIES COME stu ne me sone suceesrions ron | ase srowreuns | cons ar rest | woerens seem 79 nenes on FIND New AND INTERESTING KINDS OF CONFLICTS BETWEEN FIRST; LOOK FOR STORIES THAT ARE ROOTED IN YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE, AND ‘THAT SPEAK TO THE EXPERIENCES OF YOUR READERS. SURPRISE PROVOKE EMOTIONS -- SUSPENSE, YOUR READERS! LAUGHTER. HORROR, JOY, SADNESS ~~ NOT ‘TAKE THEM TO THROUGH CHEAP MANIPULATION, BUT BY PLACES THEY'VE TAPPING INTO COMMON HERITAGE AND NEVER GEEN. EXPERIENCES. -- AND BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS: AND THE WORLD READERS CARE, MAKE. THEM WANT TO KNOW HOW IT ALL TURNS OUT, MAKE THEM COME GACK FOR MORE...BASICALLY, IT'S THE SAME ADVICE YOU'LL COMICS 15 DIFFERENT FROM THESE 7 BECAUSE ALL GET, NO MATTER ‘OTHER MEDIA IN TERMS OF ITS CHALLENGES, STORIES WIND UP Int WHAT MEDIUM YOU TOOLS AND WORKING METHODS ~~ THE SAME PLACE: THE MINDS OF THE AUDIENCE, CHOOSE TO TELL YOUR STORIES IN. ~ BUT THOSE BASIC GOALS ARE THe SAME -~ THs 1S WHY T DON'T. THINK THERE'S A TYPE oF STORY THAT'S “RIGHT” FOR comics — 7 AND WHY IT'S A MISTAKE To LIMIT THE KINDS OF STORIES WE TELL IN AN ATTEMPT TO SQUEEZE OURSELVES INTO SOMEONE ELSE’S SHELF SPACE. MY apuice? waite WHAT YOU WANT To READ. = AND IF ALL ELSE FALLS, YOU'LL ‘ALWAYS HAVE AT Least ONE LOYAL NOSODY KNOWS WHAT WILL WORK UNTIL THEY TRY IT. SOME OF comics* BIGGEST SUCCESS STORIES IN RECENT YEARS HAWE EXPLORED SUBJECTS THAT NO ONE WAS WRITING ABOUT AT THE TIME, Ge STORIES NO YOU'LL HAVE MORE FUN DOING ONE HAD ANY REASON TO THINK WOULD SUCCEED. 151IPS EASY TO FORGET THAT THE = CAN AS EASILY WRITE WHAT SAME FEW DOTS AND LINES THAT THAT PERSON SAYS, JI Tay; { WORDS AND PICTURES, FOR ALL THEIR DIFFERENCES ~~ BOTH SHARE A COMMON PURPOSE AND A COMMON HERITAGE. ARE JUST TWO SIDES of THe SAME COIN, ra GREAT CARTOONISTS + BY EMPHASIZING THE CALLIGRAPHIC AND THE DEMONSTRATE HOW QUALITIES OF SIMPLE CARTOON IMAGES ~~ PICTURE-LIKE SEAMLESSLY THE TWO CAN IMMEDIACY oF SHORT BE COMBINED = ‘BOLD WORDS. Geran ewer eee 0) 152SEPARATE STRENGTHS. — BuT WORDS aN PICTURES aLso HAVE THEIR SEPARATE HISTORIES AND -- AND THESE HAVE ALSO SEEN A RICH SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR MANY OF ‘THE CREATORS WHO ARE DRAWN TO COMICS. LIKE ANY MARRIED. COUPLE, WORDS AND PICTURES HAVE TO BALANCE THE NEED TO FIND. COMMON GROUND wiTH ‘THE NEED To EXPLORE ‘THEIR SEPARATE IDENTITIES. 1S UP TO YOU. HOW YOU CHOOSE To BRING THE Two TOGETHER ON THE Pace AND, AS ANY MARRIED COUPLE WILL TELL YOU, THAT PROCESS 'S ONGOING AND CAN LAST A LIFETIME. rm JUST SAVING, F Loox, SEEMTO DO ALL THE ff TM TRYING TO TALKING IN THIS SHOW vou How | RELATIONSHIP, PANEL ONE SEE ART CREDITS, PAE 25 153CHAPTER 3: THE POWER OF WORDS PAGE 128, PANEL ONE ~ R.C. HARVEY ON COMICS IN RC. HARVEY'S OWN WORDS: "..COMICS CONSIST OF PICTORIAL NARRATIVES OR EXPOSITIONS IN| WHICH WORDS (OFTEN LETTERED INTO THE PICTURE AREA WITHIN SPEECH BALLOONS) USUALLY CONTRIBUTE TO ‘THE MEANING OF THE PICTURES AND VICE VERSA." PAGE 129, PANEL ONE - A MEDIUM OF FRAGMENTS, ‘SEE UNDERSTANDING COMICS, CHAPTER THREE, FOR 34 PAGES' WORTH OF MUSINGS ON WHAT I USUALLY REFER ‘TO AS "CLOSURE," THE TENDENCY WE ALL HAVE TO TAKE INCOMPLETE INFORMATION AND FILL IN THE BLANKS, AND Wil I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL SUILDING BLOCKS OF THE COMICS-READING EXPERIENCE. PAGE I34, PANEL NINE - THE SMELL OF COOKIES WRITERS FREQUENTLY OVERLOOK THE OPPORTUNITY WORDS GIVE US TO REVEAL WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE SENSES OF TOUCH, TASTE AND SMELL. ONE OF MY FAVORITE COMICS WHEN T WAS H4 YEARS OLD WAS DAREDEVIL CTHE GLIND SUPERHERO WHO RELIES ON HIS: HEIGHTENED OTHER SENSES TO FIGHT CRIME AND CHECK OUT JENNIFER GARNER IN THE RAIND AND STILL REMEMBER AN OVERVOICE CAPTION WHERE HE DESCRISES TRACE SCENTS OF “CORDITE AND GUNPOW- DER" ALL THESE YEARS LATER. HEY... DO I SMELL FRESH-BAKED COOKIES ? ‘THE INFLUENCE OF MOVIES ON COMICS PROBABLY TIPS US TOWARD SIGHT AND SOUND: AS THE DOMINANT. SENSES, BUT WE SHOULD ALSO TAKE A PAGE FROM PROSE AND POETRY WRITERS WHO GIVE ALL FIVE SENSES THEIR DUE. GIVING READERS A WINDOW INTO A CCHARACTER'S SENSORY EXPERIENCES CAN INCREASE THE INTIMACY OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT CHARAC~ TER, AND STRENGTHEN THEIR DESIRE TO STAY WITH THE STORY. see sivoceaenr 154 PAGE 137, PANEL THREE ~ DON'T TRIP ON MY Loco! HAVING & LOGO PHYSICALLY COEXIST WITH CHARACTERS RAISES QUESTIONS OF SELIEVAGILITY. TF THE COMICS [ARTISTS WANT US TO GELIEVE IN HIS OR HER WORLD AS A REAL PLACE, DOES A GIANT PLYWOOD SILLBOARD WITH THE CHARACTER'S NAME ON IT GET IN THE INAY OF ‘THAT GOAL? I THINK THE ANSWER'S BOTH YES AND NO; IT'S ALL JUST A QUESTION OF TIMING. ‘THE SENSE OF LOSING YOURSELF IN A MOVIE, BOOK, COMIC OR PLAY DOESN'T HAPPEN INSTANTANEQUSLY, WHEN THE OPENING CREDITS TO A MOVIE START APPEARING, YOU'RE PERFECTLY AWARE THAT YOU'RE SITTING IN & DARK ROOM WITH STRANGERS WHILE LIGHT IS PROJECTED ON A SCREEN, 17'S ONLY A FEW MINUTES LATER, AFTER THOSE NAMES STOP APPEARING IN MID-AIR OVER THE ACTION, THAT THE MOVIE ‘THEATER AND THE STRANGERS AND THE SCREEN ALL VANISH AND YOU'RE SIMPLY LIVING THE STORY. IF THE STORYTELLING IS COD ENOUGH (AND IF EVERYBODY ‘TURNS OFF THEIR CELL PHONES: AND SHUTS UP? YOU WON'T RETURN TO THAT DARK ROOM FILLED WITH STRANGERS UNTIL THE CLOSING CREDITS ROLE. SIMILARLY, WHEN WE START READING A COMIC. A \G-FOOT HIGH LOGO ON PAGE ONE DOESN'T TAKE US OUT (OF THE ACTION GECAUSE WE'RE NOT EVEN IN IT YET, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE HOLDING A STACK OF PAPER (OR LOOKING AT A GLOWING SCREEN) AND IT USUALLY TAKES ‘A PAGE GR TWO TO FORGET. IT'S IN THAT ENTRY PHASE (AND ITS CORRESPONDING EXIT PHASE) THAT ALITTLE [ARTIFICE CAN'T HURT, AND MIGHT ACTUALLY ENHANCE ‘THE READING EXPERIENCE. [ART 81 WILL CISNER (SEE ART CREDITS, PAGE 250%PAGE I3%, PANEL SIX - DAVID CHOE, MONTAGE AND WORD-SPECIFIC HERE'S A BIT MORE OF CHOE'S CUT-AND-PASTE APPROACH TO COMBINING WORDS AND ART (FROM HIS COMIC SLOW JAMS). NOTICE THAT THIS ALSO FOLLOWS ‘THE WORD-SPECIFIC PATTERN. CHOE'S TYPED. SENTENCES TELL US EVERYTHING WE NEED To KNOW, SO THE PICTURES ARE FREED TO WANDER AS FAR AS THEY LiKE, PAGE |40-I4! - USING (AND ABUSING) THE WORD-PICTURE CATEGORIES JUST TO REITERATE, I'M DEFINITELY NOT SUGGESTING THAT ANYONE SIT DOWN AND CAREFULLY CHOOSE THEIR WORD/PICTURE COMBINATIONS BEFORE CREATING COMIC. AS WITH THE & PANEL TRANSITIONS IN CHAPTER ONE, I DON'T NANT THIS KIND OF CLASSIFICATION TO REPLACE WHATEVER INSTINCTS YOU HAVE. INSTEAD, 8Y ASKING THE KINDS OF QUESTIONS I POSE AT THE SOTTOM OF PAGE I40 AND AT TOP OF PAGE I4i, T HOPE YOU CAN HONE YOUR INSTINCTS IN THE FUTURE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE WORD-PICTURE POSSIBILITIES IN A NATURAL, INTUITIVE Wa, cH ) WD ©» AND MARLJANE SATRAPT (SEE ART CREOTS, Pat 25), EVERY TECHNIQUE WE USE BEGINS ITS LIFE AS A CONSCIOUS PROCESS AND, WITH LUCK, GRADUALLY BECOMES SECOND NATURE. BUT NOT EVERY TECHNIQUE WORKS TO OUR ADVANTAGE IN THE LONG RUN AND IT ay'S TO CONSCIOUSLY SEPARATE GOOD INSTINCTS FROM BAD HAGITS ONCE IN A WHILE, PAGE [42-145 - THE THOUGHT BALLOON AND. ITS RELATIVES THOUGHT BALLOONS AREN'T AS. COMMON AS THEY ONCE WERE, BUT THEY'RE STILL A GREAT WAY TO GUICKLY REVEAL & CHARACTER’S INNER LIFE (SEE "THE SMELL OF COOKIES" ABOVE. IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DECADES, THOUGH, CHARACTERS’ THOUGHTS ARE AS LIKELY TO BE EXPRESSED IN THE FORM OF A CAPTION —- THE, EQUIVALENT OF & MOVIE OVERVOICE. SUCH CAPTIONS SEEM TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE AUDIENCE IN A WAY THAT BALLOONS DON'T, AS IF THE CHARACTER WAS SENDING. THEIR THOUGHTS DIRECTLY TO THE READER, AND CAN GIVE THE TEXT AN EXTRA LEVEL OF INTIMACY. THEY [ALSO DON'T REGUIRE THE THINKER TO BE IN PANEL TO SHOW WHERE THE THOUGHT ORIGINATES FROM, SO THEY CAN APPEAR IN PANELS THAT ARE FRAMED FROM THE THINKER'S POINT OF VIEW. SUCH "THOUGHT CAPTIONS* ARE USUALLY IN PRESENT TENSE AND FIRST PERSON (BELOW LEFT) BUT PAST TENSE NARRATION (GELOW RIGHT) CAN COVER A LOT OF THE SAME GROUND. OK. WHAT NOW 7 FELT $0 ASHAMED FOR MYSELF 1 ‘THE TRADITIONAL THOUGHT BALLOON HAS RDVAN= TAGES, THOUGH, IT CAN OFFER A GLIMPSE INTO ANY CHARACTER'S THOUGHTS AT ANY TIME, AND DOESN'T REGUIRE REPETITION THROUGHOUT THE STORY. A THOUGHT CAPTION ONLY WORKS AS RUNNING NARRA- ‘TION, AND READERS HAVE TO KNOW WHICH CHARACTER |S DOING THE THINKING, EVEN IN PANELS OVERFLOWING WITH CHARACTERS. A THOUGHT BALLOON, ON THE OTHER HAND, CAN APPEAR ONCE IN A 200 PAGE GRAPHIC NOVEL POINTING TO A RANDOM BYSTANDER, AND AUDIENCES WILL THINK NOTHING OF IT, 155PAGE lz, PANEL SEVEN ~ BALLOON SHAPES SOME EXAMPLES OF BALLOON SHAPES: you OuMB. STARRY-EYED Bl pe) Couey indreams Lam trying ied reer a le) PAGE It, PANEL THREE - COMMON ROOTS FOR MUCH MORE ON WHY I SEE WORDS AND PICTURES AS TWO GRANCHES OF THE SAME TREE, SEE UNDER- ‘STANDING COMICS, CHAPTER SIX, "SHOW AND TELL.” PAGE l45, LAST PANEL - THE LOWERCASE. DEBATE TE KEEP GOING GACK AND FORTH ON THE QUESTION OF WHETHER TO USE UPPER- AND LOWERCASE LETTERS IN WORD BALLOONS, THE FACT THAT I'M BACK TO ALL UPPERCASE IN THIS BOOK ISN'T IN ANY WAY AN INDICA TION THAT I'VE MADE UP My MIND. ON THE ONE HAND, UPPERCASE COMIC 6OGK LETTERING HAS THE FOLLOWING ARGUMENTS IN ITS FAVOR: + ABOUT 98% OF ALL ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMICS IN THE LAST 100 YEARS HAVE USED IT, INCLUDING NEARLY ALL OF THE COMICS NOW CONSIDERED: CLASSICS. IF IT AIN'T BROKE, WHY FIX IT? * CAPITAL LETTERS ARE EASIER TO LETTER Gy HAND. + CAPS FILL THE SPACE MORE EFFICIENTLY. + CAPS GLEND GETTER WITH PICTURES. + CAPS LOOK BETTER WITH FREGUENT BOLD/ITALIC. TYPE. ON THE OTHER HAND, ADVOCATES OF USING UPPER AND LOWERCASE LETTERS MIGHT RESPOND: “THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS COMICS HAVE RARELY DONE IN THE LAST 100 YEARS, INCLUDING MATURE THEMES, SUBTLE CHARACTERIZATION AND SOPHISTI- CATED ARTWORK; THAT'S NO REASON NOT TO TRY THEM. + ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR COMICS IN HISTORY, TINTIN, USES UPPER- AND LOWERCASE LETTERING, [AS DO OTHER EUROPEAN COMICS, AND IT LOOKS Rear. “EASIER DOESNT EGUAL BETTER. + ALITTLE WHITE SPACE NEVER HURT ANYONE. «IF UPPER AND LOWERCASE LETTERS DON'T BLEND WITH PICTURES, HOW DO WE EXPLAIN FIVE CENTU~ RIES OF ILLUSTRATED BOOKS? + BOLD TYPE 1S OVER-USED AND MELODRAMATIC. FOR NOW, I'M STICKING WITH THIS UPPERCASE FONT MADE FROM MY HANDWRITING, BECAUSE T LIKE THE WAY IT BLENDS WITH My PICTURES. IRONICALLY, I DON'T THINK IT WORKS AS WELL HERE IN THE NOTES SECTION, UT I LIKE THE CONTINUITY OF APPEARANCE FROM THE COMICS PAGES SO THAT'S WHY YOU'RE READING IT NOW. SOME THINGS 1 DO KNOW FOR SURE: + THE OCCASIONAL BiG, BOLD NORD DOES SEEM TO. ANCHOR THE TEXT AND PICTURE WHEN YOU FIRST GLANCE AT A PAGE (LE., NEITHER PICTURES NOR WORDS SEEM OVERPOWERED). “ ENCLUDING UPPERCASE, LOWERCASE, BOLD, ITALICS [AND SIZE VARIATION THE WAY T DID IN THE LAST BOOK WAS & BIT CLUTTERED. + TLL PROBABLY KEEP CHANGING MY MIND FOR A. wHite. Top Downe ART 87 WELL EtSMER Sawn HOMANLS LETTERING BY TODO KLEDN, JORDAN CRANE ANDO MASASHE RISKEMOTO CETTERED Fea ENGLISH 2Y HESDE Stveowne) (SE ART soustera sense or | | i X x 7 RECOGNITION on : eS y THE PART OF THE b READER. { SILENCE HAS THE EFFECT OF REMOVING A PANEL FROM ANY PARTICULAR SPAN OF TIME. worD BALLOONS HAVE APER VED DUR ION 50 THEN _/PANELS THEY'RE IN DO 00. witHour THAT IMPLICIT TIME STAMP WHICH WORDS PROVIDE, A SILENT PANEL DOESN'T “END™ QUITE AS CRISPLY jf Lis Yes A'Y MM Z fh 164SILENCE ALSO ALLOWS READERS TO STEP OFF THE TWIN CONM/EYOR BELTS OF PLOT AND THE AND DIALOGUE LONG ENOUGH TO LET THEIR EYES WANDER AND EXPLORE YOUR EFFECT oF iT WORLD, INSTEAD OF VIEWING IT AS NOTHING MORE THAN A PASSING BACKDROP. GY NOT “GLOCKING US AT THE DOOR,” AN OFF-CENTER GIVING READERS THAT LICENSE TO “WANDER” IS FIGURE, FACING AWAY FROM THE READER, CAN INVITE US ‘ALSO A SYPRODUCT OF AN OFF-CENTER CHOICE TO FOLLOW IT MORE FULLY INTO A SCENE. OF FRAME. F SUCH COMPOSITIONS CREATE A SENSE OF ENTERING A SETTING WITH A PERSON INIT, RATHER THAN MEETING & PERSON WITH A SETTING BEHIND THEM. = AND WITH IT, THE READER'S SENSE OF BEING SURROUNDED FINALLY, AN INCREASED SENSE OF DEPTH, GAN INCREASE THE PERCEIVED SIZE OF A SETTING ~- REGARDLESS ‘OF ITS SIZE ON THE PAGE --THE SECOND VERSION OF OUR ESTABLISHING SHOT IS A GIT LESS EFFICIENT, SINCE IT Leaves. ‘OUT A WORD-GALLOGN WHICH -~ IF THIS WAS AN ORDINARY COMICS STORY ~~ WOULD PRESUMABLY HAVE To GO ELSEWHERE. OTHERWISE, NONE OF OUR MODIFICATIONS REGUIRED EXPANDING THE PANEL BEYOND THAT ‘TOP THIRD OF A PAGE. EVERYTHING ‘STILL HAPPENS IN SUPPOSE, HOWEVER, THAT YOU HAVE PLENTY (OF ROOM TO TELL YOUR STORY; IS THERE ANY REASON TO USE MULTIPLE Panels TO ESTABLISH A SETTING? i ED. LL, ZZ Ce 166 (ONE OPTION IS TO SPLIT [AN OPENING SCENE INTO. FRAGMENTS USING ASPECT TO ASPECT TRANSITIONS, A ‘TECHNIQUE POPULAR IN JAPANESE COMICS, Inv THIS METHOD, THE SCENE IS “ASSEMBLED” IN THE READER'S MIND.EXPERIENCES THE WORLD IN MUCH THE SAME WAY THAT HE (OR SHE WOULD “REAL LIFE” AS 300+ Pace GRAPHIC NOVELS HAVE BECOME MORE COMMON, SOME NORTH AMERICAN CARTOONISTS ARE ALSO STARTING TO EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL OF MULTI-PANEL, AND EVEN MULTI-PAGE ‘SCENE-SETTERS, IN HOPES OF ‘CREATING MORE \ PoweRFUL aN \ MEMORABLE WORLDS. LOOKING AROUND... UP... DOWN, ONE PIECE AT A TIME, FROM A 3-PAGE SUNRISE GY CANADIAN COMICS ARTIST SETH, FROM CLYDE FANS 600k ONE. THIS LENDS An AIR OF [AND WHEN No ONE FIRST-HAND ISIN SIGHT, AS IN MULTI-PANEL SEQUENCES ALSO GIVE YOU EXPERIENCE AND THE ABOVE PAGE, TIME TO BUILD A SPECIFIC MOOD FOR voUR GOLSTERS THE ILLUSION | | yoUR READER IS FREE WORLDS ~~ A PROCESS THAT TAKES TIME TO OF WANDERING To FORM A PERSONAL ‘ACCOMPLISH IN ANY STORYTELLING MEDIUM. THROUGH & Scene. RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR WORLD ie, EVEN BEFORE YOUR ‘CHARACTERS oh==AS IF TF WAS AN ESTABLISHING SHOT: AND AOD WALL-TO-WALL NVIRONMENTAL DETAILS. WHEREVER POSSIGLE. THIS APPROACH, TYPIFIED BY SOME EUROPEAN GRAPHIC ‘ALBUMS, CAN CREATE A, STRONG SENSE OF PLACE, IF YOU DONT HIND THE LONG HOURS AND SORE HANDS MIGHT BE WORTH A TRY, ‘OF THOSE WORLDS. 2 AND THEY May REQUIRE THAT YOU LAVISH CONSTANT ATTENTION UPON THE DETAILS STORIES ABOUT MODERN RELATIONSHIPS. ON THE OTHER HAND, MAY ONLY NEED THEIR FAMILIAR, EVERYDAY SETTINGS REITERATED ONCE INA WHILE, WHILE THEY FOCUS INSTEAD ‘ON AN EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE. Pickine THE RIGHT APPROACH FOR YOUR STORY WILL DEPEND ON THAT STORY'S PRIORITIES. SOME TYPES OF STORIES, LIKE SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY OR HISTORICAL FICTION ARE (AT LEAST PARTIALLY ABOUT THE woRLDS THEY INHABIT —SOME TYPES. ‘OF COMICS DON'T RELY ON A SENSE OF PLACE” MUCH AT ALL, \ tt TAKE THE FIGURES QUT OF A LOT OF CLASSIC DaiLy HUMOR STRIPS, FOR EXAMPLE, [AND YOU'LL FIND NO MORE THAN FEW WELL-PLACED LINES. SBR SoHULZ 0450 [BACKGROUND DETAILS FROM THE FIRST FIVE PEANUTS DAILIES BY CHARLES “THE BACKGROUNDS IN SUCH STRIPS ARE RELEVANT ONLY SO FAR AS THEY sive A CONTEXT FOR WHAT THE CHARACTERS ARE UP TO, AFTER WHICH THEY ARE THE sHow — == THOUGH IF THE MOMENT REQUIRES IT, MASTERS OF THE GENRE CAN STILL CREATE AVM SETTING, SLUR suuRP! HAVE TRIED IT WITH SOME SUCCESS. ‘Avocado Highlands (ON THE OTHER END OF THE SCALE, COMICS ENTIRELY ABOUT A PLACE ARE A RARITY, SUT A FEW INNOVATIVE TALENTS PANELS FROM RICK GEARY'S ALEAK YET SEAUTIFUL “THE AGE OF CONDOS” FROM M80, SEEART CREDITS, PAGE 258. 167FORTUNATELY, ‘DRAWING IN. PERSPECTIVE DOESN'T Have TO BE ALL THAT HARD. INFACT, WITH THE RIGHT APPROACH, IT CAN E KIND OF FUN! = Bur ‘THE WORD “PERSPECTIVE” 1S MOST CAN REFER TO ANY ATTEMBT TO OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE “HORIZON \“/: REPRESENT A 3-D WORLD ON A, LINES" AND “VANISHING POINTS” oF ‘2-D SURFACE LIKE THIS PAGE. WESTERN PERSPECTIVE -- 170THERE ARE AN ARTIST WITH A MINIMAL STYLE LiKE JOHN PusNTy oF GRAPHIC PORCELLINO MIGHT DRAW HUNDREDS OF PAGES Devices THarcanl WITHOUT EVER GOING NEAR A VANISHING POINT, INbicare DEPTH. BUT STILL CREATE A CONVINCING AND CONSISTENT WORLD USING SUCH BASIC DEPTH INDICATORS, CLOSER OBJECTS CAN OVERLAP MORE DISTANT ONES —~ SOME ARTISTS BUILD THEIR SCENES ON A SLANTED CHECKERBOARD PATTERN WHERE PARALLEL LINES = DON'T CONVERGE; A TYPE OF PERSPECTIVE SEEN IN EVERYTHING FROM PERSIAN PAINTING TO GAMES LIKE THE SIMS, APPEAR LARGER, HAVE DARKER oR THICKER BORDERS OR SIMPLY BE LOWER (ON THE PAGE IN VIEWS FROM ABOVE. COMPELLING STORIES IF YOUR APPROACH IS HAVE BEEN TOLD IN — BiomoRPHIC - AND USING CONSISTENT, aND comics USING LANDSCAPES WHERE PERSPECTIVE THAT'S | THE CONTENTS OF DIAGRAMS oF a ‘THE ONLY INDICATION ALWAYS JUST ALITTLE | your STORY ARE WORLD SEEN ENTIRELY OF DEPTH was IN iT WARPED. INTERESTING: FROM AGOVE -- OVERLAPPING -- ENOUGH. YOUR AUDIENCE WILL PROBABLY ACCEPT WHATEVER TYPE OF PERSPECTIVE YOu USE. PANELS Two-Sie ART G7 Joa PORCELLNO, DEBBE DREEHSLER (71 ‘CARD MCGUIRE, GARY PANTER AND MARISCAL (SEE ART cneprs, ace 250).THAT SAID, (F YOU WANT YOUR WORLD TO LOOK AS “REAL” AS POSSIBLE IN THE CONVENTIONAL SENSE, WESTERN)” PERSPECTIVE IS THE WAY TO DOT. OFFER A FULL-LENGTH COURSE IN WESTERN PERSPECTIVE IN THESE PAGES. FOR THAT I SUGGEST DAVID CHELSEA'S BOOK OW THE SUBJECT* -- IF YOU'VE TAKEN A FEW DRAWING CLASSES IN OR YOU'VE ALREADY READ ‘CHELSEA'S, You May ALREADY KNOW OBJECTS ON A PLANE ‘SOME OF THE CONVERGE wiTH BASICS oR HOW ‘THE HORIZON CROSSES FIGURES AT ‘THE SAME HEIGHT AS YOUR EYE-LEVEL, REGARDLESS OF DISTANCE — YOU AND THE KID ARE at THE SAME HEIGHT IN THIS PANEL. oR AND YOU MIGHT COMPRESS TO OVALS HAVE SOME WHEN VIEWED FROM EXPERIENCE WITH THE SIDE, APPLYING ~~ How CIRCLES E * PERSPECTIVE! FOR COMIC BOOK ARTISTS 15COMICS PAGES ARE ‘STRUCTURED AROUND How PEOPLE, OBJECTS ‘AND WORDS ARE PLACED ON THE PAGE — =——J or S 2s PANELS BEGIN THEIR LIVES AS A COLLECTION OF Flat, 2-D ELEMENTS. a ral @ al -enoice OF MOMEN! “CROICE OF _ FRAME. .- “choice OF - IMAGE. __ ‘CHOICE OF ~~ WORD _ “CHOICE OF ~--- ~~ -FlLOw |} | [so rrsony AND A more t [AFTER THOSE a FULLY REALIZED $ | seuamonsties ane \ |< = THREE- i \ worsen out That ee \ DIMENSIONAL ‘A GRID IS LAID 7 SCENE STARTS TO ‘Down — - enenee. \ el 50 THE FIRST JOS OF PERSPECTIVE IS To SERVE THE LAYOUT OF THE PAGE AND ENHANGE THE STORY; AND SOMETIMES THAT DOESN'T LEAVE MUCH ROOM FOR = AND THAT'S WHEN YOUR IMAGINATION, (CAN TAKE OVER! IN OTHER PANELS, THOUGH, THE REQUIRED ELEMENTS ARE AND THE LATITUDE For IMPROVISATION 1S GREAT 174WORLD-BUILDING COMICS ARTISTS LIKE FRANCE’S. MOEBIUS Have DEMONSTRATED. JUST How FaR THaT LICENSE TO IMPROVISE GaN TAKE a PAGE. AGRID IS IN PLACE, WHOLE WORLDS CAN BE SUGGESTED IN JUST A FEW SQUARE INCHES OF PAPER. KEY IS TO LET YOUR IMAGINATION work IN THE 3eD Spaces THE GRID SUGGESTS. TRY IT NOW. STARE FORA WHILE AT THE GRID IN PANEL TWO.IMAGINATION AND IMPROVISATION CAN == BUT IF YOU'RE GOING | — YOU'LL ALSO HELP YOU WITH REALISTIC SCENES, FOR A STRONG SENSE NEED TO DO SOME ‘AS WELL AS FANTASTIC ONES ~~ =| oF REALISM — j RESEARCH. gael IF THAT SOUNDS LOTS OF OTHERWISE wart BUT EVEN ALITTLE ABOUT AS MUCH FUN TALENTED ARTISTS PREDICTABLY EXTRA EFFORT IN AS A ROOT CANAL TO TEND To SKIMP oN BLAND, eur THE RESEARCH ‘YOU. YOU'RE NOT RESEARCH ~- PASSABLE, DEPARTMENT CAN ALONE. ESPECIALLY WHEN ON RESULTS. GOALONG WAY. DEADLINE - zie oor Ir 00! | 4 GOOD RESEARCH MAY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE |(— = AND ONE THAT CONNECTS WITH YOUR BETWEEN & GENERIC GAS STATION — READERS’ MEMORIES and EXPERIENCES.EVEN WHEN WORKING IN MINIMAL CARTOONY STYLES, GOOD RESEARCH CAN HELP YOU FIND THE ESSENCE oF @ Location ~~ Al J OR GETWEEN A RUN-OF-THE- MILL BUILDING ~~ = AND ONE WITH CHARACTER AND CREDIBILITY. Sa ( yu = AND THANKS TO THE WEB, ARTISTS CAN STILL, IF YOU NEED TO Now FIND PHOTO DRAW ANYTHING REFERENCE on WITHIN DRIVING EVERYTHING FROM DISTANCE — AARDVARKS 70 ZINNIAS int MINUTES. <= 17 CAN REALLY — PAY OFF TO GET a e SOME ON-SITE Ue IR LOSE ieee YOURSELF IN THE ENVIRONMENTS You ‘DRAW — — AND YOUR READERS eT aE LU i hileWANT To KNOW THE SECRET oF DRAWING GREAT BACKGROUNDS? THROW GEHIND THEM AS. AN AFTERTHOUGHT. DON'T THINK OF THEM AS “BACKGROUNDS!” THESE ARE ENVIRONMENTS. THE PLACES YOUR CHARACTERS TOO MANY ARTISTS FORGET THIS AND BECOME WHAT EISNER CALLED “SLAVES TO THE CLOSE-UP™; STICKING WITH THE ONE THING -~ PEOPLE =~ THAT ‘THEYRE CONFIDENT THEY CAN DRAW —~== AFRAID THAT IF THEY PULL THE “CAMERA” BACK, THEY MIGHT HAVE TO DRAW A DOZEN THINGS ‘THEY'VE NEVER DRAWN BEFORE. U7 7 TRS Pim a TY THOSE WHO HAVE SEIZED ON THAT CHALLENGE, | eee fl coi nena Ly bein ee "ART 87 HaSR FRAN bE ART CREDITS, PAGE 250, JUST REMEMBER TO LET YOUR READERS ‘STEP INTO YOUR WORLD ~~ ‘THAT WORLD UNIQUE -- MEL Zig YsCHAPTER FOUR = WORLD BUILDING PAGES 156-157 - HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? TOPEN THIS CHAPTER WITH SOME LASOR-INTENSIVE PANELS, SUT I HOPE Z'M NOT SCARING ANYONE OFF. YES, YOU CAN CREATE A STRONG SENSE OF PLACE WITHOUT SPENDING A DAY ON EVERY PANEL (AND THIS SPREAD TOOK A WEEK SO-T MEAN THAT LITERALLY). THE REASON I'M PUTTING THE HARD WORK UP FRONT IS: THAT THE RATIO OF ARTISTS PUTTING TOO LITTLE WORK INTO ENVIRONMENTS VERSUS THOSE PUTTING TOO MUCH IS ABOUT NINETY-NINE TO ONE. WE ALL FIND: EXCUSES TO SKIMP ON WHAT WE DISMISSIVELY CALL *BACKGROUNDS' AND THIS CHAPTER IS MY ATTEMPT TO COUNTER THAT TREND. PAGES 162163 ~ ESTABLISHING SHOTS ON. STEROIDS IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THERE'S NOTHING TECHNI- CALLY WRONG WITH THE FIRST ESTABLISHING SHOT I ‘SHOW ON PAGE I6O. IT'S CLEAR AND COMPREHENSIVE. ‘THE FIVE CHANGES FEATURED IN THE PUMPED UP VERSION SHOWN ON PAGE 162 ARENT MEANT TO REPAIR, ANYTHING: THEYRE JUST OPTIONS FOR TAKING THE ESTAGLISHING SHOT TO A DIFFERENT LEVEL, AND A WAY OF RECONSIDERING THE GOALS OF SUCH PANELS. FIVE TOOLS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IF YOU WANT TO USE THEM, HAVE NO DISAGREEMENT WITH ANYONE WHO LIKED ‘THE FIRST VERSION GETTER. PAGE [64 PANELS 7-9 - SILENCE AND. LENGTH LENGTH OF STORY CAN AFFECT A COMICS ARTIST'S WILLINGNESS TO INCLUDE SILENT PANELS, THE RELATIVELY SHORT LENGTH OF AMERICAN COMIC BOOKS MADE SILENT PANELS RARE FOR MANY YEARS, WHILE MANGA, WITH ITS THICK ANTHOLOGIES BOUND FOR THICK COLLECTIONS, INDULGED IN LONG, SILENT. SEGUENCES ON A REGULAR BASIS. STILL, EVEN SHORT STORIES CAN BENEFIT FROM THE OCCASIONAL PAUSE IN THE SOUNDTRACK. PAGE 165 = A LICENSE TO WANDER ‘THIS CONNECTS TO THE DISCUSSION OF FRAMING ON PAGE 25, WHEN A CHARACTER IS DEAD-CENTER, THEN ‘THE PANEL IS ABOUT THAT CHARACTER AND EVERY- ‘THING ELSE IS "BACKGROUND": WE DON'T Have TO SMELL THE GRASS OR FEEL THE GREEZE BECAUSE OUR PROTAGONIST WILL DG THAT FOR US, BUT WHEN THOSE IMAGINARY CROSS-HAIRS OF THE FRAME ARE POINTING INTO EMPTY SPACE, THEN THE PANEL IS ~~ AT LEAST PARTIALLY ~- ABOUT THAT SPACE, AND EXPLORING IT WILL BE THE READER'S FIRST IMPULSE, ‘THE IDEA OF NOT BLOCKING THE READER AT THE DOOR |S ALSO CONSISTENT WITH THE "RULE OF THIRDS,” A, TECHNIQUE USED IN ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY TO BURSUE MORE DYNAMIC AND PLEASING COMPOSITIONS, THE RULE HOLDS THAT IF YOU DIVIDE YOUR PICTURE INTO THREE SECTIONS VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY AND PLACE YOUR POINTS OF INTEREST AT THE INTER SECTIONS OF THOSE LINES, THE COMPOSITIONS WILL BE IMPROVED. THERE'S NO PROOF FOR SUCH RULES, OF COURSE, GUT YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY IT YOURSELF [AND SEE IF YOU LIKE THE RESULTS. DAVE GIBSONS, OF WATCHMEN FAME, HAS MENTIONED USING THE RULE IN) SOME PANELS (SEE BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE 800K ARTISTS ON COMIE ART). FOR SOME HEAVIER MATH AND ANOTHER THEORY OF WHAT-LOOKS-GOOD, YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK INTO. ‘THE EVER-POPULAR "GOLDEN RATIO” AND SEE WHAT KINDS OF RESULTS IT CAN PRODUCE INI YOUR WORK. ALWAYS REMEMBER, THOUGH, IF IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD TO YOU, IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MANY THEORIES GNCLUDING MINE) TELL YOU IT'S GOOD. DRAW WITH ‘YOUR EYES, NOT YOUR EARS, PAGE I66 - FRAGMENTS AND THE SENSES (ON PAGES 88-89 OF UNDERSTANDING COMICS, I SUGGEST THAT FRAGMENTED TRANSITIONS LIKE THIS CAN ALSO RECALL OTHER SENSES, SINCE THE MENTAL ACTIVITY THAT STITCHES THEM TOGETHER DOESNT HAVE TO BE ENTIRELY VISUAL BUT CAN DRAW FROM THE ‘OTHER SENSES AS WELL. PAGE 168; LAST PANEL ~ ..UT DON'T USE THIS AS AN EXCUSE! EVEN EVERYDAY SETTINGS LIKE OFFICES AND APART- MENTS CAN SE VISUALLY RICH, SO DON'T SKIMP TOO MUCH ON THOSE ENVIRONMENTS. EVEN IN SCENES WHERE THE AUDIENCE IS FAR MORE INTERESTED IN. WHAT CHARACTERS ARE SAYING THAN IN WHERE THEY ARE, A LITTLE ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS AROUND “THEM CAN) HELP EVOKE A MOOD, CONNECT WITH READERS’ SENSORY MEMORIES OR REMIND THE READER ‘OF THE BROADER CONTEXT THAT THE CONVERSATION IS “TAKING PLACE IN. 180YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO AS FAR AS DEREK KIRK KIM: «GUT AT LEAST CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITIES. PAGE I6%, LAST PANEL - STORIES ABOUT PLACE EDWARD GOREY'S SILENT STORY "THE WEST WING" IS ANOTHER COMIC (WELL, I CALL IT A COMIC) THAT'S EFFECTIVELY ASOUT A PLACE AND LITTLE ELSE. IT CAN BE FOUND IN HIS COLLECTION, AMPHIGOREY (PERIGEE TRADE, 1980), PAGE I7l, PANEL 2 - JOHN PORCELLINO PORCELLINO'S COMICS CONVEY A VERY STRONG SENSE ‘OF PLACE WITH ALMOST NO RENDERING, BUT HE HAS A GREAT EVE FOR DETAILS AND FREQUENTLY INCLUDES —- WITH JUST & FEW LINES ~- OSJECTS THAT TRIGGER MEMORIES IN THE READER THAT AN ARTIST WITH A MORE LAGOR~INTENSIVE STYLE MIGHT HAVE MISSED. SINCE I GPEN WITH SUCH DETAILED IMAGES, (T'S Toe Down: ART BY Dee xR KI, JOHN POREELLINO ‘AND EDWAeD GORY €SER ART CREDCTS, PAGE 250 IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT SOME ARTISTS GET THE JO8 [DONE WITH FAR FEWER LINES. Eememben wayne? | ‘Thess wena hemsas | iomvignincntmnes immune ae PAGE I74, PANEL ONE - PERSPECTIVE GUIDELINES NON-REPRO GLUE PENCILS ARE ESPECIALLY USEFUL FOR DRAWING GUIDELINES. THEY DONT DISTRACT FROM GTHER PENCIL WORK AND DON'T NEED TO GE ERASED. BECAUSE TRADITIONAL PRE-PRESS TECHNIGUES DON'T Pick THEM UP WHILE DIGITAL PRE-PRESS CAN EASILY KNOCK THEM OUT. SEE CHAPTER FIVE AND ITS NOTES: FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUCH TOOLS. PAGE I76-I77 - REFERENCE TAKING WHEN YOU WANT TO GET THE DETAILS RIGHT, YOUR [REFERENCE OPTIONS INCLUDE: + GO TO THE SOURCE AND DRAW IT. * GO TO THE SOURCE AND MAKE SKETCHES YOU CAN REFER TO WHEN DRAWING IT LATER, + GO TO THE SOURCE AND TAKE PHOTO TO USE FOR DETAILED REFERENCE (OR DIRECT COPYING, IF APPROPRIATE, “FIND A STOCK PHOTO ON THE WES THAT YOU CAN Buy FOR A FEW BUCKS AND USE FOR DETAILED REFERENCE COR DIRECT COPYING, IF APPROPRIATE. “FIND A PHOTO ON THE WES AND USE IT AS REFER ENCE FOR AN ORIGINAL DRAWING (BUT NOT COPIED DIRECTLY, SINCE IT'S NOT YOUR PHOTO), TF YOU HAVE THE TIME AND YOU'RE NEAR YOUR SOURCE (FOR EXAMPLE, A FIRE HYDRANT) IT'S ALWAYS PREFER- AGLE TO START NEAR THE TOP OF THAT LIST. DRAWING PROM LIFE IS STILL THE BEST WAY TO GOIN MOST SITUATIONS. BUT REALISTICALLY, MOST OF US -- MYSELF INCLUDED -- FIND IT HARD THESE DAYS NOT To JUST GO TO THE WEB AND SAVE THE TIME. PERSONALLY, I THINK COPYING FROM YOUR OWN PHOTOS, OR FROM STOCK PHOTOS THAT YOUVE SOUGHT ONLINE, IS LEGITIMATE IF IT REALLY |S THE BEST IMAGE Ia!FOR THE JOB. THE PARKING LOT ON PAGE 165 WAS FROM [A PHOTO T TOOK, FOR EXAMPLE, AND THE BUILDING ON PAGE I77 |S TAKEN FROM A PICTURE I BOUGHT FOR $3 AT ISTOCKPHOTO.COM. IN BOTH CASES, IT TOOK A LOT OF SEARCHING TO FIND JUST THE RIGHT ONE, COPYING REALLY (SN'T OKAY IF YOU'RE USING SOMEONE ELSE'S PHOTO WITHOUT PERMISSION, BUT SO LONG AS YOU'RE MAKING SOMETHING NEW AND JUST USING THE PHOTO FOR GENERAL REFERENCE CTHE WAY I DID WITH THE TAJ MAHAL ON PAGE 177, FOR EXAMPLE), YOU'RE ON SOLID GROUND, SOTH LEGALLY AND ETHICALLY. PAGE I78 - CHARACTER AND ENVIRONMENT: A THEORY OF SEPARATION ‘THE LINES YOU USE TO DRAW A CHARACTER ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE LINES YOU USE TO DRAW THE ENVIRONMENTS THEY LIVE IN. THEY SERVE DIFFERENT PURPOSES AND READERS READ THEM IN DIFFERENT WAYS. WHEN READERS SEE THE LINES THAT MAKE UP A CHARACTER'S EVES, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY'RE LOOKING BEYOND THOSE EYES TO THE THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS REVEALED IN THEM: THEY MIGHT EVEN FEEL A SENSE OF PARTICIPATION IN THAT CHARACTER'S INNER LIFE AND INVESTMENT IN HIS OR HER FATE. WHEN THEY SEE THE LINES THAT MAKE UP A GRICK WALL, ON THE OTHER HAND, THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO WONDER HOW THE WALL FEELS TO THE TOUCH OR NOTICE HOW SHADOWS FALL ‘ON IT. THE WALL BELONGS TO THE REALM OF SENSES ~— SIGHT, SOUND, TOUCH, TASTE, SMELL —- BUT NOT TO THE REALMS OF EMOTION OR IDENTITY. IN MOST COMICS, DRAWING STYLES DON'T VARY MUCH GETWEEN CHARACTER AND ENVIRONMENT. WHETHER FPS A MAILMAN OR THE TRUCK HE'S DRIVING, MOST ARTISTS USE ROUGHLY THE SAME STYLE ON! BOTH. STILL, IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, YOU MIGHT NOTICE SOME SUBTLE DIFFERENCES, WITHOUT CONSCIOUSLY INTEND- ING TO, I THINK THAT MANY ARTISTS TEND TO MAKE ‘THEIR CHARACTERS A SIT MORE CONCEPTUALIZED, CARTOONY OR EXAGGERATED, WHILE ENVIRONMENTAL DETAILS LIKE BUILDINGS AND CLOUDS STAY CLOSER TO ‘THE PROPORTIONS, CONTOURS AND SHADING OF THEIR REAL-LIFE COUNTERPARTS. ARTY KF SMITH (SEE ART EREDIS, BABE 258), ‘A FEW ARTISTS HAVE REFLECTED THAT SPLIT MORE \VISIBLY, THOUGH, USUALLY DRAWING DELISERATELY CARTOONY CHARACTERS COMBINED WITH CAREFULLY RENDERED, REALISTIC BACKGROUNDS, IN UNDERSTAND- ING COMICS, PAGES 42-44, T TALKED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL GENEFITS OF THIS APPROACH, NOTING HOW SOME MANGA ARTISTS HAD USED IT. THE IDEA BEHIND WHAT I CALLED “THE MASKING EFFECT" INAS THAT THE SIMPLY DRAWN CHARACTERS FACILITATED IDENTIFICA- TION (A PHENOMENON T HAD TALKED ASOUT IN THE PRECEDING 12 PAGES OF U.C) WHILE THE MORE REALISTICALLY-RENDERED DETAILS OF THEIR WORLD EVOKED THE SENSORY EXPERIENCES OF THOSE CHARAC- ‘TERS MORE EFFECTIVELY. “ONE SET OF LINES TO SEE. ‘ANOTHER SET OF LINES TO BE.” SINCE WRITING ABOUT THE MASKING EFFECT IN 1993, T'VE MADE THINGS EVEN MORE CONFUSING WITH FOUR, DIFFERENT LEVELS OF IDENTIFICATION: CHARACTERS: ‘THE HUMAN OR HUMAN-LIKE CREATURES THAT WE'RE EXPECTED TO IDENTIFY WITH AND ASSIGN PERSON ALITIES, MOTIVES AND EMOTIONS TO, EXTENSIONS: CLOTHES, TOOLS, WEAPONS AND OTHER OBJECTS WORN OR HELD BY CHARACTERS WHICH SERVE AS EXTENSIONS OF THEIR IDENTITIES €E.Ga, WE DON'T SEE OUR UNCLE JACK AND SAY "OH, THERE'S UNCLE ACK AND HIS CLOTHES, GLASSES AND CELL PHONE"; WE PERCEIVE ALL OF THOSE THINGS AS A DART OF UNCLE JACK'S IDENTITY AND JUST SAY "OH, THERE'S UNCLE Jacx. DISCRETE ENTITIES: OBJECTS, ANIMALS OR PLANTS THAT HAVE A DISCRETE IDENTITY AND SHAPE, SEPARATE FROM THE CHARACTERS, BUT NO PERCEIVED MOTIVE OR EMOTION. A CAR, A COUCH, A POTTED CACTUS, A STOP SIGN, A SLEEPING ELEPHANT. THINGS THAT MIGHT BE SAID TO HAVE A "PERSONALITY" BUT ONLY IN THE METAPHORICAL SENSE COH, WHAT A SAD LITTLE TROPHY NOT IN THE SENSE OF AN INNER LiFe. ENVIRONMENTS: ‘SUNSETS, MOUNTAIN RANGES, GRASS, SHADOWS, WALLS, SODIES OF WATER —~ SUSSTANCES THE CHARACTER IS LIKELY TO REACT TO ONLY AS ‘SENSORY EXPERIENCES, NOT AS DISCRETE ENTITIES. SINCE THESE CATEGORIES ARE BASED ON READER PERCEPTION, THE STATUS OF SOMETHING IN ONE CATEGORY CAN CHANGE IF THE PERCEPTION OF IT CHANGES. A CELL PHONE SITTING ON A TABLE UNUSED MIGHT GE SEEN AS A DISCRETE ENTITY: A CAR THAT REARS UP ON ITS HIND WHEELS AND STARTS TALKING MIGHT BE SEEN AS A CHARACTER; A CHARACTER THAT DIES AND BECOMES A SKELETON COULD BE SEEN AS A DISCRETE ENTITY. 182IF THE MASKING EFFECT WERE APPLIED TO THE FOUR, ‘THEN, THE LEVEL OF REALISM WOULD GO UP AS WE MOVED FROM CHARACTERS TO EXTENSIONS TO DISCRETE ENTITIES TO ENVIRONMENTS, LIKE SO: L CHARACTER ‘Seay earroony ‘2. EXTENSION 4c ENVIRONMENT. vary Reauisme 2. DISCRETE ENTITY THIS 1S ONE OF My WEIRDER THEORIES, SO THINK TWICE BEFORE EXPERIMENTING WITH IT. IF YOU'RE INTER~ ESTED IN SUCH THINGS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO JUST ‘TRY IT AS AN EXERCISE OR TWO TO SEE IF YOU LIKE ‘THE RESULTS. I THINK IT COULD WORK, BUT I DONT HAVE ANY PROOF. I'VE TRIED A VARIATION OF THE IDEA AND FAILED, SUT I MIGHT TRY IT AGAIN ONE OF THESE Days. OPTIONAL EXERCISES #1 ~ DRAWING THE REAL WORLD TRY CREATING A SHORT (2-4 PAGE) SKETCHED COMIC IN WHICH EVERYTHING 'S DRAWN DIRECTLY FROM LIFE. SCOUT OUT A LOCATION. GET FRIENDS OR FAMILY TO POSE FOR YOU. MAKE SURE YOU Have Any PROPS ON HAND. IN SHORT: PLAN YOUR COMIC AS IF YOU WERE PLANNING A SHORT FILM. GE SURE TO START WITH A ‘SIG WIDE ESTABLISHING SHOT OF YOUR LOCATION (PAGES 160-162) OR WITH AN EFFECTIVE MULTI-PANEL ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE (PAGES I66-I67). USE A ‘CAMERA IF YOU NEED TO, SUT TRY DRAWING IT ON THE SPOT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, USING JUST YOUR EYES, PENCIL AND PAPER. #2 - GUESS THE MOOD (PAGES 166-167) CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THEMES: + ABANDONED. + SERENE + FORIDDING + WELCOMING + OFFICIAL, + EXOTIC “INNOCENT THEN MAKE A SINGLE PAGE, NINE PANEL COMIC SHOWING FRAGMENTS OF A PLACE BASED ON THAT THEME. NO CHARACTERS AND NO WORDS. JUST IMAGES FROM A SETTING, REAL OR IMAGINARY, THAT YOU THINK EXPRESSES THE THEME. NOW GIVE THE LIST AND YOUR COMIC TO A FRIEND AND SEE IF HE/SHE CAN GUESS WHICH THEME YOU WERE TRYING FOR. #3 - YOU ARE HERE (PAGES 166-167) WHEREVER YOU ARE, RIGHT NOW, NOTICE YOUR SURROUNDINGS. LIST NINE ASPECTS OF IT: SIGHTS, SOUNDS, SMELLS, TEXTURES, ETC... CREATE A SINGLE PAGE, NINE PANEL ESTABLISHING SEQUENCE THAT MANAGES TO EVOKE ALL OF THESE QUALITIES FOR THE READER. ALTERNATE VERSION: TAKE PHOTOS OF WHAT YOU SEE AROUND YOU, THEN SELECT NINE THAT GEST REPRE- SENT YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND THE VARIOUS SENSA~ ‘TIONS YOU ASSOCIATE WITH IT. BOASCL #4 - PERSPECTIVE EXERCISE (PAGES 170-175) IF YOU'RE COMFORTAGLE WITH PERSPECTIVE ALREADY, (OR YOUVE READ CHELSEA'S BOOK (SEE BIBLIOGRAPHY) TRY THIS: ‘TAKE A PHOTO OF AN OBJECT WITH A FAIRLY COMPLI- ‘CATED SHAPE AND A LOT OF PARALLEL EDGES OR RIGHT ANGLES (A.CAR, LAWN MOWER, A COFFEE MAKER, & FIRE HYDRANT). MAKE SURE YOUR VIEWING ANGLE ISN'T STRAIGHT ON, BUT FROM AN ODD ANGLE, SO THAT YOU CAN SEE TWO SIDES OF IT AND ITS TOP OR BOTTOM. THEN TRACE THAT PHOTO INTO A SMALL SECTION OF A, LARGE PANEL AND USE IT TO INFER A PERSPECTIVE GRID. USING THE GRID, DRAW AN INVENTED SCENE AROUND IT. THEN IMPROVISE ONE OR TWO NEW PANELS, INCLUDING THE SAME OBJECT, BUT USING a NEW GRID OF YOUR CHOOSING TO SHOW IT FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES. #5 = REVISIT YOUR PAGES! IF YOUVE ALREADY DRAWN SOME COMICS, TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT YOUR PAGES AND SEE IF YOU WERE SHOWING ENOUGH OF THE WORLD THAT YOUR CHARACTERS INHABIT. TF YOU'RE LIKE MOST ARTISTS, PROFESSIONAL (OR AMATEUR, THE ANSWER IS PROBABLY NO. CAN YOU FIND ONE PANEL IN PARTICULAR THAT GOULD HAVE BENEFITED FROM PULLING GACK THE CAMERA AND GIVING YOUR READERS A GETTER VIEW OF YOUR WORLD? ADDITIONAL NOTES AT: ‘Www).SCOTTMCCLOUD.COM/MAKINGCOMICS 183OXON Tools, Techniques and Technology Making it Real WHEN MAKING COMICS, THERE ARE ‘onty TWO TOOLS YOU CAN'T DO WITHOUT, SO FARIN THIS 800K, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON — READY FOR THE CHALLENGES. comics PRESENTS. GETTING TOOL NUMBER ONE ~~ $0 THe TECHNIQUES = ano it ~ THERE'S Lone aS rT FITS AND TECHNOLOGIES Loni as fs ACCOMPLISHES ieanene® ‘YOU USE TO oe THE PURPOSES TOOL FoR PRODUCE your YOU'VE SET FOR COMICS ARE UP _your HAND — (e+mn = IF YOUR -= YOULL GOALS ane WANT To KNOW THE OTHER ANYTHING LIKE THE wHaT TOOLS HAND =~ THOUSANDS WHO THEY USED — came BEFORE yOu == ia IF YOUR GOAL IS TO HAVE YOUR WORK PUBLISHED USING TRADITIONAL PRINTING METHODS, FoR EXAMPLE -~ =~ YOU'LL NEED A TOOL THAT CAN DRAW A REPRODUCISLE BLACK LINE. AND YOU'LL NEED SOMETHING TO USE IT On, Like THIS SHEET OF PRINTER PAPER FROM MY LOCAL OFFICE STORE. IN THIS case, Aw BOUGHT IT AFTER LUNCH ToDAY AT THE DRUG STORE. “@Lack ROLLING BALL FINE POINT.” cost AsouT A PENNY PER SHEET. 185HERE PLL ~ PER JUST GRAB A BIG Put oun Pa (ON IT AND TRY A FLAT HARD COVER = oe QUICK 3-MINUTE WONDER WHAT A MORE NATURALLY MICHELANGELO, TALENTED GUT THEN NEITHER DRAFTSMAN COULD. AMT, DO WITH A SIMPLE PEN LIKE THIS, TO CHANCE. CLASSIC XCMEN ARTIST. HE'S Hey, HERE'S PAUL SMITHI THREE MINUTES: FOR PRINT oR LATER. ANYTHING, RIGHT? ASK YOU TO 00 A LITTLE @-MINUTE DOODLE using THiS PEN? 186(OKAY, EVEN INA LITTLE DOODLE LIKE THIS, YOU CAN SEE THE CONFIDENT LINE, FORM AND COMPOSITION ‘THAT AN EXPERIENCED ARTIST LIKE PAUL CAN COMMAND, EVEN WHEN USING THE SIMPLEST F PAUL HAD TO DOA WHOLE BOOK THIS way, HE COULD. SUPPOSE YOU WANTED TO TRAVEL AROUND THE COUNTRY FOR A YEAR, MAKING UP STORIES ABOUT EACH CITY AND THE PEOPLE YOU MEET: JOTTING THEM DOWN AS: THEY COME To YOU, KEEPING YOUR TOOLS SIMPLE MIGHT SUIT SUCH A DIARY-LIKE IMPROVISATIONAL ‘STYLE, WELL, FOR STARTERS, MAYSE YOU WANT A MORE COMFORTABLE SURFACE To oRA STURDIER, LONGER-LASTING + SPIEGELMNAH'S MAUS WAS DRAWN WITH A FOUVTAN VARIATION IN THE BUT, IS A TWO DOLLAR PEN AND ‘SOME CHEAP PAPER ALL YOU NEED To SERIOUS comics Have GEN DRAWN USING SIMPLE TOOLS SEFORE.* OR AIT MORE, LINEWORK. FOR A FEW OF You, THE ANSWER MIGHT IN Fact, BE YES! FOR AND ORGANIZE 50 why wouLD YOU INVEST IN OR AWAY TO PLAN THE PANELS OF YOUR STORY BEFORE THE FIRST LINES ARE EVEN DRAWN.DRAFTING TABLE. 0 SWING Rr LAM WITH AD JUSTASLE HEIGHT ACHIEVE THAT INCANDESCENT AND FLUORESCENT AND ANGLE. ADDED CONTROL ULES. ADJUSTABLE TO Anty i AND FLEXIBILITY, ARTISTS THROUGHOUT xsr0% sono ‘THE 20TH CENTURY | 2-PLY (THICK) TURNED TO A Wibe | / bras Paes ARRAY OF DRAWING | f TOOLS. | } ‘TaiaNeLe. HERE ARE SOME OF THE CLASSICS. WHITE FOR CORRECTIONS. DRAFTING. HAIR, AD.USTAGLE HeleHT, TOOL TRAY. REALLY UKE THIS ATTACHABLE SIDE TRAY. THE TILT PREVENTS BACK STRAIN aND THOUGH, IF YOU ALLOWS YOU TO LOOK NEED & LEVEL STRAIGHT DOWN SURFACE, IT CAN BE AT THE PAGE TO AVOID ADJUSTED. DISTORTIONS. YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE DRAFTING TABLE (S.A GIT HIGH, THAT MAKES IT ACCESSIGLE WHETHER You'Re SEATED INTHE SLIGHTLY HIGH DRAFTING CHAIR oR STANDING. 138THE ADJUSTABLE LAMP'S: INCANDESCENT AND FLUORESCENT SULSS KEEP COLORS LOOKING BALANCED, AND KEEP YOU AWAKE WHILE AVOIDING THAT ‘TWO-IN-THE-MORNING FEELING. 2-PLY BRISTOL BOARD. a THICK, WHITE, DURABLE ART PAPER, COMES IN A FEW AT-SQUARE AND TRIANGLE HELP RULE PARALLEL AND TEND TO WORK WELL PERPENDICULAR LINES LIKE PANEL ‘ON THE SMOOTH BORDERS AND CAPTIONS. “PLATE” FINISH. —~ \ {AND GRUSH ARE FINE ON ‘THE ROUGHER “VELLUM” AND “KID” FINISHES, FINE PEN LINES ‘AND A STRAIGHT EDGED METAL RULER WILL COME In HANDY FOR MEASURING ‘AND DRAWING OTHER STRAIGHT LINES -— "AND FOR eurpine YOUR CUTTING‘THERE'S NO RIGHT SIZE TO CUT YOUR PAPER TO, SUT THERE IS A RIGHT SHAPE — THE SHAPE OF YOUR PRINTED PAGE. COMICS ARTISTS OFTEN DRAW THEIR PAGES ON ART BOARDS BETWEEN [25% ‘AND 166% OF THE PRINTED SIZE. [= maces a 60% 133% —}—+> REDUCES e 125% | —_ (ae] a LI WHEN PICTURES ARE REDUCED FOR PUBLICATION, FOR PLANNING: AND ‘EVEN UNSTEADY LINEWORK CAN SEEM PRECISE PENCILLING, MOST USE A AND CONTROLLED -- A FACT 1 RELIED ON FOR, LIGHT 0.6. HARD) MECHANICAL [| | PENCIL. ® NON-RePRoDUCIBLE GLUE | FEMS NON ewan PENCIL, A SMOOTH GUM ERASER AND/OR A MORE ABRASIVE BUT wepuceD F LES5 GREASY PINK ERASER. See AND, OF COURSE, TO CREATE BLACK LINES FOR MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION -- A VARIETY OF TOOLS HAVE EMERGED OVER THE YEARS, ‘AND BECOME INDUSTRY STANDARDS.MOST ARTISTS FALL IN LOVE With, ONE OR TWO DRAWING TOOLS EARLY ON, AND STay HITCHED FoR JUST STARTING OUT, YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY AS MANY TOOLS AS POSSIBLE, IN ‘ASE YOUR PERFECT MATCH IS OUT ‘THERE SOMEWHERE, If YOURE LINE WIDTH. VARIATION. AND THEN ‘THERE'S COST, PERMANENCE, EASE oF USE, How ‘A TOOL TAKES TO CERTAIN KINDS OF PRECISION. C CHARACTER. SABLE BRUSHES, FOR EXAMPLE, HAVE ALWAYS DELIVERED SMOOTH, CONSISTENT VARIAGLE WIDTH LINES, AND ARTISTS FROM SEVERAL GENERATIONS HAVE SWORN BY THEM. y SABLES ARE GREAT AT WHaT THEY DO, BUT THEY COST A BUNDLE, Demano a LOT OF LOVE AND CARE, AND CAN GNLy J | BE USED WITH OPEN BOTTLES OF INK AND BLACK LINE ART IS A NARROW, SPECIALIZED CRAFT, BUT IT Has ALOT. OF VARIABLES: MOST OF THE CLASSIC DRAWING TOOLS HAVE EXCELLED at one ‘OR MORE OF THESE ‘QUALITIES OVER. TIME. fal Leaping SOME TO SEEK EASIER TO USE, CHEAPER AND/or MORE PORTABLE ALTERNATIVES.PEN BRUSHES WITH FELT TIPS OR THEIR OWN BUILT-IN INK SUPPLY HAVE GEN CATCHING ON FOR THESE REASONS, THOUGH THEY DO HAVE DETRACTORS. SOME FEEL THEIR LINE ‘AND OF COURSE, QUALITY AND VARIATION] | DISPOSABLES CAN PALES compareD To OST MORE IN THE THE SABLES AND. LONG RUN. OTHER TRADITIONAL, BRUSHES. BUT Like ANY TECHNOLOGY, THESE BRUSH ALTERNATIVES CONTINUE TO EVOLVE, So KEEP AN EYE OUT. SOME NIG TYPES, Like THE VENERASLE CROW-QUILL* can BE EVEN TRICKIER TO USE AND CARE FOR THAN THE SABLE BRUSHES -- * MADE OF METAL, OF COURSE, UT DESCENDED FROM ITs NAMESAKE SHOWN HERE. NIB PENS -- SOLD WITH A HOLDER AND ASSORTED REMOVAGLE NIS — PROVIDE LINE WIDTH VARIATION Like a BRUSH, BUT USUALLY WITHIN A MORE NARROWLY-CONTROLLED RANGE (DEPENDING ON THE NI). IN EXCHANGE, THEY OFFER INCREASED AGILITY WITHIN SMALL AREAS. == GUT FOR MANY, THEIR PRECISE, YET FIXED-WIDTH OR TECHNICAL PENS PROVIDE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF PRECISION UNMISTAKASLY BY ELIMINATING LINE VARIATION ENTIRELY AND HAND-DRAWN Look | GUARANTEEING & SMOOTH CONSISTENT LINE IS IWVALUABLE. WIDTH.DESCENDED FROM FOUNTAIN PENS, THE CLASSIC TECHNICAL PENS COME WITH AN INK RESERVOIR INSIDE THEM, ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR DIPPING INK, Like FINE BRUSHES AND NIB PENS, SUCH PENS ARE A CHORE TO CLEAN AND =~ UT THE TECHNICAL PENS” VIRTUES AREN'T PARTICULARLY SUBTLE, So A GREATER NUMGER OF ARTISTS HAVE SEEN WILLING TO SWITCH TO FIXED-WIDTH MARKERS. WITH (SUPPOSEDLY) PERMANENT INKS AND. SAVE THEMSELVES THE HASSLE. SPEAKING OF INKS, YOU May WANT TO EXPERIMENT. CERTAIN TOOLS WORK GEST WITH ‘CERTAIN INKS. AROUND SOLID BLACK. APART FROM THE OCCASIONAL DRY-BRUSH oR TONAL EFFECT, MosT ‘TWENTIETH CENTURY COMICS WERE BUILT BY TOOLS LIKE THESE — LINES PRODUCED THINNER INKS ARE LESS LIKELY TO CLOG YOUR BRUSH OR PEN. SUT DENSER INKS CAN DELIVER A MORE SATISFYINGLY DARK LINE. TRY MIXING TO FIND A BALANCE YOU LIKE, FOR SOLID BLACK LINES, THESE ARE THE THREE MOST COMMON KINDS OF TOOLS: — Brush BROAD LINE VARIATION abso useruL: OPAQUE WHITE PAINT FoR conREcTions. TECHNICAL PEN FXeD WIDTH =~ EVEN WHEN THOSE. LINES WERE FILLED == AND IT'S WITH THE COLORS: THAT SAME OF MECHANICAL SENSIGILITY THAT REPRODUCTION ~~ INFORMS MANY ARTISTS’ STYLES, EVEN TODAY.GENERALLY SPEAKING, BRUSH WORK “TENDS TO NUDGE ‘ONE'S ARTWORK INA MORE FLOWING, RHYTHMIC AND SOMETIMES “SLICK” DIRECTION. NIB PEN work can BE QUITE SMOOTH, GUT MORE OFTEN TENDS TOWARD A DRY, sLicTLy EDGY, BRITTLE Look. FIXED-WIDTH Pen ‘ART, WHETHER THROUGH TECHNICAL PENS OR MARKERS, TENDS TO BE GIT SCHEMATIC AND COOL, THOUGH WHEN USED To REPRESENT. TONE THROUGH STIPPLING anp CROSS-HATCHING IT CAN WARM UP Lor. RUSH ART BY CRA THONPSON, MARINE: SATRAPL JESSICA Al HOPE (GPL. —_FIKED-WIDTH BEN ART 8) BOK GARY, JODST SuAaTE, LARSON, OAARLES SUNS AND SPE. NIB PEN ART By ROBERT CALMG Sion, Hong CRUSE, Kes DRESEN oD Toe FETCH 3 Rss, TOM HART DAVE COOPER, JUNE KN AND MEGAN KELSO, ee ner Rebs, ace 268),Many Poputar comics | wiTH BRUSH OVER THE YEARS HAVE HANDLING MOST USED ALL THREE ‘OUTLINES ~ FAMILIES OF TOOLS, PLAYING TO EACH ONE'S STRENGTHS. -- NIB PEN AND some HITTING MANY OF TECHNICAL PEN THE DETAILS —- ON BORDERS, WORD BALLOONS ‘OR ADDITIONAL, DETAIL WORK. A T=SQUARE WAS == AND ALITTLE ‘USED TO KEEP THE TEMPLATE CALLED AN GUIDELINES. “AMES GUIDE” sup PARALLEL ~~ BACK AND FORTH AS A PENCIL WAS PLACED IN ‘A SUCCESSION OF HOLES TO PRODUCE AS MANY GUIDELINES AS NEEDED, e— THE IDEA WAS THAT EACH ROW OF LETTERS NEEDED TO BE THE SAME HEIGHT WHILE THE SPACE BETWEEN THOSE LINES COULD BE A SIT MANY CARTOONISTS TODAY USE A FONT OR JUST LETTER FREEHAND, SUT YOU CAN STILL FIND LOYAL USERS OF THE AMES GUIDE SYSTEM AND ‘THEIR WORK CAN BE GOTH CONSISTENT AND ATTRACTIVE, NARROWER. = —- mee ae = \ . = Ler norms 1 wee, 1 snces eerween unes 195 coun Ge neReAasen oR DECREASED PROPORTIONATELYAFULLYSTOCKED SET-UP. Like THIS CaN COST HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS, BUT IF YOU WANT To (GO THE TRADITIONAL ROUTE, IT COULD 8E WORTH IT. ARTISTS HAVE BEEN MASTERING THESE TOOLS FOR CENTURIES ~~ AND THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE THE RIGHT PEN OR BRUSH stIDINe ACROSS A NewLY CUT Piece OF BRISTOL OF ORIGINAL ART CAN BE AN OBJECT OF TANGIBLE BEAUTY AND. LASTING VALUE, THIS BOOK WAS DRAWN AND LETTERED DIGITALLY. AS FOR ME, 1 HAVEN'T USED (ONE IN OVER. TEN YEARS. SKETCHED THE LAYOUTS HERE ON My OLD DRAWING DESK. ‘ALL OF THIS FINISHED ART WAS 7A_DONE ON THAT MAC OVER THERE. Pa THREE ART Y CHARLES DANA Gon CORT) 196NOW, MY LAYOUTS ARE PRETTY TIGHT aNO INCLUDE THE FULL SCRIPT, SO ALOT OF REAL WORK IS DONE HERE aT ‘THE DRAFTING TABLE. TEXPORT THE LETTERING To PHOTOSHOP AS A SOLID WHITE GRID WITH THE PANELS PUNCHED ‘OUT To FoRM WINDOWS FoR “THE ART TO SHOW THROUGH” — AND ALL DRAWN AFTER CORRECTIONS, WITHA STYLUS EACH PAGE IS THEN DIRECTLY ON THE FLATTENED To A SCREEN OF AN IB” TABLET/MONITOR. SINGLE BLACK AND WHITE BITMAP, PLUS A GRAYSCALE Pace IF NeeDeD.=* ay BUT THEN, THOSE LAYOUTS ARE SCANNED IN, AND USED AS A GUIDE FOR LETTERING EACH PAGE IN ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR, AN OBJECT-ORIENTED DRAWING PROGRAM, )F REAL WORK IS DONE HEREAT: THE DRAFTING TABLE, LF. —- ae ‘THEN, WITH THE LETTERING ON TOP AND My SKETCHED, LAYOUTS ON THE BOTTOM, I CREATE FIVE TO FIFTY LAYERS OF FINISHED ART GETWEEN THEM; ALL IN PHOTOSHOP aT 1200 DOTS PER INCH —~ SE LerreRns BSS raise retirer ALL IN ALL, & RADICALLY DIFFERENT WORKING METHOD FROM My PEN AND BRUSH DAYS. BUT BECAUSE THE END RESULT IS A PRINTED BOOK FiLLeD wiTH LINE ART. MANY OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DRAWING THIS WAY ARE THE SAME. {Tar Punched OUT Page IST REAL, nD OU Fm VST Shove HOW IT WORKS N SOFTWARE THERE'S NO ACTUAL, PHYSGAL PAGE AT THS POW. o* ELL Post A one DeTaRED STEP-BY-STEP AT wat seorrmec.ovb.coM/MaKNGcoMeS. 197ONE OF THE BASIC GOALS oF LINE ART IS TO MAKE ALL THE DETAILS OF A SCENE CLEAR AT A GLANCE wiTHouT ‘OVERWHELMING THE EYE. WHATEVER TOOLS YOU USE, A GOOD Way TO ACHIEVE THAT CLARITY IS TO DRAW THICKER LINES AROUND THE EDGES oF YOUR SUBJECTS -- = AND TO USE FINER LINES For INTERIOR IMS A SIMPLE TECHNIQUE, BUT ONE WHICH CAN DETAILS AND FOR, TRANSFORM AN UNINTELLIGIBLE JUMBLE OF LINES. OVERLAPPED on mone | INTOA SCENE WITH FORM AND DEPTH. DISTANT Susvects, WHEN DRAWING A CLOSE-UP Like ‘THIS, FOR EXAMPLE, USED A 28-PIXEL, ‘VARIABLE WIDTH SRUSH IN PHOTOSHOP.* DIGITAL ARTISTS SoINc For THE SAME EFFECT CAM SWITCH BETWEEN "PENS," “BRUSHES” AND OTHER VIRTUAL TOOLS WITH SPECIFIC VARIATIONS AND LINE CHARACTERS SUILT-IN, USING VARIOUS. DRAWING AND PAINTING PROGRAMS. PEN AND GRUSH ARTISTS GET THAT EFFECT BY SWITCHING FROM ONE TOOL TO ANOTHER, OR BY USING A SINGLE TOOLS AGILITY To WARY LINE THICKNESS. WHILE, FOR DISTANT FIGURES LIKE THIS, SWITCHED TO A PIXEL + woseaNs Ar 200 207S PER wes, 178TUSED A THIN FIXED=WIDTH LINE TOOL FOR THE CHECKS — MORE NARROWLY VARIABLE, PEN-LIKE 6-PIMEL BRUSH MOST OF WHAT YoU SEE HERE IS DRAWN FREE-HAND, NOTHING FANCY, BUT DOING IT DIGITALLY HAS HELPED ME A Lot. NO MATTER HOW SMALL A GIVEN DETAIL IS, FOR EXAMPLE, | CAN ALWAYS FILL THE SCREEN WiTH IT. INCREASING PRECISION WITHOUT LEADING TO HAND-STRAIN. AND THE RESIZING AND REPOSITIONING oF DIFFERENT ELEMENTS ON DOZENS OF SEPARATE LAYERS, HAS ALLOWED ME To FINE=TUNE MY ART LIKE CRAZY. THE TOOL IW MY — suT MY OTHER DRAWING HAND WAND SWITCHED NEVER CHANGED — FROM TOOL TO TOOL WITH @ SERIES OF PRE-PROGRAMMED. FUNCTION KEYS, yh ALSO, CREATING PATTERN=BASED STAMPS AND BRUSHES CAN SPEED UP SOME OF TRADITIONAL DRAWING"S MORE TEDIOUS AND REPETITIVE TASKS. iF IF YOU WANT TO YOU WANT To CREATE TONAL OR DIGITALLY CREATE COLOR ARTWORK —- LINE~ART FoR ESPECIALLY FOR THE PRINT, THESE ARE ‘A FEW OF YOUR ‘OPTIONS. SCREEN. AS WITH WEsComIcs = YOU'LL HAVE ABOUT A THOUSAND MORE,[FROM AN ART-CREATION STANDPOINT, THE MOST 'GASIC DIFFERENCE GETWEEN PAGE AND SCREEN AND FOR WEBCOMICS ARTISTS, THERE'S 1S THAT ONE REPRESENTS TONE THROUGH LINES NO EXTRA EXPENSE TO USING A FULL RANGE OF AND DOTS, white THe OTHER CAN DISPLAY A COLORS (OTHER THAN BIGGER FILE SiZES*) FULL RANGE OF TONES IN EACH PIXEL. He wee Has ‘THE coLOR-FiLLED, -- BOLDER, secome amassive | | aLL-siack, FINE R= COLORED STREAMLINED LABORATORY FeaTHereD Line work | | OUTLINES — FOR NEW OF TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES. PRINTED COMIC THANKS TO THE BOOKS can STILL e THOUSANDS OF ; CARTOONISTS Maeine wesconics | EVERY DAY IN DOZENS OF eines. NEAR BORDERLESS COLOR SHAPES -- DELIGERATELY PIXELATED CONTOURS. PANEL THREE! SEE ART CREDITS Pw 258, ZOO ant roun oxwanor aR STEVE aT, JANES KOCHALEA, (CAT GARZA, SCOTT KURTA, Me KRAMULIR, JON ALLEN [DOROTHY GAMBREL, 008 2ASEL, PATRON FARLEY. BAAN CLEVIIGER AMD R STEVENS (SEE PCE 258 FOR MORE i,wes. CARTOONISTS HAVE [ALSO TINKERED WITH various DEPTH CUES NoT OFTEN FOUND IN PRINTED comics — n= SuCH AS BLURRED. ‘OR BORDERLESS -ADING. oR CONTOURS -- ATMOSPHERIC EFFECTS. ARTISTS USED TO WORKING WITH ‘TRADITIONAL MEDIA Have ExPERIMENTED. WITH SCANNING STRAIGHT FROM PENCILS TO COLOR, OR USING ANY NUMBER OF COLOR — WHILE NaTive DIGITAL ARTISTS Have PUSHED THE LIMITS OF VECTOR STYLIZATION AND OTHER FORMS OF DIGITAL ART. THE ‘THIS 1S WHERE =~ 50, FOR SOME ‘CHANGE FROM WEBCOMICS RUN INTO SOME OF THE IDEAS ON THIS AND OTHER TOPICS PRINT To NAVIGATIONAL ISSUES I TALKED ABOUT —_RELATED TO TECHNOLOGY, GO TO SCREEN Has atso RAISED FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW COMICS ARE IN REINVENTING COMICS, AND WHICH I CAN SCOT TMECLOUD.COM/MAKINGCOMICS PROBABLY BETTER DESCRIBE ONLINE -— [AND LOOK FOR THIS BUTTON: Sion baw anpoenwns cetaarcarors ora ZO!rane Reet Sine pe ET Ve Gud R ‘ON A MORE z PRACTICAL NOTE, LETTERING ss YOUR COMIC DIGITALLY (USUALLY In ZIG] O8JECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMS LiKE ADOSE i. ILLUSTRATOR CAN SAVE TIME AND WORK WHILE INSURING A CONSISTENT APPEARANCE. AND SPACING FOR YOUR CAPTIONS Lee ‘AND WORD BALLOONS. Gail UNFORTUNATELY, IT CAN ALSO OPEN A PANDORA'S BOX OF NeW BAD LETTERING OPPORTUNITIES! 2 sow Ex PeRT MLE aT, ev AL nen hove FUNK ray Ce Con Its harder to FIRST, THERE'S A TRADITION i AMONG CARTOONISTS TO USE SANS imagine letters like SERIF FONTS FOR SALLOON LETTERING. these drawn by the THIS MIGHT JUST BE A HABIT INHERITED FROM EFFICIENCY-MINDED HAND. LETTERERS -- same hand that drew the hand below, for example: sur it mek ALSO BE BECAUSE SIMPLER STROKES IN LETTERING MORE cLOSeLy RESEMELE THE LINE WORK OF THE DRAWINGS THAT ‘SURROUND THEM. 202 SUT ALSO BE AWARE OF THE REASONS: THAT TRADITIONAL HAND LETTERING EVOLVED THE Way IT DID, AND How THOSE PRINCIPLES MAY APPLY TO you. MANY CARTOONISTS, INCLUDING YOURS. TRULY, HAVE HAD FONTS MADE OF | THEIR OWN HAND- WRITING FOR THIS REASON.‘AS FOR BALLOONS, THERE ARE PLENTY OF ‘OUT OF PLACE. FIRST, ALWAYS GIVE A LITTLE WHITE SPAGE BETWEEN YOUR WORDS AND THE BALLOON BORDERS, TO LET BALLOONS AND ART BREATHE A GIT. z ‘BESO (2 YOU'RE GOING FOR THE CLASSIC /OWAL GALLOON SHAPE, MAKE SURE THE { WORDS FILL. THE SPACE. COMFORTABLY AND} \ TRY. SQUASHING THE OVAL BIT ON) ~Abk FOUR SIDES TO “SQUARE” 11, fanaa UN=SQUASHED OVALS Like THis LEAVE 7 ALOT OF WASTED SPACE ON EITHER END, ESPECIALLY WHEN COMBINED WITH A | BECTE et use ‘TODAY, PLENTY OF WEBCOMICS FEATURE INK [AND PAPER DRAWINGS, WHILE PLENTY OF PRINTED COMICS ARE DRAWN DIGITALLY! THE LINE BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND DIGITAL METHODS ISN'T ALWAYS CLEAR, 203 HAND-DRAWN we FONTS ALSO INSURE ‘CARTOONISTS CHOOSE STYLES AND SHAPES 70 CHOOSE FROM. Thar THE occasional, \ (“Tyee Fonts FROM ONCE AGAINy THERE'S NO “RIGHT” WAY TO 00 ance TERED VARIOUS COMICS STE Th GUT 1 00 Have A couPLE oF GENERAL EFFECT FONT PACKAGES SUGGESTIONS: WON'T LOOK TOO INIAILAGLE ONLINE. THis 1S a Bie SUBJECT ‘OF COURSE. CHECK THIS: ‘CHAPTER'S NOTES PAGE FoR POINTERS TO ‘AN! ONLINE TUTORIAL AND OTHER RESOURCES. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING STARTED IN COMICS, ONE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIGITAL AND ANALOG STILL Looms LARGE:GETTING RRLSOHE EE HES FOR EXAMPLE, IF ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS SCAN AND UPLOAD SOME HAND-DRAWN COMIC STRIPS. SOFTWARE CAN COST THOUSANDS, SUT TO A FRIEND'S WEBSITE, AN B-YEAR-OLD USED Fee ets) os MAE OU OF es LAPTOP AND CHEAP SCANNER NicHT BE YOU MIGHT GET AWAY WITH SPENDING & LoT LESS. STILL, #F YOU WANT To CREATE MORE AMBITIOUS. ORIGINAL DIGITAL ART, EITHER FOR PRINT OR THE WES, YOU MiGHT NEED TO SPEND A. BIT MORE. ‘COMPUTERS THAT PLAY NICE WITH GRAPHICS PROGRAMS TEND ‘TO HAVE EXTRA MEMORY INSTALLED ‘AND RUN FAST, THOSE OF US WHO PREFER MACS ~~ COMMON AMONG GRAPHIC ARTISTS ~- ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE, SINCE THESE BABIES AIN'T HaRDLy ANY OF US DRAW WITH a Mouse, BUT INSTEAD USE SOME FORM OF GRAPHICS ‘TABLET. 4 TABLET/MONITOR THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DRAW DIRECTLY ON THE SCREEN IS ESPECIALLY GOOD == SUT THEY'RE ‘ALSO ESPECIALLY EXPENSIVE. SEE THE CHAPTER NOTES FOR MORE INFO, YOU'LL want ABIG) SHARP MONITOR iF You REALLY PLAN TO STARE AT IT ALL Day == OR JUDGE YOUR ‘COLORS BY IT.ADD IN A DECENT DESK AND CHAIR. WEB ACCESS, various PERIPHERALS. A PRINTER, INK, SCANNER AND A BACK-UP DRIVE 0R DVD BURNER, AND YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW IT ADDS UP. GETTING THE PREMIERE PAINTING, DRAWING AND WEB AUTHORING PROGRAMS CAN ADD A LOT To YOUR SHOPPING LIST'S BOTTOM LINE. ‘ALSO, PUBLISHING YOUR WORK ONLINE CAN FF = AND THE CHANCES SE ALOT CHEAPER THAN (OF TECHNOLOGY CLOSING TRADITIONAL PRINTING THE PRICE GAP IN THE NEAR FUTURE WITH AFFORDABLE ALL-IN-ONE WIRELESS GADGETS Looks MORE ‘ LIKELY THAN EVER. pe ‘ THAT SAID, YOU May ALREADY HAVE COMPUTER IN THE HOUSE AND: THERE ARE | AND DISTRIBUTING ~~ Low cost SOFTWARE. ALTERNATIVES our THERE. FoR Now, THOUGH. THESE ARE THE TWO ALTERNATIVES MOST COMICS ARTISTS CHOOSE FROM, WITH STRONG ADVOCATES FOR EACH, AND ‘A GROWING NUMBER OF ARTISTS. ‘COMFORTABLE WITH BOTH. ONE OF THEM BOASTS TOOLS AND TECHNIGUES THAT HAVE BEEN MASTERED ao REFINED For CENTURIES. ONE 1S CHANGING ‘AND GROWING &Y THE DAY. 205INTHE SMALL PRESS FOR ARTISTS WORKING IN| PRINT Comics, AND MINI PRINTING IS SOMEONE ELSE"S 208, TRUE ON THE WEB, WHERE SELF-PUBLISHING ISNT JUST PRACTICAL —— I'S THE NORM. CREATING WEBPAGES HAS GOTTEN EASIER IN RECENT YEARS, THANKS TO VARIOUS. OFF-THE-SHELF PROGRAMS —— == AND THERE ~ BUT THE TELL Your ARE Any NUMGER BASIC CHALLENGE OF STORIES CLEARLY OF HELPFUL BUTTING COMICS ON AND EFFECTIVELY, ELSE IS Just GUIDES To wes THE WES ISN'T REALLY DESIGN vOUR SITES CONNECTING: PUBLISHING® —— A TECHNICAL WITH THE READING EXPERIENCE in) MIND == THE DOTS. ONE. sem ompreR nores, 206ve WRITTEN A LOT ASOUT THE TRANSITION FROM ANALOG TO DIGITAL comics. Irs PROFOUND CHANGE THAT'S ALREADY TURNING A LOT OF OUR TRADITIONAL ASSUMPTIONS, UPSIDE-DOWN AND IT'S JUST GETTING STARTED. 1S ast LIKE DESCRIBING THE FIRST PRINTING. PRESS AS A “REALLY FAST SCRIBE" == — AS RADICAL [AS THESE NEW EFFECTS, FORMATS, DESIGN PRINCIPLES. AND DISTRIGUTION MODELS ARE — DESCRIGE COMPUTERS AS “JUST ANOTHER a= THE ART OF -- AND EVERY PUTTING ONE PICTURE ‘ONE OF YOUR TOOLS Sree AFTER ANOTHER TO Sant Live OP 18 a. THE OTHER Way TELL A STORY 15 STILL YOUR BIDDING -— AROUND. ‘THE NAME OF THEOTES CHAPTER 5: TOOLS, TECHNIQUES AND. TECHNOLOGY GENERAL NOTES SINCE I'VE BEEN DRAWING DIGITALLY FOR A WHILE, T PUT OUT THE CALL TO PEOPLE IN MY ADDRESS 800K WHO STILL GET INK-ON THEIR FINGERS TO SEE WHAT THEY WERE USING. SPECIAL THANKS TO THOSE WHO RESPONDED, INCLUDING: JESSICA ABEL DEREK KIRK KIM RENT ANDERSON HOPE LARSON STEVE BISSETTE DAVID LasKy LEELA CORMAN JASON LITTLE MARK CRILLEY MATT MADDEN HOWARD CRUSE JENN MANLEY LEE TED DEWAN CARLA SPEED MCNEIL KRIS DRESEN JOSH NEUFELD Toc FeTcH AL NICKERSON MARY FLEENER HENRI REHR: SHAENON GARRITY PAULO RIVERA PIA GUERRA STEVE RUDE Tom HART JUSTINE SHAW DYLAN HORROCKS Paut SMITH R.KIKUO JOHNSON SPIKE MEGAN KELSO DREW WEING KAZU KISUISHI GENE YANG JUNE Kime T'S A QUIRKY, SLIGHTLY RANDOM LIST, BUT IT GAVE ME [A SENSE OF SOME OF THE TRENDS OUT THERE, THEIR RESPONSES WERE ESPECIALLY HELPFUL IN PUTTING TOGETHER PAGE 174 (MATCHING SPECIFIC TOOLS TO DRAWINGS) GUT T USED THEIR INFORMATION THROUGH” (OUT THE CHAPTER. PAGE 185, PANEL SEVEN - THAT TWO DOLLAR PEN {TF ANYONE IS CURIOUS, IT WAS A PILOT PRECISE "V7" ROLLING GALL, AND YES, I LITERALLY SOUGHT IT AT LUNCH, DID MY SKETCH, AND DROVE OVER TO PAUL SMITH'S APARTMENT TO GET A SKETCH WITH THE SAME PEN. T THINK IT WAS ACTUALLY $199, 5 WITH CALIFOR- NIA SALES TAX, THAT COMES TO $2.14. THE KIND OF PAPER I BOUGHT FOR THIS 15 JUST ABOUT A PENNY A SHEET AFTER TAX, SO THE TOTAL COST WAS $25. IF ‘THE PEN MADE IT TO TWENTY-FOUR PAGES, THAT WOULD GE AN ENTIRE COMIC DRAWN FOR $2.38 -- A FAR CRY FROM EVEN THE CHEAPEST OF DIGITAL TOOLS, pecieeaddieeee: PAGE 168-167 - MORE INFORMATION ON THE BASIC SET-UP DESKS AND CHAIRS DRAFTING TAGLES AND CHAIRS ARE A BIT ON THE Hig SIDE, GUT THERE ARE LOWER VERSIONS OF EACH, MAKE ‘SURE THAT WHATEVER TAGLE AND CHAIR YOU GET MATCH IN HEIGHT, OR YOU'RE GOING TO SE MISERABLE. ‘ALSO, RESEARCH WHICH CHAIRS. SUPPORT YOUR LOWER, BACK TO AVOID GACK PAIN CTHIS IS TRUE FOR GOTH DRAWING AND COMBUTER SETUPS). FYI: THE SIDE TRAY SHOULD BE ABOUT $30. I'VE FOUND AT LEAST TWO COMPANIES OFFERING TRAYS SIMILAR TO MINE. DEFINITELY WORTH IT, Lames: THE SWING-ARMED LUXO-LaMP PICTURED ON PAGE 187 WAS SO GOMMON WHEN I STARTED OUT THAT WE CALLED ANY SWING-ARM LAMP A "LUNO." THE INCAN- DESCENT AND FLUORESCENT GULGS TOGETHER CAN REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE. INCANDESCENTS ALONE DON'T KEEP YOU AWAKE AS EFFICIENTLY AND FLUGRES~ CENTS ALONE CAN SE KIND OF GLEAK, BUT THE TWO COMBINED APPROACH THE FREQUENCY OF SUNLIGHT WHICH CAN TRICK YOUR BODY INTO NOT NOTICING THAT YOUVE BEEN DRAWING FOR IH HOURS STRAIGHT, HALOGEN LAMPS PRODUCE A SIMILAR EFFECT WHEN NOT SETTING THE CURTAINS ON FIRE, ART PAPER: [A FEW RESPONDENTS WHO USE STRATHMORE BRISTOL BOARD SAID THEY HAD TO SWITCH TO THE HIGHER QUALITY 400 SERIES RECENTLY WHEN THE PREVIOUSLY RELIASLE 300 SERIES TURNED CRAPPY. WHETHER YOU USE BRISTOL BOARD OR NOT, KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR MINIMAL BLEEDING OR SPREADING OF INK, ABSORPTION WITH MINIMAL FADING, THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND ERASING, SMOOTHNESS FOR PENS, THICKNESS ENOUGH NOT TO TEAR OR GET DAMAGED EASILY AND THINNESS ENOUGH TO TRACE OVER WITH LIGHTBOX (SEE SELOW). T-SQUARE TIP: A T-SQUARE CAN GET IN THE WAY WHEN! YOU'RE NOT USING IT. I SUGGEST STICKING A COUPLE OF SCOTCH MOUNTING SQUARES ABOUT 4 INCHES FROM THE BACK EDGE OF THE DESK CONE EACH NEAR THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES). THEN, WHEN YOU WANT To STOW THE ‘T=SQUARE WITHIN REACH BUT OUT OF THE WAY, YOU CAN JUST SLIDE IT UP PAST THE SGUARES TO REST. (WORK HABITS: ‘TAKE BREAKS! IF YOU D0 A LOT OF DETAILED WORK (HAND LETTERING OR TYPING ESPECIALLY) YOU CAN GET ‘SERIOUS HAND STRAIN WHICH IF NOT TREATED, CAN LITERALLY CRIPPLE YOU FOR LIFE! AS SOON AS YOUR HANDS START FEELING SORE, BEGIN TAKING A FEW MINUTES OFF EVERY 20 MINUTES OR SO AND LOOK INTO GETTING A HAND BRACE OR SEEKING OTHER TREAT- MENTS. REMEMBER, YOUR HANDS ARE TOOL #2 (RIGHT AFTER YOUR BRAIN). TAKE GOOD CARE OF THEM, 208OTHER TOOLS TO CONSIDER: “+ ALIGHTBOX. A FLAT METAL BOX WITH LIGHTS INSIDE AND A TRANSLUCENT PLASTIC SURFACE. TURNS THICK DRAWING PAPER LIKE BRISTOL BOARD INTO TRACING PAPER THROUGH BACK-LIGHTIN. + AN ULTRASONIC CLEANER, A LITTLE VIBRATING TUS THAT CAN CLEAN TRADITIONAL TECHNICAL PEN PARTS (PAGE 195, PANEL 2), IN CASE YOU PLAN TO GO HARDCORE. THEY'RE PROBAGLY AN ENDANGERED SPECIES, ALONG WITH THE PENS THEMSELVES, BUT I FOUND ONE ON THE WEB FOR $it0 DOLLARS, SO THEY STILL EXIST AS OF THIS WRITING. “A CUTTING MAT. IG, RUSSERY BOARD YOU CAN! SLICE INTO REPEATEDLY WHILE CUTTING BRISTOL BOARD AND OTHER PAPER WITHOUT DaMacinie IT (CSELF-HEALING” AS ONE SITE PUT IT?. YOU SHOULD GE ABLE TO FIND ONE FOR UNDER $20, GUT PRICES SEEM To VARY A LOT. DEFINITELY USEFUL IF YOU PLAN TO USE AN X=ACTO OR UTILITY KNIFE OFTEN, + A PROPORTION WHEEL. A CIRCULAR SLIDE RULE WITH A SERIES OF NUMBERS ALONG THE EDGES OF “TWO CONCENTRIC PLASTIC DISKS INDICATING (CORRESPONDING SIZES FOR REDUCTIONS AND. ENLARGEMENTS. USEFUL FOR PLACING ON TOP OF GLASSES OR MUGS CONTAINING CARBONATED [DRINKS TO KEEP THEM FROM GOING FLAT. PAGE 170, PANELS ONE-THREE ~ REDUCING: FOR PRINT BEAR IN MIND, YOUR LINES WILL GE GETTING THINNER WHEN REDUCED FOR PRINT. IF TOO THIN, THEY MAY START BREAKING UP, SO PLAN AHEAD. os PAGE 190, PANEL FOUR - PENCIL PREFERENCES MY RESPONDENTS SHOWED A LOT OF PASSION FOR SPECIFIC TOOLS, AND DISMAY WHEN ONE OR MORE TOOLS CHANGED OR WERE DISCONTINUED, “E STRUGGLED FOR YEARS TO FIND THE PERFECT PENCIL,” WRITES PIA GUERRA. WHEN Pla’S VENUS VELVET H@ YELLOWS RAN OUT SHE COULDN'T FIND REPLACEMENTS ANYWHERE. “GOING ONLINE T LEARNED THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO COLLECTED PENCILS AND ‘THEY WERE FAMILIAR WITH THE VELVETS AND HOW GOOD THEY WERE AND WISHED ME LUCK IN FINDING AN EGUIVALENT SINCE THE COMPANY STOPPED MAKING THEM." EVENTUALLY, AFTER TRYING NEARLY EVERY ART PENCIL ON THE PLANET, PIA SETTLED ON MIRADO F 2.5, SCHOOL PENCILS AND STOCKED UP. "IF YOU FIND SOMETHING THAT WORKS, BUY LOTS OF IT," SHE SUGGESTS, A SENTIMENT THAT WAS ECHOED REPEAT~ EDLY IN OTHER RESPONSES. GETTING JUST THE RIGHT PENCIL IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR THOSE WHO DO THEIR FINISHED LINE WORK WITH ONE, AS FOUR OF My RESPONDENTS NOW , THANKS TO TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES. T JUST USE WHATEVER..7 MM MECHANICAL PENCIL HAS. THE BEST GRIP, GUT I'M ONLY DOING LAYOUTS WITH IT [BEFORE HEADING INTO DIGITAL FOR EVERYTHING ELSE, TAM LOYAL TO MY PINK PEARL ERASER, THOUGH. OTHER PINK ERASERS SEEM HARD AND GREASY TO ME. NON-REPRODUCIBLE PENCILS SPARKED SOME LIVELY DISCUSSIONS. THESE ARE LIGHT=COLORED PENCILS ‘THAT DON'T NEED TO BE ERASED AFTER INKING BECAUSE THEIR HUES DON'T SHOW UP’ IN PREPRESS PHOTOGRAPHY, PHOTOCOPYING OR EVEN SCANNING (AT LEAST IN THEORY). 1 CALL THEM "BLUE PENCILS" BECAUSE I'M FROM ANOTHER CENTURY, GUT THEY ACTUALLY COME IN A FEW COLORS THESE DAYS. THE MOST POPULAR SEEM TO BE THE SANFORD COL-ERASE, ‘AND I'M TOLD THAT WHEN THEY WERE TEMPORARILY DISCONTINUED RECENTLY IT WAS LIKE THE ARAS OIL EMBARGO OF 1973, SOME, LIKE JASON, HOPE AND JUSTINE, DO A SIGNIFI~ CANT AMOUNT OF DETAILED WORK IN| NON-REPRO PENCILS, OTHERS USE THEM ONLY FOR PREPARATORY SKETCHES BEFORE PENCILLING WITH GRAPHITE PENCILS, STILL OTHERS WON'T TOUCH ’EM AT ALL. 2S PAGE I7I-I92 ~ BRUSHES WITH GREATNESS ‘AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, THE KING OF BRUSHES STILL SEEMS TO SE THE VENERABLE WINDSOR-NEWTON SERIES #7 FINEST SABLE, WHICH USES ONLY “KOLINSKY" SABLE HAIRS, MADE EXCLUSIVELY FROM THE WINTER FUR OF THE MALE SABLE'S TAIL ~~ AND NO, I'm NOT MAKING THAT UP. THE #1-2 SIZES ARE THE MOST COMMON AMONG THOSE I TALKED TO, ALTHOUGH T HEARD FROM ARTISTS USING A #0 (VERY FINE) ALL THE WAY To a #5 (B16, BUT STILL CAPAGLE OF FINE LINES. IN FACT PAUL SMITH, WHO USES A #5, REPORTS AN IMPROVED FINE LINE WITH THE GIGGER BRUSH), PRICES \VARY, BUT EACH SIZE NUMBER ADDS APPROXIMATELY $10 To THE PRICE. NOT ALL WINDSOR-NEWTON SALES ARE GEMS. PAUL QUOTES ONE BRUSH CONNOISSEUR AS SAYING "WINDSOR-NEWTON MAKES THE FINEST GRUSH IN THE WORLD... EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.” TO FIND A GOOD ONE, PAUL SUGGESTS FLICKING A WET SAGLE WITH YOUR WRIST RIGHT IN THE STORE CAFTER ABOUT FOUR MINUTES IN WATER, SOAKED UNTIL IT LOSES ITS SHAPE) TO SEE IF IT NATURALLY SNAPS TO A POINT. IF SO, ‘THAT'S THE SHAPE IT WANTS TO TAKE AND YOU CAN PULL OUT YOUR CREDIT CARD. IF IT SPLITS, IT'S A CURSED EVIL IMPOSTER AND YOU SHOULD PUT IT GACK (ON THE SHELF. OTHER BRUSHES MENTIONED Gy MY RESPONDENTS. INCLUDE THE CHEAP, YELLOW LOEW-CORNELL #2 CONCE USED, THOUGH NOT NECESSARILY ENDORSED, BY DREW. WEING), THE ORANGE TIP RAPHAEL #4 SABLE BRUSH SERIES B44 FAVORED BY JESSICA AGEL, AND WINDSOR-NEWTON'S SCEPTRE GOLD, A HALF-SASLE, 2097HALE-SYNTHETIC MIX WHICH IS CARLA SPEED MCNEIL'S WEAPON OF CHOICE. ANY NATURAL BRUSH REQUIRES GREAT CARE. WASH OUT “THE Ne THOROUGHLY WHEN NOT IN USE. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL A GRUSH LOSES ITS SHAPE, GUT WITH FREQUENT CLEANING, YOU GAN EXTEND ITS LIFE CONSIDERABLY. WILL EISNER SUGGESTED WAY BACK IN 1982 THAT T WRAP A PIECE OF PAPER TAPE A FEW MILLIMETERS ABOVE WHERE THE METAL MEETS THE HAIRS TO HELP THE GRUSH KEEP ITS SHAPE, AND THAT DEFINITELY HELPED. INI FACT, WHEN I WAS WORKING IN DC'S PRODUGTION DEPARTMENT THAT YEAR, BRIAN BOLLAND CAME IN TO MAKE SOME CORRECTIONS, BORROWED MY EISNER-IZED SAGLE AND MENTIONED WHAT & GOOD LINE IT GAVE. = —— PAGE 192, PANELS ONE-FOUR - BRUSH ALTERNATIVES: {.WAS AN EARLY ADOPTER OF SYNTHETIC BRUSHES ‘STARTING IN 1782. IN PACT MY OLD SERIES ZOT/ WAS FILLED WITH FELT GRUSH WORK, GUT I SYMPATHIZE WITH THOSE WHO DON'T TRUST THEM, AND I'D HARDLY POINT TO MY COMICS WORK FROM THAT DAY AS AN EXAMPLE OF GREAT INKING. CRAIG THOMPSON'S TRUSTY PENTEL POCKET BRUSH PENS (SEE ABOVE) GOME WITH REFILLABLE CARTRIDGES. (OF PIGMENT INKS AS DO THE KURETAKE AND AITOH BRUSH PENS, BUT MANY SYNTHETIC BRUSHES ARE BASICALLY BRUSH-SHAPED FELT-TIPPED PENS, PROS AGLY THE MOST POPULAR, ESPECIALLY WITH MANGA FANS, ARE COPIC MARKERS, A FAST-DRYING MARKER WITH A CHISEL POINT ON ONE END AND A FLEXIBLE FELT BRUSH ON THE OTHER. THEY COME IN MANY COLORS AND [ARE OFTEN USED FOR INKING AND COLORING, GUT DON'T SEEM AS COMMON IN THE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY ~~ YET. RESPONDENTS TO THE SURVEY WHO MENTIONED USING FELT BRUSHES LISTED SAKURA'S PIGMA GRUSH PEN AND THE ZEGRA 303 BRUSH PEN. (MANY SABLE USERS REALLY HATE THE FELT SRUSHES. FELT GRUSH USERS AREN'T EXACTLY JUMPING TO THEIR DEFENSE, GUT SOME SEEM PRETTY SATISFIED. UNIQUE AMONG THE ARTISTS I TALKED TO WAS SPIKE, WHO ‘SAID SHE USES A SABLE BRUSH NOW, GUT THINKS FELT BRUSHES ARE GREAT. "f USED THEM AS TRAINING WHEELS FOR OVER TWO YEARS GEFORE I GRADUATED. TO REAL SRUSHES,” SHE WRITES. “I WOULD HAVE NEVER HAD THE CONFIDENCE AND PATIENCE TO DEAL WITH A BRUSH STRAIGHTAINAY AFTER I STOPPED USING PLAIN MARKERS TO INK, SO T'VE GOT NO PROSLEM WITH ‘EM AT ALL. PAGE 192, PANELS FIVE-SEVEN - NIB PENS A NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS STILL USE NIG PENS, BUT [ART 6Y TOC FETC (SEE ART CREDITS, Pac 250, 210 MANY COMPLAIN ABOUT THE QUALITY OF PRODUCTS AVAILABLE IN THE U.S, THE ONCE RESPECTED NIBS FROM. HUNT AND SPEEDBALL (NOW THE SAME GOMPANY? HAVE. REPORTEDLY SUFFERED IN GOTH SELECTION AND “QUALITY OVER THE YEARS. THOUGH THE HUNT #102 AND #108 CROWGUILLS AND #8-6 AND #22 IGS ARE STILL BEING USED, AND SOME STILL SWEAR BY THEM (INCLUDING DREW WEING, BUT HE COULD GET GOOD. LINES OUT OF A SNICKERS BAR). CARTOONISTS IN NEW YORK REPORT THE GROWING POPULARITY OF THE JAPANESE G PENS (GRANDS MAY INCLUDE ZEGRA, ‘TACHIKAWA AND NIKKO). THE & PENS ARE BASICALLY THE SAME THING AS TRADITIONAL NIB PENS GUT STRONGER AND WELL-MADE. DAVID LASKY SAID HE'S LUSING THE ROTRING ART PEN. A NIG PEN WITH ITS OWN, GARREL OF INK, MUCH LIKE THE PENTEL POCKET RUSH AND ITS COUSINS. DAVID DESCRIBES THE ROTRING AS “HIGH MAINTENANCE” THOUGH, AND COMPARED IT TO “OWNING & VESPA PAGE 192-193 - FIXED WIDTH AND TECHNICAL PENS TRADITIONAL TECHNICAL PENS LIKE THE KOH-T-NOOR RAPIDOGRAPH WHICH NEED TO GE DISASSEMBLED To BE REFILLED AND CLEANED MAY BE A DYING GREED, GUT SOME CARTOONISTS STIL SWEAR 87 THEM, HOWARD | ‘RUSE DOES 90% OF HIS INKING WITH TECHNICAL PENS, ‘AND KRIS DRESEN USES THEM FOR EVERYTHING. | ROTRING AND STAEDTLER SEEM TO BE OFFERING NEWER VERSIONS OF THE TRADITIONAL DESIGN, WITH CARTRIDGES, WHICH MIGHT BE EASIER TO MAINTAIN, (F MORE EXPENSIVE IN THE LONG RUN. NeW YORK STATE ARTIST Toc FETCH, AFTER SOME DAZZLINGLY INTRICATE PEN WORK car LEED RECENTLY RETURNED TOMS FIRST Love, THE PENG, PLENTY OF ARTISTS FIND FIXED-WIDTH PIGMA MICRONS, [ALVIN PENSTIX AND OTHER PRECISION FELT-TIPS AN ADEGUATE, HASSLE-FREE ALTERNATIVE TO TECHNICAL PENS. THEIR MAKERS CLAIM AN “ARCHIVAL QUALITY" INK. (OLD-STYLE FELT-TIPS WERE NOTORIOUS FOR FADING), AND. COME IN THE SAME PRECISION SIZES AS OLD SCHOOL TECHNICAL PENS. IF THE INK IS GOOD AND THE LINE IS SMOOTH AND CONSISTENT, I SAY GO FOR IT, BUT. BEAR IN MIND THAT YOULL 60 THROUGH DOZENS OF ‘THOSE SUCKERS DURING THE LIFETIME OF ONE RAPIDO- GRAPH, SO LONG-TERM COST MIGHT BE WORTH CONSIDERING, ‘SOME CARTOONISTS, LIKE JASON LITTLE, REPORT LIKING‘THE “DEAD” LINE THAT ALL FIXED-WIDTH PENS PRODUGE. OTHER USERS SEEM A BIT RESTLESS THOUGH, DEREK KIRK KIM USED COPIC'S FIXED-WIDTH MULTILIN® ERS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, BUT HE'S CONSIDERING GOING BACK TO CROWQUILL. WEBCOMICS CREATOR SHAENON GARRITY REFERS TO HER OWN USE OF MICRONS AS: "LAME." STILL, 1 NOTICED A CHEAP TOOL BRAVADO EMANATING FROM THE WEB-SAVVY GAY AREA INDY SCENE. "@RUSHES, SHARPIES, PIGMAS AND EVEN BALLPOINT PENS ARE USED,” WRITES GENE YANG, “(JESSE HAMM) WALKED UP TO ME AND DEREK DURING A SAN DIEGO CON YEARS AGO AND SAID, 'MIGNOLA DOES EVERYTHING WITH A PIGMA AND A SHARPIEI’ T DON'T THINK JESSE'S, PICKED UP A SRUSH SINCE.” PAGE 193, PANELS FOUR AND FIVE ~ INKS AND WHITE PAINT THREE RESPONDENTS CRITICIZED THE ALLEGED. WATERING DOWN OF THE ONCE-STANDARD HIGGINS BLACK MAGIC INK (STEVE BISSETTE CALLED IT "GREY ‘SWILL") BUT TWO OTHERS REPORTED STILL USING IT. R. KIKUO JOHNSON USES SPEEDBALL SUPER BLACK FOR HIS RICH, COMPELLING BRUSH WORK. MEANWHILE, JAPAN'S DELETER BRAND INK AND WHITE CORRECTION PAINT ARE CATCHING ON FAST IN NEW YORK. PAGE 195 ~ A LETTERING ALTERNATIVE HOWARD CRUSE HAS A SMART SYSTEM FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO GET THE BENEFITS OF GUIDELINES LIKE THOSE MADE GY AN AMES GUIDE, WITHOUT DRAWING THEM ‘OVER AND OVER, HE MADE A SET OF GUIDELINES IN ADOBE TLLUSTRATOR, PRINTED THEM ONTO CLEAR SHEETS AND JUST PLACES THEM AND HIS DRAWING PAPER OVER A LIGHTBOX. PAGE 197 - DRAWING THIS BOOK DIGITALLY JUST TO GE CLEAR, THE LAYERS I'M TALKING ASOUT ARE VIRTUAL. I DON'T ACTUALLY PRINT AND STACK ‘THEM LIKE THAT! IT ALL HAPPENS IN PHOTOSHOP. ILL OST MORE DETAILED STEP-BY-STEPS ONLINE (SEE WEB ADDRESS AT SOTTOM), PAGE 19%, PANEL SEVEN = BRUSHES AND BUSHES! PHOTOSHOP ALLOWS YOU TO SET SEVERAL PARAMETERS WHEN YOU TURN A SHAPE INTO A BRUSH, BUT THE PROGRAM DOESN'T MAKE IT EASY. I'LL POST A QUICK ‘TUTORIAL ON THE SITE, PAGE 203 - LETTERING IN ILLUSTRATOR (CHECK CHAPTER FIVE AND A HALF (RIGHT) FOR MORE ON, DIGITAL LETTERING METHODS, INCLUDING A CooL LAVER TRICK THAT ALLOWS ENDLESS REPOSITIONING OF TAILS AND LIGHTNENG-FAST PANEL SORDERS. PAGE 204, PANEL EIGHT - THE TABLET MONITOR ‘AS I WRITE THIS, THE ONLY WAYS FOR GRAPHIC ARTISTS ‘TO DRAW DIRECTLY ON THE SCREEN ARE TO GET A TAGLET PC OR WACOM'S CINTIG MONITOR ~ AND FOR MAC USERS LIKE ME, THE CINTIQ IS OUR ONLY OPTION. IT LIKE THE CINTIG A LOT. T PROBABLY COULDN'T HAVE. DONE THIS BOOK HALF AS FAST OR HALF AS WELL WITHOUT IT. BUT THE ONLY GRAPHICS-FRIENDLY MODEL ‘THE MANUFACTURER IS SELLING AS I WRITE THIS COSTS MORE THAN A WHOLE NEW COMPUTER ($2497! THOUGH “THINGS MAY HAVE IMPROVED GY THE TIME YOU READ THIS). IT'S A PRETTY MAMMOTH INVESTMENT, SUT IF YOU HAVE SERIOUS HAND STRAIN PROBLEMS LIKE E DID IN 2003-2004, OR YOU'RE BEING PAID ENOUGH FOR YOUR ART THAT YOU CAN LOG GAINS IN PRODUCTIVITY AS PROFIT, THEN GETTING A TAGLET/MONITOR MIGHT MAKE SENSE. PAGE 204-205 - INDUSTRY STANDARDS ‘THE MAJORITY OF COMICS PROS T KNOW WHO ARE MAKING COMICS DIGITALLY DO SO ON A MACINTOSH ‘COMPUTER RUNNING ADOBE'S GRAPHICS PROGRAMS. ADOBE PHOTOSHOP IS THE PROGRAM NEARLY ALL OF US ‘OWN, FOLLOWED BY ILLUSTRATOR, ADOSE’S PRECISE "OBJECT-ORIENTED" DRAWING PROGRAM, AND DREAM= WEAVER FOR WES AUTHORING. COREAMWEAVER USED TO BE IN COMPETITION WITH ADOSE'S LESS-POPULAR GOLIVE, BUT ADOBE BOUGHT THE COMPANY IN 2005). GETTING ALL THREE PROGRAMS OFF THE SHELF ADDS. UP TO AROUND $1,000, BUT DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH, THERE MAY BE CHEAPER OR EVEN FREE ALTERNATIVES OUT THERE. CHECK THE SITE FOR MORE DETAILS. CHAPTER 206 - GUIDES TO WEB PUBLISHING ALSO SEE THE ADDRESS BELOW FOR SOME POINTERS TO WES PUBLISHING. (I’M RUNNING OUT OF ROOMD CHAPTER FIVE AND’ A HALF! T-FOUND OUT IN REINVENTING COMICS HOW DIFFICULT IT |S TO DESCRIBE WEG-NATIVE TECHNIGUES IN A BLACK AND-WHITE BOOK, SO T'VE PUT MOST OF MY DIGITAL NOTES ONLINE. I'M ALSO GOING TO SEE IF T CAN PROVIDE UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE, SINCE THAT TOPIC 'S A MOVING TARGET. G0 To: WWW SCOTT MECLOUD.COM/MAKINGCOMICS AND LOOK FOR THIS BUTTON: CHAPTER Sz allan LS) Chapter Six Three Essays about Style Your Place in Comics IFT MAD THE GOOD SENSE TO WRITE AN ORDINARY HOW-TO BOOK, THIS WOULD SE THE CHAPTER WHERE T EXPLAIN HOW TO "CHOOSE A STYLE THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU." f euT STE ISN'T REALLY SOMETHING YOU CAN CHOOSE OFF-THE-SHELF LIKE A SCARF OR A PAIR OF SOCKS. ITS ROOTS GO DEEPER ‘THAN THAT. AND You DON'T ALWAYS “cHoose™ YOUR STYLE. SOMETIMES IT ‘CHOOSES, you. re “STYLE” USUALLY DESCRIBES SURFACE DETAILS LIKE LINE QUALITY, a way OF DRawinie FACES oR (ONE'S USE OF DIALOGUE. GUT MANNERISMS LIKE THAT ARE JUST BYPRODUCTS oF ARTISTS' ATTEMPTS TO PRESENT THE WORLD AS THEY SEE IT — ACCC AND CHRIS WARE. (SEE ART CREDITS. PAGE 256) 212-- AND To CAPTURE THE ASPECTS oF COMICS ‘THAT MAY HAVE CAPTIVATED THEM AS READERS. BEHIND THAT STRUGGLE LIES THEIR FUNDAMENTAL ‘OUTLOOK ON LIFE AND ART == — A STATEMENT OF THEIR PASSIONS AND PRIORITIES -— == AN ECHO OF THE TIMES AND PLACES ‘THEY'VE COME FROM —- n= AND A SIGNPOST TO WHERE THEY WANT ‘THEIR CHOSEN ART TO TAKE THEM IN SHoRT: DISCOVERING YOUR OWN “STYLE” IS A DEEPLY PERSONAL PROCESS WHICH CAN TAKE YEARS ~- ART SY JEFF SMITH RUMGKO TARAHASHE, MARANE SATRAPL, ‘GLOECROER. DAVID 8-AND DENIAN 5 (SEE ART CREDITS PAGE 256BUT, EVEN THOUGH THE PATH TO FINDING YOUR PLACE IN COMICS IS ONE THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO WALK ALONE -- ~~ YOU CAN GET THERE A LOT SOONER IF YOU HAVE A BIG ENOUGH MAP OF THE PLACES YOU CAN Go —~ = AND THE SKILLS To DRAW YOUR OWN MAP WHEN THAT LANDSCAPE CHANGES. Pp THE GENEFIT OF THE EXPERIENCES oF THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE 0 GET STARTED THEN, HERE ARE THREE SNAPSHOTS oF THAT WORLD OF COMICS STYLES, STARTING WITH My OWN PERSONAL TAKE ON THE MANGA PHENOMENON =» ~- FOLLOWED BY A FEW IDEAS ON ‘THE EVOLUTION AND USES OF THE MASS STYLES WE CALL “GENRES” =~ PANG FIVE: ART BY RUMIKG TARARASH == AND AN UNUSUAL, BUT I HOPE USEFUL. NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT COMICS CULTURE AND THE IDEALS THAT CAN BOTH SEPARATE US AND BIND US TOGETHER. 2141 UNDERSTANDING MANGA e@ cS My Day JOB WAS AT DC COMICS IN ROCKEFELLER CENTER, JUST A COUPLE OF BLOCKS FROM BOOKS KINOKUNIYA, ONE OF ‘THE BIGGEST JAPANESE BOOKSTORES IN AMERICA. iii oo IN-THOSE PAGES, T FOUND A LOT OF VISUAL STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES RARELY SEEN IN AMERIGAN COMICS THAT I WAS EAGER TO PUT IN MY OWN COMICS AS SOON AS T GOT THE cHANCE.* 1982, JUST ouT OF COLLEGE AND LIVING IN MANHATTAN, I BECAME OBSESSED WITH READING JAPANESE COMICS, 08 “MANGA.” FUNNY THING 15, ALMOST NONE (OF WHAT I WAS READING HAD BEEN TRANSLATED AND T DIDN'T KNOW A WORD OF JAPANESE! ALMOST EVERY Day, ON MY LUNCH HOUR, PD RIFLE THROUGH THEIR SHELVES “READING” ‘THE PICTURES PANEL-BY-PANEL, RIGHT TO T'VE SEEN BOOKS ABOUT THE HISTORY, BUSINESS ‘AND CULTURE OF MANGA AND PLENTY OF MANGA STYLE HOW-TO-DRAW BOOKS — = BUT IN 24 YEARS, I'VE RARELY SEEN ANYONE FOCUS ON THESE BASIC STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES, so LET'S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK NOW. + TWO YEARS LATER AS TT HAPPENED, 215DE To KINOKUNIYA spat BETWEEN THE AT LEAST EIGHT OF THE MANGA STORYTELL! ALMOST COMPLETELY ABSENT FROM MAINSTI IN 1982, SUPERHERO COMICS WERE EVEN MORE DOMINANT INI AMERICAN COMIC BOOKS THAN ‘THEY ARE NOW, AND DC COMICS” OFFICES WERE RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THAT INDUSTRY. My TWO-AND-A-HALF BLOCK WALK FROM NINED: AN OCEAN OF DIFFERENCES ‘Two COMES CULTURES, ING: TECHNIQUES T FOUND ON KINO'S SHELVES WERE. REAM SUPERHERO COMICS AT THE TIMEs INCLUDING: ICONIC CHARACTERS. ‘THE SIMPLE, EMOTIVE FACES, AND FIGURES WHICH LED TO ‘THE KIND OF READER IDENTIFICATION TALKED ABOUT IN UNDERSTANDING COMICS, PAGES 29-45. gf GENRE MATURITY. aN, 7 UNDERSTANDING OF THE UNIGUE ‘STORYTELLING CHALLENGES OF LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT GENRES INCLUDING SPORTS, ROMANCE, SF., FANTASY, BUSINESS, HORROR, ‘SEXUAL COMEDY, ETC.. A STRONG SENSE OF PLACE. ENVIRONMENTAL DETAILS THAT ‘TRIGGERED SENSORY MEMORIES AND, WHEN CONTRASTED WITH ICONIC CHARACTERS, LEAD TO THE “MASKING EFFECT” DISCUSSED IN UNDERSTANDING. COMICS PAGES 42-5). ABROAD VARIETY OF CHARACTER DESIGNS. FEATURING WILDLY DIFFER~ ENT FACE AND BODY TYPES AND THE FREQUENT USE OF RECURRING ARCHETYPES. FREQUENT USES OF WORDLESS PANELS. COMBINED WITH ASPECT TO ASPECT TRANSITIONS: BETWEEN PANELS; PROMPTING READERS TO ASSEMGLE SCENES FROM FRAGMENTARY VISUAL INFORMATION. SMALL REAL WORLD DETAILS. AN APPRECIATION FOR THE GEAUTY OF THE MUNDANE, AND ITS VALUE FOR CONNECTING WITH READERS’ EVERYDAY EXPERI ENCES ~~ EVEN IN FANTASTIC OR MELODRAMATIC STORIES. SUBJECTIVE MOTION. USING STREAKED BACKGROUNDS TO MAKE READERS FEEL LIKE THEY WERE MOVING WITH A CHARACTER, INSTEAD OF JUST WATCHING MOTION FROM THE ‘various EMOTIONALLY EXPRESSIVE EFFECTS SUCH AS EXPRESSIONISTIC BACKGROUNDS, MONTAGES AND SUBJECTIVE CARICATURES == ALL AIMED AT GIVING READERS A WINDOW INTO WHAT CHARACTERS WERE FEELING. LgFT cOLWMaL ART BY YAMA & ADACHI 1H 2S), OSA TEDUKA AND YASUI Osta. RT COLUM SHR HOLUSHIAA YAHASAKI£ AOAC, SAM TEZUAL 265 Each OF THESE CONTRIBUTED TO THE MANGA EXPERIENCE IN DIFFERENT WAYS, aT AST ‘STUDIED MY OWN REACTIONS: society =~ READER ano LooKeD INTO MANGA'S ROLE IN JAPANESE ASA NOTICED A COMMON THEME EMERGING, AS IF ALL OF THESE TeCHNIGUES WERE SEING DEPLOYED TOWARD A SINGLE PURPOSE. w Ta WHETHER THROUGH THE ICONIC FACES ‘AND VARIED VISUAL ARCHETYPES THAT NEEDED TO GE FILLED IN BY THE READER TO RING THEM TO LIFE -~ -- OR THE SILENT, WANDERING ENCOUNTERS WITH ENVIRONMENTS CAPABLE OF PLACING READERS WITHIN A SCENE -— =~ OR THE DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES AND INTERESTS, OF THE AVERAGE READER —- =" OR THE GRAPHIC DEVICES MEANT TO. MOVE READERS EMOTIONALLY. aS. WELL AS LITERALLY MOVING WITH THE ACTION ~~ = — ALL oF THESE TECHNIGUES AMPLIFIED THE SENSE oF READER PARTICIPATION IN MANGA, A FEELING OF BEING PART OF THE STORY. RATHER THAN SIMPLY OBSERVING THE STORY FROM AFAR. MIDDLE TIER See ART CREDITS, PAGE 256, AND FOR ALL THE ‘TALK OF FORMATS, MARKETING AND “CULTURAL DIFFERENCES” Iw 1982, 1 BECAME CONVINCED THAT IT Was THIS GUALITY OF Manoa THAT HAD FUELED ITS. MASSIVE SUCCESS. AT HOME == AND, POTENTIALLY, IN NORTH AMERICA.NOw, THE MANGA INDUSTRY WAS HUGE AND VARIED IN 1782. r'M NOT SUGGESTING THERE WAS ANY KIND OF DELIERATE “NATIONAL STYLE” FOCUSING ON READER INVOLVEMENT. . IN FACT, THE DIFFERENCES T WAS SEEING BETWEEN MANGA AND MAINSTREAM AMERICAN T\ “comics May, IN PART, HAVE =) JUST SEEN AN ACCIDENT OF HISTORY. MANY OF MANGA’S READER PARTICIPATION TECHNIGUES CAN BE TRACED TO JAPAN'S “GOD OF MANGA.” OSAMU TEZUKA, WHO HAD BEEN INSPIRING MANGA, SUBJECTIVE MOTION FROM TEZUKA'S FIRST KIT NEW ‘TREASURE ISLAND, '947. USUALLY, A POWERFUL AND POPULAR ARTIST WILL JUST SPAWN A GENERATION OF ng CARBON COPIES ~ == BUT TEZUKA’S OUTPUT ENCOMPASSED SUCH A DIVERSITY OF STYLES AND GENRES THAT EVEN HIS MOST SLAVISH IMITATORS HAD TO Pick WHICH TEZUKA TO IMITATE, WHILE THOSE FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT OF HIS WORK SOUGHT DIVERSITY IN THEIR OWN STORIES. JUST AS IN NATURE. A WIDE DIVERSITY OF BY 1982, WITH STRONG, CONSISTENT INPUT FROM READERS, EACH GENRE HAD TAKEN A UNIQUE SHAPE THAT STROVE TO MATCH ‘THE LEVEL OF IMMERSION FELT BY ITS READERS ~- AND AUDIENCE INVOLVEMENT TECHNIQUES DID THE TRICK NICELY. ARTISTIC SPECIES HELPED ‘SPEED MANGAS EVOLUTION. ‘aun Two AO POUR ARTY OSAMU TEDUMA, PANEL Sh SCE ART CREDITS PAGE 258.Almost 25 YEARS LATER, TRANSLATED MANGA ACCOUNT FOR MANY OF THE BEST-SELLING conics IN NORTH AMERICA -- AND IT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE CARTOON TIE-INS! raven EF SUT UNLIKE 1982, ‘THE DIFFERENCES: BETWEEN NORTH AMERICAN COMICS AND MANGA AREN'T AS: PRONOUNCED AS THEY STORYTELLING SPEAKS TOREADERS TODAY = }———— FOR MANY OF THE SAME REASONS IT Dip To ME Back WW 1982. ‘THE GROWING AND BLENTY OF ALTERNATIVE ano Weaneeaa WEBCOMICS ARTISTS WHO'VE GROWN UP GRAPHIC NOVEL ewe teee WITH ANIME AND MANGA HAVE INCORPORATED MARKETS HAVE ITS SENSIGILITIES INTO THEIR OWN WORK. Have EMBRACED PROVED HOSPITAGLE pian TO MANY OF THE ‘SAME QUALITIES LISTED ON Pace 216, STILL, DISTINCT DIFFERENCES REMAIN BETWEEN TODAY'S BOPULAR MANGA IMPORTS AND THE AVERAGE NORTH AMERICAN COMIC, BOTH ON THE SURFACE AND UNDER IT —- -- AND THAT SENSE (OF AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION CONTINUES To BE A FACTOR, PANEL THREE ART 6” cRAte Thomson, ces wae, CHR ANEL Spe ART 8 RUnCO TAKAAS MONOED ANNO, LAME ElussTou aio Bene me ha Panel Pov Aa BY FRED BIT Nacsa naan sonora mom maton Ge wetI. THE NORTH AMERICAN TRADITION, THE PHYSICAL ‘THE STORYTELLING IN POSITIONS OF CHARACTERS IN RELATION TO ONE JAPAN'S SHOJOF TITLES IS PARTICULARLY ANOTHER TEND TO BE CAREFULLY SHOWN, AS IF THEY COMPELLING, AND DISTINCT FROM WESTERN WERE PIECES ON A CHESSBOARD ~~ EVEN IN NON= MAINSTREAM COMICS, ACTION GENRES LIKE ROMANCE, YQ WHETHER IT'S, ‘THROUGH THE USE OF EXPRESSIONISTIC EFFECTS To SUGGEST EMOTION ~~ SUT STRUGGLES =~ SO WHEN (OF THE HEART ARE EMOTIONS RUN EMOTIONAL HIGH IN, NOT PHYSICAL; SHOJO MANGA THEY HAPPEN AS THEY INTERNALLY -— OFTEN DO -~ THE “ACTION” MAY BE LITTLE MORE THAN A MONTAGE OF FLOATING, EXPRESSIVE, FACES, ee CASCADING DOWN THE PAGE. = THE SHOJO APPROACH MEANWHILE, vt 70 PARTICIPATE W THE ww SHONEN Trrues CrHose amED Ar TSR og | tnoTionaL Lives oF tS G0YS), EMOTIONS CAN RUN EQUALLY Ht, EMOTIONAL LIVES OF 1S [| aS THE FACES OF ITS PROTAGONISTS OF ENTIRE BODIES —- OBSERVE THEM. CONSTANTLY REMIND US + sno." «comes amen a es. Pugs Two AND POLE: LNT PN ARTY IAC IRD AND wi OMe Ne BY Karu BE 220 sre ooast Pune ve aT BY MR UEDA Pa ENN ART Srninsasheimoro Gee ART CREDITS, PAGE 260%aut THE SENSE OF PARTICIPATION 1S PHYSICAL One, BROUGHT ON BY SUBJECTIVE MOTION ‘AND DIZ2Y P.O.M. > THE SHONEN READER |S INSIDE THE ACTION IN THE SAME WAY THAT THE SHO.JO READER |S INSIDE CHARACTERS? THE PAGE COMPOSITIONS aND BODY LANGUAGE AREN'T FAR FROM WESTERN ACTION GENRES AND THEY SHARE THE COMMON GOAL oF GENERATING EXCITEMENT — = AND SOME ARTISTS. IN THE WEST HAVE LOOKED To MANGA FOR INSPIRATION IN) BRIDGING THaT Gap, =" BUT MANGA READERS ARE FINDING A VISCERAL THRILL IN SUCH PARTICIPATION ‘TECHNIQUES THAT THEY APPARENTLY AREN'T FINDING IN NORTH AMERICAN COMICS —— J | oFcounse, somerimes Aste is JusTASTHG, | | —suT PUTTING THE = AND LIKE WHEN SUBJECTIVE MOTION LINES ARE USED TO READER INSIDE THE UNDERSTANDING : MAKE A MOMENT LOOK “DYNAMIC” — STORY 5 STILL THE “THAT EFFECT I5 A 4 PRIMARY EFFECT OF GOOD FIRST STEP q “OR HENL ERNIE MANY OF THE TECH” TOWARD TAPPING INTO NIQUES THAT MAN THar POWER. MONTAGES ARE USED JUST TO PRETTY UP A SPREAD — HAS PLAYED HOST To OVER THE YEARS —- Creme oon bm toon Pench eveace eaccermesey Sal A A BON Pa HG ART EMT Pt IIF YOU'RE A MANGA FAN WHO WANTS TO DRAW COMICS, THEN YOU MIGHT START OUT SY LEARNING HOW TO DRAW IN THAT STYLE, AND IT'S A NATURAL FIRST STEP To IMITATE YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS AND I'M NOT GOING TO TRY “FO TALK ANYONE OUT OF IT. ‘THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF BOOKS IN PRINT OFFERING TO TEACH You HOW. LTeRALLy. HUNDREDS. BUT IN THE LONG RUN, I HOPE YOU'LL CONSIDER LOOKING BEYOND THOSE SURFACE STYLES TO ‘THE FUNDAMENTAL IDEAS AND EFFECTS THAT THOSE STYLES HAVE GROWN TO CONVEY —= AND IN MANGA’S: CASE THAT MEANS FINDING NEW WAYS TO PERSONALLY CONNECT with READERS — = NOT JUST ECHOING THE WAYS OTHER ARTISTS IN OTHER LANDS CONNECTED WITH THEIRS. AND HOw THEY COMPARE WITH A. WORLD oF OTHER STHLES. IN NORTH AMERICA, MANGA AND ANIME FANS FROM THE MID~"90S HAVE JOINED THE RANKS OF THIS DECADE'S PROMISING YOUNG ARTISTS. DESPITE THEIR INFLUENCES, THEY HAVEN'T JUST BEEN TELLING STORIES ABOUT SAPANESE SCHOOLGIRLS, AND SAMURA TRANSITION IS ALREADY STARTING ASTI WRITE THIS, PANEL TWoe BASED OX ART BY HOM ARCA. BRN. SEVEREINSTEAD, THESE NEW JAPANESE-INFLUENCED COMICS ARTISTS ARE VEERING CLOSER TO THEIR OWN LIVES FOR INSPIRATION, AND. CLOSER TO ‘THEIR READERS? Lives IN THE PROCESS. IN THE MID-"405, MANGA (AND ITS GIG BROTHER ANIME) HAD Many LOYAL FANS IN NORTH AMERICA, AND AMONG THEM WERE ARTISTS THAT ARE NOW BEGINNING TO SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE COMICS ON THE WEB AND, INCREASINGLY, IN PRINT. BUT THAT GENERATION OF YOUNG MANGA READERS AND THEY'LL DO IT WAS TINY COMPARED TO | USING THE PEOPLE: THE ONE WE HAVE NOW. THEY KNOW AND AND WHEN THAT wise UNDERSTAND -— HITS MATURITY, THEY'LL ‘TELL STORIES THAT WiLL INSPIRE A WHOLE NEW ‘GENERATION, == AND THE EMOTIONS AnD SENSATIONS THEY'VE KNow FIRST-HAND, PANEL OWE ART BY Beam LEE O™ALLEY ‘See ART cREDIS, Pace 258, THE PLACES == THE EveRYDAY THEY CAN GRING TO INTERESTS AND vivio LiFe — DETAILS THEY can MAKE REAL FOR READERS — STYLES AND STORIES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN CONTINUE TO EVOLVE, MANGA CaN BE SEEN FOR WHAT IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN:ie 2 UNDERSTANDING GENRES ASIN ANY MEDIUM, WHEN A PERSONAL STYLE, FORMAT OR TYPE OF STORY CATCHES ON IN COMICS, IT'S LIKELY TO BE IMITATED. GET ENOUGH PEOPLE MAKING: comics OF THAT KIND ‘AND YOU HAVE A “GENRE.” Atemative ‘Audiobooks ues Chicren's Musi Classics! SOME, LIKE THE BROAD GENRES oF COMEDY AND TRAGEDY, Have EEN WITH US FOR ‘THOUSANDS OF YEARS —~ WHILE OTHER, FAR MORE SPECIFIC SUS-GENRES MAY COME AND GOIN THE WINK OF AN EYE. GENRES ARE BUILT AROUND: AUDIENCE EXPECTATIONS. WHEN THE GENRE IS BROAD, THE LIST OF EXPECTATIONS IS SHORT. COMEDIES MAKE US LAUGH. WHEN THE GENRE IS MORE SPECIFIC THE LIST (OF EXPECTATIONS CAN GET ALOT LONGER. IW cure, chance meeting. FOS STYLE ROMANTIC = mma pisume: COMED Wm Love are, Wf muo-2orH CENTURY AMERICAN Posutan sone (or ROMA: iy USE AS TITLE OF FL WW wncxy Best FRIENDS. Wf preconus omo/anmns, Wri, eatur WW veamnne Lowey mowTase, 1 romirc nevaon (ora: Pay INCLUDE RUNNING FOR CAS ‘OR AIRPLANE) ‘5m ouR TM, AT LEAST I SHALESDEARE'S 224-- OR & New BREED ‘OF CREATORS MIGHT THROW AWAY ‘THAT LIST AND GIVE NEW LIFE To THE GENRE BY REDISCOVERING ITS BASIC APPEAL. GENRES HAVE LIFE CYCLES. AS THEY AGE, SUCH LISTS CAN GROW SO LONG THAT THE GENRE STARTS TO SAG UNDER THE WEIGHT OF TOO MANY FORMULA-DRIVEN EXPECTATIONS. AT THAT POINT, ITS AUDIENCE MIGHT START TO ‘DWINDLE ~~ anes Tomy PHOTOGRAPHIC neyows, vee Bera wii ee Paaeecr., AND, / IN exacT Sealer} IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE COMICS WITHIN A SPECIFIC ‘GENRE, YOU CAN EITHER PERFECT A FORMULA, CREATED BY OTHERS OR CREATE YOUROWN. | EITHER Way, IT HELPS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT FORMULA IS, ‘THE SUPERHERO GENRE HAD ITS RULES, LEARNED FROM YEARS OF TRIAL AND ERROR: CLEAR, DIAGRAMMATIC LAYOUTS, FULL FIGURES INACTION, SMOOTH FLUID LINEWOR WHEN ARTIST JACK KIRBY HELPED DEFINE THE MODERN SUPERHERO GENRE IN THE SIXTIES." SUPERHERO COMICS HAD ALREADY BEEN AROUND FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS, BUT KIRgY BROKE, EVERY ONE OF THOSE RULES, AND IN DOING 50, HE SAVED THE GENRE FROM ITSELF FOR A TIME, AT Leasr. AND WHETHER THAT MEANS: Ceaoris LOOKING AT A WIDE VARIETY oF (GENRES To FicuRE ‘OUT HOw YOURS 15 SUCCEEDING at ITS MOST Basic PURPOSES. “SPECIALLY COULARORATION WITH WRITER STAN LEE CURT Sua Ct Fhk! SEE ART ERED, aE 253)GENRES CAN TAKE DECADES TO EVOLVE. IN JAPAN, TEZUKA’S DIVERSE STORIES INSPIRED SEVERAL GENRES MODELLED CLOSELY ON HIS STYLE -— =~ BUT WITH EACH PASSING GENERATION, ARTISTS STEERED THEIR STORIES AND STYLES IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, BASED ON THE NEEDS OF ‘THEIR CHOSEN GENRES, UNTIL MUCH OF THE FAMILY RESEMBLANCE GETWEEN GENRES WAS LOST. TEZUKA'S FIFTIES HIT MIGHTY ATOM (D was A CLEAR PROGENITOR OF SHOTARO ISHINOMOR'S STYLISTICALLY Siti CYBORG 009 8 DECADE LATER CD BUT GY THE EXGHTIES, SCIENCE-FICTION SERIES LE MASAMUNE SMIROW'S APPLESEED (3) HAD RAMPED UB THE GENRE'S LOVE OF GADGETS TO A MUCH GREATER DEGREE, LEADING TO A MORE ORNATE, FULLY-RENDERED TECHNOPHILIC STILE, MEANWHILE, TEZUKA'S 1954 SERIES PRINCESS KNIGHT (@) ANTICPRTED GOTH THE FLOWERY, ANDROGENGUS STYLE OF RNOKO KEDA'S ROSE OF VERSAILLES (5) AND THE FRENETIC, GENDER-SENDING SEX FARCE OF RUMIKO TARAMASHI'S RANMA 1/2 (- AND ALTHOUGH TEZUKA’S OWN SAMURAI COMIC DORORO (7) DIDN'T APPEAR UNTIL THE LATE. SUCTIES, SAMPE! SHIRATO'S EARLIER NINJA BUCHEICHO (B) SHOWED STRONG TEZUKA INFLUENCES, COUPLED WITH A SLASHING, GESTURAL LINE QUALITY OF HIS OWN, A LINE EMULATED AND EXPANDED UPON IN A MORE REALISTIC CONTEXT Gy LATER ARTISTS LIKE GOSEK KOJIMA OF LONE WOLF AND CUB FAME (2. ay TEZUKA’S MASSIVE OUTPUT SHAPED A CENTURY OF MANGA, WHILE KIRBY'S DYNAMIC APPROACH WAS THE FACE OF AMERICAN MAINSTREAM COMICS FOR MANY YEARS. [ASK YOURSELF: (8 THE GENRE YOU WANT TO WORK IN STILL GROWING? Is THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN 0 ‘TO AGGELERATE (75 ONE PERSON CAN HAVE AN ENORMOUS IMPACT (ON A GENRE -- OR EVEN ON.A WHOLE NATION (OF COMICS! DAELS ONE, FOUR AND PVE! SEE ART EREDITS PAGE 58 2267n= THAT THE LION'S SHARE OF ARTISTS THAT FOLLOWED: IN HIS FOOTSTEPS GAVE WORLD-BUILDING @ PROMINENT ROLE IN THEIR WORK AND HELPED DISTIN- GUISH EUROPEAN COMICS FROM BOTH THE NORTH AMERICAN AND JAPANESE VARIETIES FOR MANY YEARS, ° SIMILARLY, THE 20TH CENTURY GELGIAN MASTER HERGE CONSTRUCTED ‘SUCH DETAILED AND RICH ENVIRONMENTS: IN HIS FAMOUS TINTIN SERIES ~~ == WHILE A WORLD-WIDE CULTURE OF ARTISTS ON THE IN RECENT YEARS, WEB HAVE BEEN BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES EVEN = OR THE NEED TO WORLD-CLASS MORE WITH AN EXPLOSION OF DIVERSE GENRES ANO | ‘ATTLE FoR SHELF CARTOONISTS LiKE STYLES NOT CONSTRAINED Sy REGIONAL MaRKETS - | SPACE. HAYAO MIYAZAKI HAVE BEEN MORE INCLINED To BORROW IDEAS FROM ACROSS ‘THE WORLD, LEADING TO A BLURRING OF THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN REGIONAL styles — cee Abin “aise | . [ avrosio | pourrical | woreor ry Ree ena ci pe eeipoeeTORL inTeRsTeLtar | seo-nesuRosT FAKE autoso | suopy comics | _nonairniccomey |P THESE TRENDS Is SUCH A THING CONTINUE, WE MishT POSSIBLE THOUGH? ANSWER, AS ‘ASK IF THE WHOLE AND IF DOSSIBLE, USUAL, DEPENDS IDEA oF Genres WouLo IT HELP or ‘ON WHO You HURT comics? ASK. MIGHT BECOME MARGINALIZED. PANEL ON ART BY HERES. PANEL Two: ART BY NOES, 227 Pam rove ART SY ope sacaUEs; Mis KRARNL TON CLEN, ‘ART 5) Hao TAZAE (SEE ART CREDITS, PAGE 258), ‘AOMEY LEE AND DYLAN MECONTIS GHEE ART CREDITS. OMGE 256).SOME CRITICS AND ARTISTS DISMISS ALL GENRE COMICS AS BLAND, COMMON-DENOMINATOR STUFF, PRODUCTS OF STUNTED ARTISTIC AND LITERARY AMBITIONS, ‘THEY'LL TELL YOU THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT WORKS OF LITERATURE TEND TO DEFY SUCH CATEGORIES (AT LEAST UNTIL NERDS LIKE ME CLASSIFY THEM AFTER THE FACT). IF YOU AGREE AND WOULD RATHER GO YOUR OWN, WAY, BE A GENRE OF ONE, AND NOT TRY TO FIT ONTO ANYONE'S “SHELF,” MORE POWER TO YOU. — FOOTSTEPS OF (ON THE OTHER HAND, PLENTY OF HISTORY'S GREAT CARTOONISTS JUST WANTED. ‘TO TELL THE BEST STORY THEY COULD, AND IF ‘THAT MEANT WORKING WITHIN & GENRE, FINE. ‘THEY ENJOYED THE COMPANY. = BUT IF ONE FLAVOR, (OF Comics 15 ALL YOU EVER TRY ~~ THEY CAN ROT -- ‘SAY FOR SURE IS ‘THAT GENRES CAN RIPEN — ONCE AGAIN, THERE'S NO RIGHT ANSWER. By yOu MicHT NEVER TASTE THE DIFFERENCE.UNDERSTANDING COMICS CULTURE A ASK A, THOUSAND OF THEM WHAT THEY WANT OUT OF COMIES, WHAT MAKES IT ALL WORTHWHILE, oR WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED -- 3 AND YOU'LL GET A THOUSAND DIFFERENT ANSWERS. LIKE CAMPFIRES, THESE ARE THE UNDERLYING PHILOSOPHIES THAT CREATORS HAVE GATHERED THAT MANY ARTISTS: AROUND THROUGH THE YEARS, THE SELIEFS THAT ARE DRAWN TO SIND LIKE-MINDED ARTISTS TOGETHER WITH A b. susr FOUR. SENSE OF COMMON PURPOSE. THESE “CAMPFIRES" DON'T NUMBER IN THE THOUSANDS, THOUGH. EVERY YEAR, AT CONVENTIONS AND FESTIVALS AROUND THE WORLD, comics ARTISTS MEET FACE TO FACE TO TALK ABOUT LIFE, WORK AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. BUT LISTEN CLOSELY ‘SHARED IDEALS, AND YOU MAY NOTICE ‘SHARED VALUES, SOME COMMON SHARED GOALS... THEMES. IN FACT, 1 THINK 229FIRST IS THE DEVOTION To BEAUTY; CRAFTSMANSHIP AND A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE AND MASTERY. THEN THERE'S THE DEVOTION TO THE CONTENT OF A WORK, PUTTING CRAFT ENTIRELY IN THE SERVICE OF ITS SUBJECT. ‘THE DESIRE TO CREATE ART THAT OUR DESCENDENTS COULD Dic UP INA THOUSAND YEARS AND STILL THINK: “HEY, THIS IS GOOD STUFF” ‘THE BELIEF THAT IF THE POWER OF THE STORIES AND CHARACTERS come THROUGH, THEN NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. ‘THE UNDERSTANDING THat PERFECTION May NOT GE ATTAINABLE IN THIS LIFE —~ BUT THAT THAT'S NO REASON NOT TO ‘STRIVE FoR IT. “THE WILLINGNESS TO TELL STORIES SO ‘SEAMLESSLY THat THE TELLER (OF THE STORY ALL BUT VANISHES IN. “THE TELLING. err: ART BY MAL FOSTER, COLLEEN DORAW AND P CRAIG Dall PECARLO SEE ART CREDITS, PAGE 250) 230‘THEN THERE'S THE DEVOTION TO COMICS ITSELF, To FicuRING ‘OUT wHat THE FORM OF comics IS CAPABLE OF, ill - ‘THE EAGERNESS TO TURN COMICS INSIDE-OUT AND UPSIDE-DOWN IN AN EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND THE FORM’S HG} POTENTIAL MORE FULLY. ‘THE WILLINGNESS To LET CRAFT AND STORY TAKE & BACK, SEAT IF NECESSARY, IW PURSUIT oF NEW IDEAS THaT couLD CHANGE Comics FOR THE SETTER, AND FINALLY, THE DESIRE FOR HONESTY, AUTHENTICITY, AND A CONNECTION TO REAL LIFE. THE DETERMINATION TO HOLD UP A MIRROR TO LIFE'S FACE —- WARTS AND. ALL ~- AND TO RESIST PANDERING OR SELLING OUT. THE CONVICTION OF ARTISTS TO REMAIN TRUE TO THEMSELVES wHLe NEVER TAKING THEMSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY. TO FLY NO ONE'S FLAG — \ ESLA coupe lsh: AT By JULIE DOvCET, JACOUES "AD aN R CRUMB GEE ABT CREDITS, Pace 258,HE OR SHE MAY DISCOVER A LOOSELY AFFILIATED TRIBE OF LIKE-MINDED COMICS ARTISTS THAT SHARE SUCH WALUES. FOR DISCUSSION'S SAKE, LETS CALL THEM... THE THE THe THE CLASSICISTS ANIMISTS FORMALISTS ICONOCLASTS Fb, EXCELLENCE, HARD PUTTING CONTENT FIRST, UNDERSTANDING OF, HONESTY, VITALITY WORK, MASTERY OF CREATING LIFE THROUGH EXPERIMENTATION WITH, AUTHENTICITY AND CRAFT, THE GUEST FOR ART, TRUSTING ONE'S AND LOYALTY TO THE LUNPRETENTIOUSNESS. ENDURING BEAUTY. INTUITION. COMICS FORM. BUTTING LIFE FIRST. How IF YOU'RE LIKE MOST COMICS CREATORS, YOU MANY ARTISTS PROBABLY WOULDN'T MIND ACHIEVING GOALS SETTLE FOR JUST ONE SET OF VALUES, THOUGH? AND, IN FACT, MOST CREATORS: SPEND TIME AT MORE THAN ONE CAMPFIRE" DURING THEIR FROM ALL FOUR OF THESE GROUPS. ‘A “LIVING, HONEST, BEAUTIFUL AND INVENTIVE WORK OF COMICS...” SOUNDS. LIKE A GOOD BACK-COVER QUOTE, RIGHT? WHEN AN ARTIST STARTS TO GUILD HIS OR HER COMICS AROUND ONE OF THESE COLLECTIONS OF VALUES, ) j | UT USUALLY, YoU == AND THERE'S CAN TELL wich ALMOST ALWAYS ONE THIS IS PARTIALLY BECAUSE ‘ONE BURNS (OF THE FOUR THAT ‘THESE FOUR IDEALS, WHILE COMPATIBLE. BRIGHTEST For [BURNS RARELY OR NOT WITH EACH OTHER IN SOME WAYS, ARE. A GIVEN CREATOR ‘AT ALL FOR THEM, INCOMPATIBLE IN OTHERS.FOR EXAMPLE, THE CLASSICIST AND ANIMIST IDEALS BUILD ON TRADITIONS OF CRAFT AND STORYTELLING, WHICH FORMALISTS AND ICONOCLASTS ENJOY OVERTURNING. TRADITION ee REVOLUTION A AND CLASSICISTS AND FORMALISTS SHARE A FOCUS ON ART FOR ART’S SAKE, IN CONTRAST TO THE ANIMIST/ICONOCLAST'S TENDENCY TO SEE ART PRIMARILY THROUGH LIFE'S LENS. Anm> WHEN A COMICS ARTIST SHOWS @ STRONG ATTRACTION TO TWO OF THESE IDEALS, IT'S USUALLY ONE OF THESE ADJACENT PAIRS. ART SPIEGELMAN, THOUGH PRACTICALLY A PATRON SAINT TO YOUNG FORMALISTS, ‘ALSO HAS A STRONG ICONOCLASTIC FOR EXAMPLE, ADVENTURE STRIP MASTER MILTON CANIFF PuT STORY FIRST IN THE MOLD OF THE ANIMISTS, BUT HIS IMPECCABLE COMPOSITIONS seTRay A CLASSICIST’S EYE. AND DAVE MCKEAN'S ART COMBINES FORMALIST EXPERIMENTS WITH CLASSICIST'S PASSION FOR MASTERY AND BEAUTY.MIXING ALONG THE DIAGONALS |S LESS COMMON BECAUSE OPPOSITE CORNERS. OFTEN REPRESENT OPPOSITE VALUES. AND CLASSICISTS wHo PURSUE WORKS OF BEAUTY May FIND LITTLE COMMON GROUND WITH ICONOCLASTS WHO FEEL DRIVEN TO CONFRONT THE “UGLY TRUTHS” OF LiFe. Beauty oe « y TRUTH ‘A FORMALIST APPROACH MAKES THE COMICS FORM VISIBLE THROUGH EXPERIMENTATION — EXACTLY WHAT THE CONTENT-DRIVEN ANIMIST. ‘TRIES TO AVOID BY PUTTING STORY FIRST. — CONTENT THERE ARE THOSE WHO EMBODY THESE CONFLICTING IDEALS IN THEIR ART, SUT THEY TEND TO COMBINE THEM, Like OIL AND WATER ~~ —- EACH IDEAL GOVERNING A DIFFERENT ASPECT oF THE WORK, ‘A BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED, MASTERFUL RENDITION OF ‘JUNK CULTURE"S G ROTESGUE UNDERGELLY, FOR EXAMPLE, aS IN THE CASE OF CHARLES BURNS -- \Geobioe (SEE AAT REDS, Oma 2505 OR A CONSCIOUSLY INVENTIVE, FORMALLY AWARE ODY OF WORK, WITH PURE INTUITIVE MYSTERY AT ITS HEART, AS inl THE ART OF JIM WOODRING.FPS TEMPTING To See THESE CATEGORIES AS ‘AN OUTGROWTH OF EACH ARTIST'S PERSONALITY. THE FOUR TRIGES CORRESPOND ROUGHLY TO CARL JUNG'S FOUR PROPOSED FUNCTIONS OF HUMAN THOUGHT* -— 7 AND T Know, IN MY ‘OWN CASE, THAT AS A NERDY, ANALYTICAL SON OF AN ENGINEER, T Was. BOUND TO HEAD FOR THE FORMALIST STILL, ALL WE'RE REALLY TALKING AOUT HERE IS A COLLECTION OF OBSERVABLE CLUSTERS, VALUES THAT DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE SEEM TO SHARE. IT'D BEA MISTAKE, NOT TO MENTION OBNOXIOUS, ‘TO ASSUME THAT ANYONE'S ARTISTIC PERSONALITY OR POTENTIAL WAS FIXED FOR LIFE By SUCH CHOICES, (OH, YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND, MARTIN, YOURE AN ANIMIST.” WHATEVER YOUR PERSONALITY, THERE'S NOTHING To STOP vou FROM MOVING FROM ONE CLUSTER To ANOTHER AS OFTEN AS YOU WAN'T. THAT SAID, HEADING TOWARD ONE OR TWO OF THESE ARTISTIC PHILOSOPHIES MigHT TURN OUT TO BEA GOOD DIRECTION FOR YOU IN THE LONG. RUN =~ = EVEN IF IT ISN'T THE DIRECTION you'RE HEADING INWE ALL LOOK FOR ANSWERS TO THE BIG QUESTIONS IN COMICS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE JUST STARTING OUT. WHAT MAKES A 00D PAGE? How CAN WE GEST COMMUNICATE WITH ‘OUR READERS? WHAT ROLE SHOULD [ART PLAY IN OUR. GECAUSE FOR ALL THEIR STRENGTHS. EACH OF ‘THESE FOUR APPROACHES TO MAKING COMICS HAS ITS OWN DOWNSIDE. ‘THE INTUITIVE APPROACH OF THE [ASIMISTS CAN PRODUCE POWERFUL WORK FOR ‘A TIME; BUT DOESN'T ALWAYS AGE WELL WITHOUT A BROADER PERSPECTIVE. BUT DEPENDING ON WHICH TRIBE YOU ASK, EACH QUESTION MIGHT Have UP To FOUR DIFFERENT ANSWERS! [AND EVEN IF YOU'RE LUCKY AND FIND THE ANSWERS THAT ARE RIGHT FOR YOU FROM THE START, IT HELPS TO UNDERSTAND THE ALTERNATIVES. THE CLASSICIST'S LOVE OF HARMONY AND BALANCE, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN LEAD TO AN UNINTENTIONALLY STATIC UNIVERSE WITHOUT REAL DRAMA. ‘THE FORMALIST MAY PRODUCE DRY, ACADEMIC OF EVEN UNREADABLE COMICS BY OBSESSING OVER FORM TO THE DETRIMENT oF CONTENT.AND THe ICONOCLAST’S DETERMINATION TO NEVER “SELL-OUT” CAN LEAD To SOME KNEE-JERK REACTIONS AGAINST ANYTHING EVEN REMOTELY POPULAR oR SLICK. STILL, WHATEVER THEIR DRAWBACKS, ALL FOUR TRIGES HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE IN KEEPING COMICS ALIVE AND KICKING ‘OVER THE YEARS. nies FORMALISTS conoctasts THE CLASSICISTS THE ANIMISTS Have ‘THE FORMALISTS AND THE HAVE BEEN THE CREATED MORE KEEP MOVING ICONOCLASTS BACKBONE OF READERS THAN THE COMICS FORWARD, ‘ARE COMICS? COMICS, DEVELOPING. OTHER THREE TRIGES STAYING ON THE CONSCIENCE, AND REFINING & PUT TOGETHER, AND FOREFRONT OF AND THE SOURCE OF CENTURY OF ARE OUR MOST. EACH GENERATION MANY OF ITS MOST TECHNIQUES. VALUABLE ASSETS. OF NEW IDEAS. PROFOUND WORKS, YOU MIGHT ALREADY KNOW AULT CAN SAY FOR SURE IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT OUT OF COMICS, OR YOu WHATEVER GOALS AND VALUES YOU EVENTUALLY MIGHT TAKE YEARS 70 FIND QUT. EITHER, [BUILD YOUR COMICS AROUND ~— WAY, PM NOT GOING To BE MUCH HELP IN DECIDING.No MATTER HOW GOOD YOUR MAP 15, FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE COMICS LANDSCAPE IS A LOT EASIER IF YOU'RE WILLING TO EXPLORE. IT'S ONLY ‘THROUGH WANDERING THAT ANY OF US EVER GET A SOLID SENSE (OF WHERE WE WANT TO GO. (MANY WORTHWHILE DESTINATIONS HAVE SEEN VISITED BY EARLIER GENERATIONS ~- n= THERE'S ALWAYS A CHANCE ‘THar YOURS DOESN'T EXIST ON ANY MAP yer, BECAUSE IT HAS YET TO BE DISCOVERED. iF so, aust KEEP MOVING --THE MEANTIME, KEEP YOUR EYES (OPEN FOR IDEAS FROM OTHER PLACES (ON THE MAP —- 7 OTHER KINDS OF STORIES THAN THE ONES D OTHER REASONS TO TELL THEM — =~ AND GIVE READERS A REASON TO JOIN YOU THERE. =~ SO THAT WHEN You D0 FIND A PLACE YOU Like -- == YOU CaN Pur THar GROUND TO 6000 use =~GENERAL COMMENTS ON MANGA IM USING THE WORD "MANGA" TO REFER TO COMICS MADE IN JAPAN AND PUBLISHED FIRST IN JAPANESE, I MIGHT USE THE TERM “MANGA-FORMAT” OR “MANGA STYLE” TO DESERISE COMICS FROM ELSEWHERE THAT [ARE INFLUENCED BY JAPAN, SUT IT'S ALL STILL COMICS [AS FAR AS T'M CONCERNED. THAT SAID, IF A GUY IN NEWARK WANTS TO CALL HIS COMIC "NEW JERSEY'S BEST MANGA." T'M NOT GOING TO ARGUE WITH HIM. THIS SECTION STICKS MOSTLY TO THE DYNAMICS GETWEEN THE JAPANESE AND NORTH AMERICAN STYLES BECAUSE THAT'S BEEN THE MOST VISIBLE CULTURE CLASH HERE IN RECENT YEARS, SUT KOREAN, CHINESE AND OTHER TRANSLATED ASIAN COMICS ARE STARTING ‘TO APPEAR ON THE SHELVES, THEIR APPROACH TO STORYTELLING SHOWS SOME DISTINCT DIFFERENCES FROM JAPAN, GUT THEY CLEARLY COME FROM THE SAME PART OF THE WORLD, JUST AS BRITISH COMICS FOLLOWED AA DIFFERENT PATH FROM THEIR AMERICAN COUNTERPARTS, WHILE STILL RECOGNIZABLY PART OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMICS TRADITION. ‘OTHER FACTORS CAN COMPLICATE THE EAST-WEST ‘DIVIDE, SOME OF THE COLOR WORK IN RECENT AMERICAN [MAINSTREAM COMICS IS INFLUENCED BY CLASSIC EUROPEAN ALSUMS, TAKING IT IN’ A DIFFERENT DIREC TION ENTIRELY, AND COLOR ITSELF IS A BIG DIVIDING LINE, OF COURSE, SINCE ALMOST ALL MANGA IS IN BLACK: [AND WHITE (SEE UNDERSTANDING COMICS, CHAPTER & FOR SOME IDEAS On! HOW COLOR AFFECTS THE READING EXPERIENCE), IN THIS CHADTER, MOST OF MY EXAMPLES ARE FROM MAINSTREAM TYPES OF MANGA INCLUDING SOME POPULAR SHO.JO AND SHONEN TITLES BECAUSE THOSE [ARE THE KINDS THAT ARE AVAILAGLE HERE, BUT NORTH ‘AMERICAN BOOKSTORES ONLY SHOW A FRACTION OF WHAT'S AVAILABLE IN JAPAN. SOME GENRES GARELY GET SHELVED AT ALL, ESPECIALLY THOSE DEALING WITH SPECIFIC OCCUPATIONS AND ACTIVITIES. THERE'S ALSO A. COUNTERPART TO THE NORTH AMERICAN UNDER- GROUND AND ALTERNATIVE SCENE IN JAPAN THAT DOESN'T CROSS THE OCEAN MUCH. CHECK OUT THE Agr ART BY KOREAN ARTISTS a JA EA AO YUKO TUNG (SEE ART GREDITS, PAGE 250), BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR SOME BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT. NO COUNTRY HAS ALL THE ANSWERS. CARTOONISTS EVERYWHERE TAKE SHORTCUTS. PUBLISHERS EVERY- WHERE TRY TO CLONE WHATEVER WORKED LAST TIME. ‘STORE SHELVES EVERYWHERE ARE FAR TOO SHORT. GUT MANGA ARTISTS N THE LATE 20TH CENTURY MADE EXCEPTIONAL GAINS IN UNLOCKING COMICS’ POTENTIAL AND I THINK THAT STUDYING THEIR RESULTS CAN GENEFIT ANYONE SERIOUS AGOUT MAKING COMICS, PAGE 26 - MORE ON MANGA TECHNIQUES ICONIC FACES: SEE UNDERSTANDING COMICS, PAGES 30-H5, FOR A DISCUSSION OF HOW CARTOON IMAGERY AFFECTS THE READING EXPERIENCE. ON THIS POINT, THE EAST/WEST CONTRAST I NOTICED IN 1982 WAS SPECIFICALLY BETWEEN MANGA AND THE SUPERHERO "MAINSTREAM" COMICS, THERE WERE PLENTY OF CARTOONY CHARAC~ “TERS IN NEWSPAPER STRIPS AND THE KIDS COMICS FROM GOLD KEY, DISNEY, ETC. 'SENSE OF PLACE: ‘THIS WIAS A GIT STRONGER IN 1982 THAN IT [S NOW. MANGA NEVER WENT AS FAR AS THE EUROPEANS IN THE WORLD-GUILDING DEPARTMENT (EXCEPT FOR EUROPEAN-INFLUENCED ARTISTS LIKE MIVAZAKD GUT ‘CONVEYING THE EXPERIENCE OF A PLACE WAS VERY IMPORTANT, AND FREGUENTLY GIVEN A LOT OF ROOM AT THE BEGINNINGS OF SCENES. WORDLESS PANELS/ASPECT TO ASPECT TRANSITIONS: NORTH AMERICAN COMICS HAVE DEFINITELY PICKED UP ‘ON THIS OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS WITH THE GROWTH ‘OF GRAPHIC NOVELS AND THE REDUCED NEED TO HURRY “STORIES ALONG AND KEEP EVERYBODY TALKING, SEE UNDERSTANDING COMICS, PAGES 74-89, FOR MORE ON HOW! SILENCE AND TRANSITION TYPES VARY FROM EAST To wesT. SUBJECTIVE MOTION: SEE UNDERSTANDING COMICS, PAGES 108-IH4, FOR MORE (ON HOW SUBJECTIVE MOTION WORKS. GENRE MATURITY: SUSHI CHEFS, BASEBALL PLAYERS, FISHERMEN, STUDENTS, “SALARYMEN"...NO MATTER WHO YOU WERE | 240IN JAPAN, THERE WAS PROBABLY A GENRE OF comics DEVOTED TO YOU IN [982 —- AND AS FAR AS I KNOW, ‘THERE STILL 1S. WHAT FASCINATED ME, THOUGH, WAS ‘THAT FROM AN ARTISTIC STANDPOINT, EACH GENRE WAS. WILDLY DIFFERENT. EACH HAD ITS OWN APPROACH TO PACING, FRAMING, EXPRESSIONS AND BODY LANGUAGE. IF A BIG MAINSTREAM COMICS PUBLISHER INTHE U.S. DECIDED TOMORROW TO PUBLISH FIVE COMICS DEALING WITH SKATEBOARDING, HIGH SCHOOL ROMANCE, NASCAR, MODELING AND POLITICS RESPECTIVELY, THEY MIGHT FEATURE VERY DIFFERENT TYPES OF STORIES, UT THE BASIC STORYTELLING ENGINE WOULD PROS- AGLY GE THE SAME. BY "MATURITY." I MEAN JUST THAT = THE KIND OF DIFFERENTIATION THAT ONLY COMES WITH YEARS OF GROWTH (AS DISCUSSED ON PAGE 226). CHARACTER DESIGNS: VARIETY OF CHARACTER DESIGN! IN MANGA HAS SOFTENED OVER THE YEARS AS THE GARTOONY ‘TRADITIONS BEGUN BY TEZUKA HAVE GIVEN WAY TO MORE IDEALIZED CHARACTER DESIGNS. GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE BOY'S ACTION GENRES SHOW A SIT MORE VARIATION THAN GIRL'S. ROMANCE. SOME SHOJO ARTISTS: TRY A LITTLE TOO HARD TO MAKE EVERYBODY EAUTI~ FUL IN SIMILAR WAYS. THEN AGAIN, I'M A GUY, SO TAKE THAT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. SMALL, REAL WORLD DETAILS: THIS (S ANOTHER AREA WHERE JAPAN AND THE U:5. MIGHT BE MEETING IN THE MIDDLE, AS MANGA VERS A BIT TOWARD THE FANTASTIC AND NORTH AMERICAN COMICS ARTISTS PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE REAL WORLD. FOR A GREAT EXAMPLE OF A LATE 20TH CENTURY MANGA MASTER WHO: UNDERSTOOD THE POWER OF SMALL MUNDANE DETAILS, CHECK OUT THE PUSH MAN, A TRANSLATED COLLECTION OF MATURE, SOMEWHAT DARK STORIES BY YOSHIKIRO TATSUM! ANAILABLE FROM DRAWN AND GUARTERLY. EMOTIONALLY EXPRESSIVE EFFECTS SOME STYLES ARE GLATANTLY EXPRESSIONISTIC IN PORTRAYING EMOTIGNS THROUGH PEN AND INK. REYOKO IKEDA HELPED PERFECT SUCH EFFECTS IN CLASSIC STORIES LIKE THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES. I DEVOTE CHAPTER FIVE OF UNDERSTANDING COMICS TO THE IDEA ‘THAT SGUIGELES OF INK ON PAPER CAN LOOK HAPPY, SAD, AFRAID OR ANGRY, BUT THESE ARTISTS HAVE MADE THE CASE, FAR MORE ELOQUENTLY THAN I CAN, (OVER THE COURSE OF MORE THAN 100,000 PAGES. ‘ART BY YOSbOrRO TATSUMI (SEE ART CREDITS, Pac 250) PAGE 217 - OTHER EXPLANATIONS: UST TO BE CLEAR, I DON'T WANT TO COMPLETELY DISCOUNT "FORMATS, MARKETING AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES” AS FACTORS IN MANGAS SUCCESS, THE ABSENCE OF COLOR PRINTING ALONE IWOULD HAVE. STEERED MANGA IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION FROM, EUROPE, AND T'VE SPECULATED MYSELF ABOUT DIFFERING TRADITIONS IN WESTERN AND EASTERN ART. BUT HAVING EXPERIENCED MANGA STORYTELLING MYSELF, I BECAME CONVINCED THAT THE FEELINGS IT PRODUCED IN ME AS.A READER WERE THE "ACTIVE. INGREDIENT" THAT HAD DRIVEN MANGA'S WILDLY SUCCESSFUL COMICS INDUSTRY. PAGE 218, PANEL SIX - THE MADAGASCAR EFFECT ‘ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT MANGA, IN THE DECADES LEADING UP TO THE EIGHTIES IS HOW LITTLE EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN STYLES HAD. PENETRATED IT. OSAMU TEZUKA MAY HAVE TAKEN SOME CUES FROM AMERICAN ANIMATION AT THE OUTSET, BUT HE WENT ON TO CREATE SOMETHING UNIQUELY HIS OWN [AND IN RETROSPECT ~~ AS A NATION FOLLOWED HIS. LEAD ~~ UNIQUELY JAPANESE. ARTISTS LIKE GTOMO ‘AND MIYAZAKI WERE JUST GEGINNING TO BRING A MORE EUROPEAN FLAVOR TO MANGA AROUND THE TIME I WANDERED INTO BOOKS KINOKUNIYA ON MY LUNCH HOUR IN 1782, GUT COMPARED TO THE PROMISCUOUS TRADING OF IDEAS BETWEEN EUROPE AND AMERICA DURING THIS PERIOD, JAPAN WAS TRULY AN ISLAND. JAPAN'S COMICS CULTURE IS LIKE ANOTHER ISLAND. NATION, MADAGASCAR, IN THE WAY THAT ITS ARTISTIC FLORA AND FAUNA GREW TO LOOK LIKE NOTHING ELSE (ON EARTH DUE TO ITS RELATIVE ISOLATION. ISOLATION CAN SOMETIMES LEAD TO STAGNATION AND INGREED- ING, GUT TEZUKA'S CAREER SEEMS TO HAVE PROMPTED ‘SUCH A GIODIVERSITY OF GENRES AND STYLES RIGHT FROM THE START THAT NATURAL COMPETITION WAS, PRESERVED OVER THE COURSE OF FOUR DECADES, LEADING TO A HEALTHY, THRIVING comics. ‘cucruRE. PAGE 217) PANEL THREE =~ ALTERNATIVE, COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS T INCLUDE A FACE FROM CHYNNIA CLUGSTON'S SCHOLAS- ‘TIC COMIC QUEEN BEE IN THIS PANEL, WHICH ISN'T EXACTLY PART OF WHAT WE CALL THE “ALTERNATIVE” OR "GRAPHIC NOVEL" SCENE, BUT IT BELONGS IN THIS PANEL MORE THAN IN THE NEXT TWO, SINCE IT'S NOT A WEBCOMIC AND ISN'T "MAINSTREAM" ~- AT LEAST NOT IN THE TORTURED SENSE THAT WE USE THE TERM IN AMERICA, (liEy IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A SUPERHERO COMIC). CLUGSTON IS CLEARLY INFLUENCED &Y AND ASPIRING TOWARD & MANGA STYLE. THOMPSON AND KIM HAVE ABSORGED A LOT OF MANGA INFLUENCES, THOUGH THEY DON'T PURSUE IT AS THEIR DOMINANT STYLE, ‘AND CHRIS WARE JUST HAPPENS TO BE TREADING SOME OF THE SAME GROUND WITH HIS USE OF SILENT MULTI-PANEL ESTABLISHING SHOTS AND OTHER TECHNIQUES. 24PAGES 220-22! - SHOJO VERSUS SHONEN THESE TERMS MOSTLY REFER TO TARGET AUDIENCES GIRLS VERSUS BOYS) RATHER THAN ANY SPECIFIC \GENRE. THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF ROMANCE IN 'SHOJO TITLES AND A LOT OF ACTION IN SHONEN TITLES, BUT THEY'RE NOT IRONCLAD DISTINCTIONS. RUMIKO. ‘TAKAHASHI'S RANMA I/2 IS CONSIDERED SHONEN, FOR EXAMPLE, BUT IT'S READ GY PLENTY OF GIRLS, INCLUD- ING MY OWN DAUGHTERS, MANGA TARGETED AT ADULT MEN AND WOMEN (SEINEN ‘AND JOSE!, RESPECTIVELY? OR SMALL CHILDREN (KODOMO) ARENT TRANSLATED AS OFTEN IN THE ‘STATES. BUT YOU CAN FIND SOME ON THE SHELVES. PAGE 221 - SUPERHEROES AND MANGA. PANEL FOUR IS FROM ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOLUME ‘ONE WITH PENCILS BY MARK BAGLEY AND INKS BY ART THISERT AND DAN PANOSIAN. MANGA=STYLE MOTION LINES LIKE THESE APPEAR IN SEVERAL PLACES, AND THE [BOOK HAS A SLIGHT POST-MANGA FLAVOR OVERALL. WITH THAT IN MIND, IT'S INTERESTING TO COMPARE IT TO SOMETHING LIKE MASASH! KISHIMOTO'S SUPERHERO-LIKE NARUTO, (SEEN AT THE TOP OF PAGE 22D TO SEE HOW MANY DIFFERENCES STILL REMAIN BETWEEN THE TWO COMICS CULTURES. FIGURES IN THE ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN PANELS SEEM TO FACE OUT MORE OFTEN, FOR EXAMPLE. THE FIGURES IN NARUTO. OFTEN FACE AWAY FROM THE READER, AS IF WE'RE RUNNING INTO ACTION GEHIND THEM OR CONTROLLING THEIR MOVEMENTS IN A GAME. FIGURES IN US-M ALSO TEND TO FILL THE PANEL MORE. KISHIMOTO SEEMS LESS RELUCTANT TO PULL BACK FOR LONG=SHOTS OF HIS HEROES (THOUGH HE GOES TOE-TO-TOE WITH HIS. AMERICAN COUNTERPARTS IN THE EXTREME CLOSE-UPS. DEPARTMENT). PAGES 222-223 - MANGA'S SCATTERED SEEDS WHEN T BEGAN MAKING COMICS IN THE EARLY ‘605, THERE WERE ONLY A FEW PUBLISHED ARTISTS WHO OPENLY ACKNOWLEDGED A MANGA INFLUENCE. THE ‘THREE MOST PROMINENT AT THE TIME WERE WENDY INL, FRANK MILLER (WHOSE SERIES RONIN HAD DIRECT NODS TO LONE WOLF AND CUB) AND COLLEEN DORAN. [ALL INCORPORATED MANGA IDEAS INTO THEIR WORK, [3 ART CREDITS, Pa 258, “THOUGH NONE WOULD GE DESCRIGED AS "AMERICAN MANGA” AS SOME LATER TITLES WOULD GE, ARTISTS LIKE LEA HERNANDE? PURSUED MANGA STYLES MORE, FULLY AND WERE PRECURSORS TO THE MORE RECENT ‘OEL (ORIGINAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE) MANGA VOLUMES WHICH SIT ALONGSIDE JAPANESE IMPORTS IN THE SAME FORMAT. LUKE ANY STYLE WITH A DEVOTED FAN FOLLOWING, ‘THERE'S SOME CONTROVERSY OVER TERMINOLOGY AND AUTHENTICITY (ASK & 20-SOMETHING NIRVANA FAN WHAT "GRUNGE" MEANS FOR A DEMONSTRATION OF THIS PRINCIPLE). THE EARLY TERM "AMERI-MANGA” BECAME ‘AN INSULT IN SOME CIRCLES, AND EVEN "OBL" HAS ITS DETRACTORS, THOUGH IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE A MORE NEUTRAL WAY OF DESCRIGING SUCH BOOKS. SOME 06L. MANGA LIKE SVETLANA CHMAKOVA'S DRAMACON STAY VERY CLOSE TO MAINSTREAM MANGA STYLES AND CELEBRATE MANGA'S MORE IDIOSYNCRATIC TOUCHES LIKE “CHIGIS" (PAGE 220, PANEL SIX IS A CHIGI VERSION OF | ME). OTHER OELS LIKE AMY KIM GANTER'S SORCERERS AND SECRETARIES (PAGE 222) STILL RETAIN SOME WESTERN FLAVOR BUT ARE TARGETED TO MANGA READERS THROUGH FORMAT, PUBLISHER AND OVERALL TONE. GANITER AND BRYAN LEE O'MALLEY (WHOSE SCOTT PILGRIM CAN GE SEEN AT THE TOP OF PAGE 223) ARE PART OF & NEW WAVE OF YOUNG CARTOONISTS WHO'VE READ PLENTY OF COMICS FROM JAPAN AND AMERICA VER THE YEARS, AND WHOSE INFLUENCES HAVE BLENDED TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S HARD TO TELL WHERE ONE STYLE BEGINS AND THE OTHER ENDS. THIS TREND 18 ESPECIALLY NOTAGLE IN THE GROUND- BREAKING FLIGHT ANTHOLOGY, WHICH ALSO BECAME A MEETING PLACE FOR WEBCOMICS ARTISTS HEADING FOR DRINT AND ANIMATION ARTISTS HEADING FOR COMICS, PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY EVEN REFERRED TO GANTER AS: PART OF THE “FLIGHT GENERATION," INHICH MAY NOT BE FAR OFF WHEN WE LOOK BACK AT THIS PERIOD. PAGES 227 ~ UNDERSTANDING BANDE DESSINEE? LIKE MANGA, THE EUROPEAN TRADITION IS INCREDISLY RICH AND DIVERSE. OBVIOUSLY, T DON'T THINK THAT. EVERYBODY IN EUROPEAN COMICS IS CONSCIOUSLY GOING AFTER WORLD-BUILDING AS THEIR TOP ASSIGNMENT. LiKE ARTISTS Il ANY CULTURE, THEY HAVE A THOUSAND DIFFERENT GOALS IN MIND WHEN THEY SIT DOWN TO THE DRAWING BOARD. GUT COMPARED TO JAPAN AND NORTH AMERICA, WORLD-BUILDING ‘WAS A CONSTANT FEATURE IN THE ‘COMICS OF ARTISTS FROM HERGE TO UDERZO TO MOEBIUS TO TARD! TO SCHUITEN TO JANSSON. NO (MATTER WHAT THE GENRE, EUROPEAN ARTISTS RARELY 'SKIMPED ON THE CREATION OF RICH ENVIRONMENTS AND: “THE CONSTANT REITERATION OF THOSE ENVIRONMENTS (ON EVERY PAGE. FOR MUCH OF THE 207H CENTURY, WORLD-BUILDING WAS A BEDROCK ASSUMPTION, FAR ABOVE WHICH, DIVERSE CAREERS TOOK ROOT. LIVING IN AMERICA, I MAY BE TOO CLOSE TO SPOT OUR (OWN COMMON DENOMINATORS, BUT I DON'T DOUST 242THAT THEY EXIST. SUMMING UP POST-KIRGY SUPER- HERO COMICS WOULD SE LIKE SHOOTING FISH IN A BARREL, BUT IS THERE A SINGLE THEME THAT ROPES IN EVERYTHING FROM KIRBY TO EISNER TO CRUMB TO. SCHULZ? IS IT THE PRIMACY OF THE FIGURE? OUR APPROACH TO GACKGROUNDS? THE PROTAGONIST AS LONER? THE WAY CHARACTERS PLAY TO THE READER? ‘GUR FREQUENT USE OF THE WORD “INVULNER- asl?” WHATEVER MAKES NORTH AMERICAN COMICS UNIGUE, IT'S PROGAGLY BLURRED IN THE LAST 20 YEARS AS EUROPEAN AND JAPANESE INFLUENCES HAVE ENTERED. THE MIX ~- AND: AS JAPAN AND EUROPE’S UNIGUE QUALITIES HAVE ALSO SOFTENED. EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA AND JADAN MAY NEVER AGAIN GE AS DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER AS THEY WERE WHEN T WAS STARTING OUT. THE WORLD 1S. SHRINKING, INTERNATIONAL STYLES ARE EMERGING, AND SOGN, THE WEB MAY SCRAMBLE THINGS BEYOND RECOGNITION, GUT BACK IN 1982, THE OCEANS SEEMED ESPECIALLY WIDE FOR A YOUNG COMICS FAN, PAGES 229-237 - THE FOUR TRIBES E ACTUALLY SAT ON THIS IDEA FOR OVER TEN YEARS WITHOUT PUBLISHING IT, CONCERNED THAT IT MIGHT DO MORE HARM THAN! GOOD. I'M SYMPATHETIC TO. THOSE WHO SEE ANY SUCH EFFORTS TO CATEGORIZE ART AS REDUCTIVE AND FUTILE. SUT THEN I'D SEE THESE RANTS LIKE: “CRAFT 1S THE ENEMY OF ARTI ALTERNATIVE COMICS ARE FOR PEOPLE WHO CANT DRAW" “EVERYONE MAKING MAINSTREAM COMICS IS 8 ‘SELL-OUT. “EXPLAINING ART RUINS IT." “IF IT HAS NO NEW IDEAS, HAT GOOD IS IT?" <-AND I REALIZED THAT IN @ WORLD WHERE SO MANY PEOPLE REDUCE ART TO TWO SIDES, MAYBE REDUCING IF TO FOUR WOULD SE AN IMPROVEMENT. COMICS IS AN ECOSYSTEM, AND EACH OF THE FOUR TRIBES HAS A ROLE TO PLAY IN KEEPING IT HEALTHY [AND GROWING. DECLARING WAR ON ANOTHER'S. ARTISTIC PHILOSOPHY IS AS POINTLESS AS A TREE SCOLDING THE GRASS FOR GEING SHORT. WE May BE COMPETING FOR THE SUNLIGHT OF OUR READERS! ATTENTION, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE'D BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT EACH OTHER. PAGE 235 = CLUSTERS ‘THIS 1S AN IMPORTANT POINT THAT T HOPE KEEPS THE FOUR TRIBES IDEA FROM DESCENDING INTO SOME THING MORE TOXIC, THERE ARE NO HARD DIVIDING LINES BETWEEN THESE FOUR IDEALS, AND NO ONE LABEL CAN EVER SUM UP A HUMAN GEING. BUT EACH PHILOSOPHY HAS A CERTAIN GRAVITY TO IT THAT MAKES THOSE CLUSTERS OF ARTISTS VISIBLE ON THE PAGE, ON THE WES AND ON THE CONVENTION FLOOR NEW ARTISTS WALK INTO THE CROWD, MEET OTHERS LIKE THEMSELVES AND GRADUALLY START HANGING ‘OUT WITH THE ARTISTS THAT SHARE THEIR VALUES, ‘THE ONES WHO "GET IT” WHEN THEY START TALKING ABOUT THE THINGS THAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ‘To THEM. THINK OF HOGWARTS" SORTING HAT IN THE. HARRY POTTER BOOKS, PICKING OUT THE GRYFFINDORS, HUFFLEPUFFS, RAVENCLAWS AND SLYTHERINS,.. ONLY “THERE'S MORE TASLE-HOPPING, AND HARDLY ANYONE |S “TRYING TO KILL YOU. PAGE 236-237 - DRAWBACKS OF THE TRIBES. TLL CONFESS TO THE SINS OF THE FORMALIST. I CAN POINT TO ANY NUMBER OF COMICS THAT I'VE DRAWN IN WHICH EXPERIMENTAL IDEAS WERE PRETTY MUCH THEIR, ONLY VIRTUE. ANYBODY CALLING SUCH COMICS “DRY,"* “ACADEMIC” OR “UNREADABLE” WON'T GET MUCH RESISTANCE FROM ME. AS LONG AS SOMETHING IS JUST ‘AN EXPERIMENT, ARTISTS LIKE ME ARE CONTENT WITH SOME FAILURES ALONG THE WAY. “IF YOU CAN GUARAN- ‘TEE THE RESULTS IN ADVANCE, IT'S NOT AN EXPERI- MENT” SUMS UP THE ATTITUDE. SUT FORMALISTS LIKE ME CAN SCREW UP SADLY WHEN WE TRY TO TELL A STORY STRAIGHT. WE KEEP GETTING DISTRACTED BY ALL THE FORMAL POSSIBILITIES ALONG ‘THE WAY, AND WIND UP WITH & STIFF, FILL-IN-THE- BLANKS COMIC WHERE INDIVIDUAL PANELS ARE JUST BORED EXCUSES TO GET TO THE NEXT BIG IDEA. YOU MIGHT CALL IT THE "NOT SEEING THE TREES FOR THE FOREST” PROBLEM, AND IT'S A COMMCN ONE WITH ART-NERDS LIKE ME. IT’S HARD TO JUST TELL A STORY STRAIGHT WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY POSSIGILITIES IN THE AIR. [TIM NOTORIOUS FOR ENCOURAGING A LOT OF CRAZY EXPERIMENTS IN PRINT AND ON THE WES, EVER SINCE, LUNDERS TANDING COMICS CAME OUT IN 1993. YET IN MOST OF THIS BOOK, I’M ESSENTIALLY TEACHING MY READERS TO BURY THEIR EXPERIMENTS AND IMPERSON- ATE ANIMISTS! GO BACK TO PAGE ONE. SEE THE BALLOON IN THAT MIDDLE PANEL?: A READING EXPERIENCE SO SEAMLESS THAT IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE READING AT ALL BUT LiKE BEING THERE? ‘THAT'S THE LAST THING ON A FORMALIST'S MIND, AND IT'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT THE ICONOCLASTS OR CLASS! CISTS ARE AFTER EITHER. GUT JUST AS I MENTION IN, ‘THE NOTES TO CHAPTER ONE, THIS IS WHERE MAKING COMICS STARTS. IT'S WHY COMICS EXIST. AND PURSUING ‘THAT GOAL HELPS TO ILLUMINATE THE PATH TO ANY NUMBER OF OTHER GOALS, ADDITIONAL NOTES AT: WWW.SCOTTMCCLOUD.COM/MAKINGCOMICS 243OE TSG Aw ‘Chapter Seven The Comics Professional ez . WEY @Y? Be LAN EVE BEEN MAKING COMICS PROFESSIONALLY FOR MORE ‘THAN 20 YEARS. - AND EM. GRATEFUL FOR EVERY Day F'VE EEN ABLE TO KEEP DOING IT.work LONG HOURS. GUT T GET TO BE My ‘OWN BOSS, DRAW MY OWN STORIES, LISTEN TO MUSIC T-LIKE AND CREATE MY ‘Own WORK ENVIRONMENT. excepT FOR THE THAT WAS ALREADY HERE WHEN T RENTED THIS PLACE. IN SHORT, FOR IF MAKING COMICS SOUNDS, A CONTROL LIKE A GooD JOB To YOU, you FREAK Like Me, MIGHT BE WONDERING HOW To BREAK 11'S THE Into “THE BUSINESS.” PERFECT JOB! UT BEFORE CONSIDERING. THAT, YOU'LL NEED ‘To ASK YOURSELF: “WHICH BUSINESS?” IN NORTH AMERICA ALONE, THERE ARE TWICE AS MANY MARKETS To CONSIDER AS WHEN T STARTED. NONE OFFER AN EASY ROAD TO FAME OR FORTUNE, AND SOME ARE MORE CREATIVELY RESTRICTED THAN OTHERS, SUT MOST OFFER AT LEAST A FEW SUCCESS STORIES. HOE a ematty Go tm = ws ame } | MISCELLANEOUS PRINTSOME OF Comics* BIGGEST SUCCESS STORIES OVER THE YEARS HAVE SEEN IN NEWSPAPER STRIPS AND PERIODICAL COMIC BOOKS. “THE SYNDICATES AND PUBLISHERS THAT SERVICE THE BIGGEST SHARES. OF THESE MARKETS ARE VERY SELECTIVE ASOUT THE STYLE AND CONTENT OF WHAT THEY ACCEPT, THOUSH. AND THE COMPETITION is FIERCE! IF THE KINDS OF COMICS YOU WANT TO MAKE DON'T FIT EASILY INTO A POPULAR NICHE, YOU MIGHT FIND MORE CREATIVE LATITUDE IN “ALTERNATIVE” COMICS PUBLISHERS AND ARTS WEEKLIES ~ oR SELF= WITH LIMITED. PUBLISHING via DISTRIBUTION, OFFSET PRESS, SUCH OPTIONS PRINT-ON-DEMAND OR MEAN LITTLE OR NO CASH UP FRONT ~~ ee cz = SPN AY GED | New LAGNA SE) car) Ss i =| ese] i Ee! i?) SARI = 1 vg hn S ror es ees ~- QUT ALTERNATIVE AND SMALL PRESS WORK OF COURSE, THE MOST UT SOME ARTISTS CAN ALSO FEED INTO THE GRAPHIC NOVEL MARKET. IN FACT, MANY HITS OF THE GRAPHIC NOVEL MOVEMENT ORIGINATED IN THE SMALL PRESS AND ALTERNATIVE SCENES. IN NORTH AMERICA HAVE HAD LUCK CREATING MANGA= FORMATTED comics (OF THEIR OWN.* ‘SUCCESSFUL COMICS MARKET IN NORTH AMERICA DOESN'T ACTUALLY COME FROM NORTH AMERICA == 0m ART CREDITS, Pace 256 * EITMER THROUGH DOMESTIC OR JAPANESE PUBLISHERS,Er RIGHT Now, THE MARKET roe [/ HOMEGROWN MANGA-FORMATTED BOOKS IS TOO NEW TO EVALUATE, GUT MORE CROSS-BREEDING IS INEVITABLE, SO KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN. ALSO KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR OPPORTUNITIES: IN OTHER PRINT PUBLICATIONS THaT RUN COMICS. THESE POP-UP ALL THE TIME AND CAN RESULT IN GREAT VISIBILITY. MIGHT MAKE A CAREER OUT OF A KIND OF COMIC THAT DOESN'T EVEN EXIST veri ‘ON THE WEB, PUBLISHING AND DISTRIBUTION [ARE ONE AND THE SAME AND ~~ AT LEAST AT THE ENTRY POINT ~~ FaIRLY CHEAP. EQUIPMENT For IT, OF COURSE. NOW, THE BIGGEST WEBCOMICS HITS ARE ABLE TO TURN A PROFIT FROM ADVERTISING, MERCHANDISE, DONATIONS, ETC. MOST STILL STRUGGLE TO MAKE A LIVING, GUT ‘THE SCENE IS CHANGING CONSTANTLY. SEE THE NOTES PAGE FoR MORE EVEN THE WEB MAY NOT BE THE comics. BUSINESS’ CUTTING EDGE IN A FEW YEARS, AS THE PROSPECT OF NEW INFORMATION APPLIANCES AND OTHER APPLICATIONS OF NEW MEDIA LOOMS. THERE Have SEEN SOME. INITIATIVES IN THIS. DIRECTION BUT THE FIELD IS STILL IN ITS. INFANCY. ano ITS FATE IS ANYONE'S Guess. If YOU'RE LIKE MOST PEOPLE, YOU WANT TO DO. YOUR OWN THING AND GET PAID FOR IT, AND WHILE REALIZING THAT DREAM MIGHT NEVER BE EASY, THE GROWTH OF NEW MARKETS HAS. DEFINITELY HELPED. 247THE WHOLE IDEA OF “BREAKING: INTO” comics IMPLIES THAT ‘THERE'S SOME SORT (OF INSTITUTION WITH & FIXED LOCATION THAT ‘YOU CAN FIND AND PENETRATE ~~ == BUT GETTING A JOB IN COMICS THESE DAYS IS MORE LIKE CATCHING A MOVING TRAIN THAT NEVER STOPS At THE SAME ‘STATION TWICE! MANGA AND THE GRAPHIC WHOLE MARKET IN EAN, BEN Soe now! =~ NOVEL Movement TOGETHER WOULD BE ENOUGH TO TURN THE UPSIDE DOWN ‘THE NEW GENERATION OF READERS ‘THAT THESE MARKETS ARE BRINGING IN WILL BE MAKING THEIR OWN COMICS IN THE COMING DECADE AND EARLY SIGNS ARE THEY'RE GOING ‘To BE GOOD aT IT. $0 6000. FACT, THAT THE WHOLE MEANING OF “PROFESSIONAL” QUALITY COMICS May BE ‘agouT To CHANGE. 5 THAT'S Wey I q HOPE THAT YOU'LL DO MORE THAN JusT ‘CATCH=UP TO MY ‘GENERATION OF PROS -~ = GUT THROW THE WEB wo ‘THE EQUATION AND You HAVE THE MOST UNPREDICTABLE MARKET COMICS HAS EVER SEEN! se PREPARED TO Take SOME TUMBLES GEFORE YOU GET IT RIGHT! o> GUT WILL TRY To. Go BEYOND WHAT ANY oF USLOOK BACK THROUGH THIS BGOK ‘AND YOU'LL FIND A DOZEN OPPORTUNITIES To GO BEYOND wHaT ANY comics ARTIST WORKING TODAY IS ACHIEVING! THESE AREN'T THE ‘GOALS EVERY SUCCESSFUL ARTIST MEETS -- THEY'RE THE GOALS PROFESSIONALS USUALLY FAIL TO MEET ~~ INCLUDING ME! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO EXPLORE THE CUTTING EDGE STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES My GENERATION HAS ONLY BEGUN To UNDERSTAND ~~ SOMETHING NEW “TO SAY, AND Say FT WATH A CLEAR, STRONG VOICE ~~ = 70 FIND CHOICE Fal ct FO}. choice oF MOMENT (Ry cuore FRAME AGE Hi @ . OICE CHOICE BEY oF F WORD FLO > TO CREATE CHARACTERS WITH INNER LIVES SO DEEP AND OUTER APPEARANCES SO VARIED AND COMPELLING, THEY TAKE ON LIVES OF THEIR OWN.NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO TAP INTO THE EMOTIONAL POWER OF FACIAL EXPRESSIONS -- AND THE SIGNS ano SYMBOLS. OF THE HUMAN BODY ~~ 9 © = os BRING WORDS AND PICTURES TOGETHER TO CREATE IDEAS AND SENSATIONS NONE OF US EVEN DREAMED COMICS COULD PRODUCE ~~ 250ND TRANSPORT US TO PLACES We NEVER DREAMED COMICS COULD 6. ~ WHATEVER PASSIONS DRIVE YOU TO CREATE ~~ -- NOW 'S YOUR CHANCE == 251 -- TO MAKE COMICS THar wit LEAVE MY GENERATION’S ‘BEST WORK IN THE Dust!ATT 5 / : \D Maa ae < On tN = 4 S| G) 5 = ry == I J = xs = HEE All iJOULES CHAPTER 7: MAKING COMICS PAGE 244 - A GOOD JOB TO HAVE? REALLY DO LOVE MY J08, SUT NOT EVERYONE WHO MAKES COMICS FEELS THE SAME WAY, AND'I DON'T KNOW ANY CARTOONISTS WHO WOULD CALL IT “EASY.” CHRIS WARE WARNED AN AUDIENCE OF WOULD=8E CARTOONISTS: "YOU REALLY, REALLY HAVE TO WORK HARD. DRAWING COMICS REGUIRES PRETTY MUCH ALL OF YOUR FREE TIME... TWO OR MORE DECADES WILL PASS WITHOUT YOUR NOTICING IT AT ALL. FRIENDS WILL BE MARRIED, HAVE CHILDREN, GET DIVORCED AND DIE, ALL WHILE YOU'RE WORKING ON YOUR SLOW MOTION PICTURE STORY, AVERAGE RATIO OF WORK TIME TO ACTUAL NARRATIVE STORY TIME, FOUR THOUSAND TO ONE.” WARE'S OWN COMICS ARE UNUSUALLY LASOR- INTENSIVE, BUT OTHERS ECHO HIS DIRE PROGNOSIS, MOST FAMOUSLY CHARLES SCHULZ WHO FLATLY STATED: "CARTOONING WILL DESTROY YOU; IT WILL BREAK YOUR HEART." TLL STICK BY MY "NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT" ATTITUDE ~~ AND I’M NOT ALONE -- BUT IT's ALSO IMPORTANT TO STRESS THE "IF" IN THAT CHEERY PHRASE. THE NUMBER OF COMICS ARTISTS MAKING ENOUGH MONEY TO SUPPORT A FAMILY IS VERY SMALL COMPARED TO THE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO WANT TO, AND THE TALENT AMONG THE WANNAGES HAS ‘SKYROCKETED LATELY. BEING GOOD ENOUGH ISN'T. GOOD ENOUGH, YOU HAVE TO BE GREAT. PAGE 247, PANELS THREE-FOUR - THE WEBCOMICS MARKET NO MARKET IS AS UNPREDICTABLE AND RAPIDLY EVOLVING AS WEBCOMICS. I’M WRITING THIS IN SPRING, AND BY THE TIME THIS BOOK COMES OUT IN AUTUMN, EVERYTHING MIGHT HAVE CHANGED AGAIN. SOME THINGS ARE CONSTANT THOUGH, YOUR GEST BET FOR GETTING NOTICED IS STILL DOING GOOD WORK THAT CONNECTS WITH YOUR AUDIENCE, FOLLOWED ay GETTING THE WORD OUT TO THOSE ARTISTS AND BLOGGERS THAT FREQUENTLY LINK TO THINGS THEY LIKE. GET TO KNOW THE SCENE AS A READER AND YOULL FIND IT EASIER TO JOIN THE SCENE AS.AN ARTIST AND WRITER. RIGHT NOW, THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMICS ON THE WE ARE THE WEB-NATIVE HUMOR STRIPS WITH AUDIENCES Gi¢ ENOUGH TO ATTRACT ADVERTISERS: AND SPONSORSHIPS, PROMOTE ASSOCIATED PRINT. TITLES AND SELL MERCHANDISE. LONG FORM WESCOM- ICS, THE EQUIVALENTS OF COMIC BOOKS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS ONLINE, HAVE HAD FEWER BREAK-OUT HITS BUT CONTINUE TO PROLIFERATE. PAID DOWNLOADS, DESPITE AN EXPLOSION IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, ARE LESS COMMON IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE WEBCOMICS AT THIS POINT. THOUGH BUSINESSMEN AND CARTOONISTS (INCLUDING ME CONTINUE TO TRY OUT VARIOUS MODELS, AND THERE ‘ARE SOME SIGNIFICANT RUMBLINGS IN THE ASEAN ONLINE COMICS MARKET. TILL TRY TO SUM UP THE CURRENT SCENE IN) MY ONLINE NOTES (AND IN MY ONLINE EXTENSION TO THE TECHNOLOGY SECTION, “CHAPTER 5'1/2"?. FOR NOW, JUST REMEMBER THAT NO COMICS MARKET BETTER FITS THAT RUNAWAY TRAIN METAPHOR FROM PAGE 248 THAN WEBCOMICS. FINAL THOUGHTS: F SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS BOOK THAT THERE ‘ARE NO RULES YOU NEED TO FOLLOW. IF YOU'RE CURIOUS THOUGH, I DO HAVE SOME RULES I TRY TO FOLLOW MYSELF. HERE ARE FOUR: |. LEARN FROM EVERYONE 2. FOLLOW NO ONE 3. WATCH FOR PATTERNS, WORK LIKE HELL NOBODY HAS ALL THE ANSWERS, INCLUDING ME, SUT I ‘THINK EVERYONE HAS A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE. T HOPE. YOULL TREAT THIS BOOK AS A STARTING POINT, A GUIDE TO THE PATTERNS AND POSSIBILITIES AT LEAST. (ONE ARTIST GELIEVES HE SEES OUT THERE. THERE ARE PLENTY OF MY PEERS WHO DISAGREE WITH ME ASOUT SOME OF THESE TOPICS. LEARN FROM ALL OF US AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. YOU COULD IGNORE EVERYTHING I'VE WRITTEN AND STILL PRODUCE A GREAT COMIC. YOU COULD FOLLOW EVERY SUGGESTION I'VE MADE AND STILL TURN GUT A PIECE OF CRAP, THERE'S NO REPLACEMENT FOR INSTINCT AND INSPIRATION. GUT IF THIS BOOK HAS HELPED TO IMPROVE THE FORMER OR BOLSTER THE LATTER, THAT'S ENOUGH FOR ME. ‘THANKS FOR READING AND GOOD LUCK, C2 -- SCOTT MecLoUD SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA, 2006 FOR ADDITIONAL NOTES, “CHAPTER 5 1/2,” RESOURCES, LINKS, UPDATES, PONTIFICATIONS, RUN-ON SENTENCES, WEASELLY DISCLAIMERS AND DETAILS ON THE MASSIVE. MAKING COMICS TOUR (ALL FiFTy STATES, STARTING IN FALL OF 2006 ~- WE HOPED ViSIT= WWW.SCOTTMCCLOUD.COM/MAKINGCOMICS 255Bibliography and Suggested Reading true bibliography for this book would be thousands Of titles long, since most of the ideas in these pages came from reading comics, nat books about comics. Sfil, [hope you'll find the following list helpful, Some Of these books helped me directly with research, ‘Many ore just good books | can recommend The Head of the Class There ore 0 few books which excel at their respective topics fo such a degree that they quailty as essential reading. Here they are: Chelsee, Dovid. Perspective! For Comics artists. New York, NY: Watson-Guptill, 1997. Eisner, Wil. Comics and Sequential Art. Tamarac, FL: Poothouse Press. 1985. Foigin, Gary, The Artist's Complete Guide to Facto! Expression, New York, NY: Watson-Gupiil, 1990. Lee, Stan andl John Buscamo. Mow fo Draw Comics the Morvel Way. New York, NY; Simon ancl Schuster, 1978. Tofle, Edward. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press. 1987. Chelsea and Foigin's books ore the most practical since you'te bound to need their advice on every page you drow, Chelsea's book's in comics form ike this one and it's o real eye-opener. If you've ever had trouble drawing in perspective, he'l set you right in record time. Faigin’s book on expressions was o gF€0t help for me personaly. As with my own section ‘on expressions, though, don't get hung up on sty. Foigin isn't tefing you how to draw exprestions in ony porticular way, just helping you understand how the: face works and he does that extremely well. Eisner’s book is a foundation we've all been building on for years. His 1996 baok Graphic Storyteling and Visual Norative is also recommended. Lee ond Busceme re much narower in their focus. but if you want to understand the style of comics they helped refine in the ‘70s, Marvel Way certainly delivers. Tufte's book is cbout information design. not cornics, but his ideas on clarity and communication ate powerful and persuasive. Tufte knows that good ‘design is about more than just choosing the right logo and does a great job of explaining why. Visual Displays the classic that started it oll, but his later books Envisioning information (1990) and Visual Explanations (1997) are just os good, General Reference / Theory Blackbeard. Bil and Mortin Willams. The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics, Washington, C: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1977. A classic, oversized collection of many clossic early comic strips. Might be at your local library if you can’t find (or afford) a used copy. Dosley, Michael ond Steve Heller, The Education of o ‘Comics Arist: Visval Narrative in Cartoons, Graphic Novels, and Beyond. New York. NY: Allworth Press, 2008, interviews with a wide range of comics artists and cartoonists (including me) ‘and odd, but interesting glimpses into the brains of some of the better artists working today. Gravett, Paul. Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life, New York, NY: Collins Design, 2005. Slick coffee table format. but Gravett is a serious ‘observer of the scene and covers a lot of ground (same gees for his Mange book below). Harvey, R.C. The Art of the Comic Book, Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1996. Also see Harvey's 1994 book The Art of the Funnies. Schulz ond Brownstein editors. Eisner/Mller Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Publishing, 2005, Two giants of American comics, Will Eisner and Frank Milles, talk about anything ond everything for 347 pages. More on Manga Deppey, Dit ecitor. The Comics Jounal #269. Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics, 2005. Several interesting essays about Manga in this oversized eqition of the venerable TC. Gravett, Paul, Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese ‘Comies. London, UK: Laurence King Publishing, 2004, Schodil, Frederik L. Mangal Mangal The World of Japanese Comies, Tokyo/New York: Kodansha International, 1983, A year after | started scouring the shelves at Books Kinokuniya in New York (see page 215), Schodt's back came out and answered a lot of questions. Also check out his more recent Dreamland Japan, Shitator, Chikod. Secret Comics Japan, San Francisco, CA: Cadence Books, 2000. Nice* anthology of some Japanese underground comics, compiled by a former editor of the influential Japcnese alternative anthology Garo. ‘And yes, there are literally hundreds of how-to books focusing on Manga styles. wish | could help sort through the pile, but I've had trouble identifying the standou!s. Pick whatever looks good to you. Just keep an eye on what's going on under those styles. 256Drawing Humans Bridgman, George. Constructive Anatomy, Biidgman's life Drowing, etc, New York, NY: Dover Publications. Popular figure crowing books from thie 1920s, stilin use today. Darin. Charles. The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, third ection 1998. fist published in 1872. With extensive footnotes by Paul Ekman. Ekman, Paul. Emotions Revealed, New York, NY: Henry Holt, 2003, In-depth analysis of facial expressions, Sparse ilustrations, but sfil useful for orlists and a key source for Gary Faigin's book, Homi, Jock. Cartooning the Head ond Figure, New York, NY: The Putnam Pubblshing Group. 1967. don't know any contemporary cartoonists who actually wont to draw like Jack Hamm, but we oil adore his gooty, obsessively detailed how-to ‘books and you might too. ‘Moms, Desmond. Manwatching. New York. NY: Harry N, Abrams. 197. (Out of print but don't let thet stop you, If the stuff on page 11 interests you. track down a copy of Moris* minatblowing book from the '70s, Iwai frustrated in my search for a guide to body lenguage that was as good as the texts found for facial expressions {most seemed pre-occupied with how fo pick up ‘women at the water cooler or convince the regional sales manager that you were o ‘go-gelter) but Moms’ book, which I've owned singe college. continues to be a source of Inspiration ond delight, Writing for Comics Gertler, Nat editor. Panel One: Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers. Thousand Oaks, CA: About Comics, ‘2002. Examples of various comics scripts in the form they were given to the artist: the folow-up ‘volume, Panel Two reprints one of my own scripts from the ‘BOs, O'Neil, Denis. The DC Comics Guide to Writing ‘Comics. New York. NY: DC Comics. 2001. From the some series a3 DC's art instruction guides {below Salisbury, Mork. Waiters on Comics Scriptwriting. ‘London, UK: Titan Books, 2002. Don't have it, but the one on artists (see below) s pretty good and 'm guessing thisis too, Tools and Techniques Blois, Preston. Cartoon Animation, Laguna Hills, CA: Wolter Foster Publishing, 1995 (more compact Format than the original | got back in the '70s}. ‘Collins, Sean T. editor. How to Drow: The Best of Witard Basic Training. Congers. NY: Wizard Enteriainment, 2005. Pretty much the polar ‘opposite of this book, but a decent survey of contemporary mainstream superhero styles, plus some gteat advice trom smart veterans ike Joe Kubert and Walt Simenson, ‘Guplil, Arthur L. Rendering in Pen ond ink. New York, NY: Watson-Guptil, 1997. Originally published in 1987. Recommended by several artists | contacted. Loomis, Andrew. Various titles, Paul Smith and other “arlisis | know swear by the figure drawing books ‘of Andrew Loomis, The site SaveLoomis.org has {inks to online sources for various Loomis titles. ‘Martin, Gary with Steve Rude. The Art of Comic-B00k Inking, Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Publishing, 1997. A welltespected how-to guide that a few ‘of my Comespondents mentioned. May be-out of print, but you might stil find copies out there. Norling, Emest. Perspective Made Easy, Mineola. NY: Dover Publications, 1999, First published in 1939, this book solidly delivers the promise of the title. Andit's cheapl Another favorite of Paul Smith, Richardson, John Adkins, The Complete Book of Cartooning. Englewood Cilfs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1977. Though & bit dated, Drew Weing and | both have fond memories of this smart, eclectic book that caught our eye when we were first learning to moke comics. Salisbury, Mark. Artists on Comics Art. London, UK: Titan Books, 2000, interesting ciscussions with comics artists about thelr techniques, Various, The DC Comics Guide to... {... Penciling, Inking. ..Coloring and Lettering). New York, NY: DC Comies, 2002-2004, Stick, well-done ond informative guides modem mainstream techniques. Walker, Mort. The Lexicon of Comicana. Port Chester, NY: Comicana Inc., 1980. Not practical. but a fot of fun. Withrow. Steve and John Borber. Webcomics: Tools nd Techniques fer Digital Cartooning. Houpeauge, NY: Barons Educational Series, 2008. Big, flashy collection of some of the Web's most creative cortoonists. Definitely skewed to * the eccentric artsy cartoonists like me, but it offers a lot of good information on tools and techniques. For online guides, vis: www scottmecioud.com/makingcomics 2574 Art Credits Unless otherwise noted, the creatoris ake the copyright older Page 5, panet 1: Lynn Johnston, For Better oy For Worse, David Mazzucchell, Batman: Year One {with Frame Miler) © BC Comics. Ar Spiegelman, Maus: A Survivor's Tale. Rumiko Takahashi, Ranma 1/2 © Rumike Takahashi /Shogakukan. Davie B., peptic. Demian 5, When | am King [wrwwclomians.com) Page 25, panel 4: Jcime Herriancier, Love andi Rackets Page 27, panel é: Matt Feazell, rom Disney Adventures/Mickey Mouse &/™ Disnay. Page 28, panel 4: Jason Lutes, Jorof Fools Page 29, panel 3: Craig Thomoson. Blankets, Panel 4: Ho (Che Andersen. King. Frank Miller, Sin City. Page 20, panei é: mage of Kelly Donovan used by pperrnision. Thanks, Keli! Page 21, panel 31; Derek Kirk Kim, Same Difference and ‘Other Stories. Page 47, panel 3: Eichito Oda, One Piece. panel 4 Franco's Schuiter, Zoro {with Luc) ® Les Hurnanoices. Page 58: Chester Brown, Louis Rie. Page 68, panel 2-4: Characters from Zot! @ Scott McCloud Panel 5: Qunbleciore form Horry Potter by JE, Rowing. Gonioll trom The Lord of the Rings by J. 8.R, Tolden, Obi Wan Kenobi from Stor Wars © Lucasfim, Page 66: Sieve Ditko, Amazing Fantasy #5 (with Star Lee) ({@ Marvel Entericinment Group. Page 49, panel 4: Wait Key, Fogo © OGP Page 70, panel 7: Rurriko Tokahash, Ranmo 1/2 @ Ruriko ‘Tokehoshi/Shogakukan Page 72, panel I: Ucierz0. Astorx (with Goscinny) © ‘Dorgaud, Panel 2: Yasui Osa, Father and Son (with Norio Hayes), Panel 3; Joime Hernandez, Love and Rockets. Zot! ‘@me. Character ftorn Nell Gaiman's Sandman © DC (Comics. Characters from The Fantastic Faur @ Marvel Enferioinment Group. Page 79, panel 2: Craig thompson, dlonkets Page 100, panel 5: Ar! Spiegeimian, Maus: A Survivors Tale. ‘Chis Wore, Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kiel on Earth Panel é: Jason Lift, Jack’s Luck Runs Out Page 108, panel §: Bryan Hilch with Paul Neory/Andrew ‘Cutie, he Ultimates Volume 2 [with Mork Mir] © Marvel Entertainment Group, Panel 6 Ch’s Ware, Jimmy Comigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth: R, Crumb, "Memories are Made ‘of This’ from Wed #22; Seth. Clyde Fans Book Gone: ile Brooker, “Home' irom Food. Page 118, panel 1: Heirvich Key, United sketch, Panel 2: Joie Hernandez, Love ond Rockets, Panel 4; Tom Hort, The Sand. Page 124: Preston Bia, Cartoon Animation. Page 126: Jaime Hemondez, Lave and Rockets Mort Welker the Lexicon of Comicona. Kyte Baker, Kyle Baker Cartoonist Volume 2, Page 126: Chories Schuz. Peanuts ® United Medio, Jaime Herande, Leve and Rockets, Wil Eisner, City People Notebook Contac! with Ged and Famiy Matters. Craig Thompson, Blanket Page 132: Spongebob SquarePonts ™ Viacom. Page 135, panel 7: Renée French, The Soap Lady. Panel Poltick Alongan, The Yellow Jer. Page 136, Panel 3: (top dow!) Junj te, UzumaK! @ Junjto / Shogokvkan: Jeff Smith, Bone: Torn Hart Hutch Owen's Working Mara, Chvis Wore, Acme Novelly Library: Jomes Sturm, The Golem's Mighty Swing: Davie 8, Epleptic: And. Vera &eosgol "Wish." rom Fight #1 Page 137, panel 3: Davie Wazzucchal, City of Glas (with Poul Karask) adaptation © Bob Cotahan Stuctos. Page 138, panel 7: Art Spiegaiman. “Don! Gat Around, Much Anymore’ from Breakdowns Page 139, panel 2: Steve Ditko, Ditka Public Service Packoge. Panel 3: Wal Eaner, A Contract with God. Dovid Choe, Slow Jams. Chis Ware, Jimmy Corigon: The Smartest Kid on Earth, Page 140-141: Seo cracts for 185-139, Poge 142, panel 2: Wil Esner, Comics ond Sequential A, Panel 4 Posy Simmonds, Gemma Bovery. Panel &: Peter upar, "Sex, Orugs, Rock'n’ Rot” trom Stripped. Hope Larson 4B Lucy Knisiey.Letiess fom ihe Botiom of the Sea. Page 144, panel 2: jack Kirby, Fantastic Four jwih Stan Lee) ‘© Marvel Entertainment Group. Panel & Patick micDonnel, ‘Mutts. Panel 4: Dave Sim, Cerebus (with Gerhera}. Panel 6: Wil Eisner, Comies andl Sequential Art Page 145, panel 1: Oon Clowes. Ghost Ward, Panel 2: Jason Lutes, Bein, Page 149, panel 5: Leonardo Da Vine, Tiny bit o! The Mona isa: Jone Austen, Tiny bit 0! Pride ond Prejudice, Poge 152, panel 5: Patrick McDonnell, Mutts Page 153, panel 1: Vincent Von Gogh, Ti bit o' Stary Night James Joyce. Tiny bt 0° Uysses, Page 154: Wil Esner, The Spt Page 155: David Choe, Siow Joms, Guy Dele, Byonayang © Guy Dolsle and L'Association: Matiane Satropl Persepols © Marjane Satrepi ond L'Associotion Page 156, top down: Wil Esner. The Spirit; Shown MeManus, Sondman (wfter Nell Gaiman, lettering Todd Kiein) ©OC ‘Comics: Jordan Crane, the Clouds Above: Masashi Kishimoto, Noruta. Bottom right: Craig Thomoson, Blankets, Page 167, panel 1:Seth, Clyde Fans @ook One. Page 169. panels 1-3: Charles Schulz. Peanuts © United Madi. Panel 4 Rick Geary, "he Age of Condes" fom At Home with Rick Geary. Page 171, panel 2: ohn Porceling, King-Cot Comics ona Stores Special Min Supplement fo McSweeney's Quarterty Concem #13. Panel 3: Debbie Orachsier. "Sateen" from Twisted Sislers 2, Panel 4: Richard Mcguire, "chi from ‘MeSweeney's Quarterly Concern #13, Panel §: Gary Poster, “limbo In Purgatory, Panel 6: Mariscal, “Crash” from Read Youre Raw. Page 179. panel 2: Hayao Miyazaki, Nausicaa of The Vatley Gf the Winds @ Nibatki/lokuma Shoten, Page 181: Derek Kik Kim, Healing Hands: Edward Gorey, “The Wes! Wing” from Amphigorey: John Parcelino,King-Cat Comies end Stories: Special s4n.Suppiement fo ‘MeSwreeney's Quarterly Concem #13. Page 182: Jetf Smith, Bane. Page 186: Art by Pau! Smith. (Dun) Page 193: Giorgio Cavazzano, Watt Disney's Wee of The Bragonleras (with Byron Erickson) @ Disney Enterprises, Page 194, frst row: Craig Thompson, Blankets: Marjane Satrapi Persepolis © Majjone Satrapi and L’Associotion: “Jessica Abel, La Perdida, Second row: Hope Larson, Solomencier Dream: Chars Bums, lack Hole: Spike, Tempier, Arzona. Third row: R. Crumb, "The Crumb Farry" from The R: Crumb Handbook; Jn Rugg, Street ange! (with Brian Maruca); Tem Har, Hutch Gwen. Fourth Row: Dave ‘Cooper, Don anc Lamy: june Kim, "Sheep. Sheep. sleep” Megan Kel, “The Pickie Fork” om Scheherazade. Fh Row: Rick Geary, At Home with Rick Geary: Joost Swarte, "The Mior” fram Raw #5; Jason Shiga, Double Happiness. Sixth Row: Howcrd Cruse, Stuck Rubber Baby: Kis Dresen, Encounter Her Toc Fetch, ..of the Most Pope Joey... Volume ‘Sno. I: The Tenacious Fock of lite of o Noman, Page 196: Charles Dana Gibson, "The Education of Me, Pop (1897), Page 200: Panet 3: Okay. left 10 ight, top down (some were ‘obscured when the colkige wos pasted in ~ apologies to the siced.up cartoonists} Greg Deon, Real life: Steven, ‘Charles Manaile, Superiockers: Takuya Bhida, Sinfest; Eke Moen, DAR: A Super-Gity Top-Secret Comic Diary: Tracy White, Traced: Malt Boyne. Krighis of the Shroud! Sorry Deutsch, Herevile: atin Ponicio, Sevenpliins: Roger Longrge, Hotel Fred: Spike, Temp. Avtzonas Net Babra, Imitation of ite: Raina Teigemeier. Smile: Walt Holcombe, Hails of Sea; Poul Taylor Wapsi Square: R. Stevens, Diesel ‘Sweeties: Jason Tuer, right Morning Blue: Sco! Kurtz, PVP: 8 Mucron, Pan; Adtian Ramos. The Waciom of Moo: Kean 258S00, Jelaby: Ursule Vernon, Digger: Demian $, The Truth ‘about Elephants: Dorothy Gambrel. The New Adventures of Death; Um... big rectangie thing... maybe D. Merin Goodorey: James Kacholka, American Ef Bryant Paul Johnson, Teaching Baby Paranoia; Joson Thompson, The Sif: Mike Krohufk, Penny Arcade (with Jerry Holkins}: Reiner Dixhus. Coury Manners (with Ger Strom}; Steven L. lous, Boy on a Stick and Sither: Kris Dresen, Many Cris Shadoion, Stteets af Northampton; Shaenon Gary, 'Norbonic: Chuck Whsion, Pewfell (with Adam Prosser}: Derek Ki Kim, Holf Empty: Jenn Moniey Lee, Dicebor: Kaz ‘iouishi, Copper; Jeti Jacques, Questionable Cantent: Cat ren Clem, Nofhing Nice i Say; Lea Hernandez, Texos Steampunk: Christopher Boldin, Lite Dee: Faith Bin Hicks, Ice: Cio Chiong, Cascaaia: Natasha Allegi, Normal Life: Jefirey Rowand, Wigu; Nicholas Gurewitch, Peny Sie Fellowship: Les McCicine, Jonny Crossbones: John alison, Scary Go Round: Roche! Hortman, Relurn of the Mad Bunt Slave Bryant, ‘Athena Vottate- (with Paul Daly and Chad Fidler Colin ‘White, Amicably Subversive: Jonathan Rosenberg, Goats: Fred Gallagher, Megatokyo: Svetiane Chmakova, Chosing Rainbows. Panel 4: Steve Bryant, Athena Volfare (with Poul Daly ang Chad Fidler). Panel &: James Kochaka, American Ef; Cat Garza, Cuentos de le Frontera, Panel 6: Scott Kurtz, PvP; Mike Krohulk. Penny Areade (with Jeny Holds). Panel 7: John Alison, Scary Go Rounds Dorothy Gane, The New ‘Adventures of Death, Panel 8: Joe Zobel, Fear Mongers Patrick Fartey, Deita Thrives. Panel 9: Bian Clevinger, 66it Theaite: R, Stevens, Diese Sweeties, Page 201, panel 2: Cor, Kibuish, Copper. Panel 3: Ovow \Weing, Pup. Panel 4: Justine Shaw, Nowhere Git Panel &: Demian 5, when om king. Page 210: Toc Fetch, ..of he Most Pope Joey... Volume 3, no. The Tendacioudy Sane Adventures of a Noman, Page 212, bottom row: Jim Woocking, Frank: Kyle Bakes, Undercover Genie, Volume One; Joe Sacco, The Fier, Chis Ware, immy Corrigan: The Smartest kid on Earth, Page 213, top raw: Jet! Smith, Bone: Rumiko Takenashi, InuYasha: Marjane Satrapt, Persepois Erk Brooker. Flood ‘Second row: Osamu Tezuka, Astroboy: Herge. Tintin © ‘Casterman; Charles Schwt, Peanuts @ United Media: Phoebe Gloeckner. A Chili's Ute. third new: Dovid 8.. Epileptic: Demian 5, When lam King. Page 214, ponel §: Rumiko Takahashi, InuYoshe. Page 216, panel I: Baiman © DC Comics, Astroboy © Tezvkcr Productions. Leff column: Yamasaki & Adachi, Flower Comics Series (500k tite In Jopanese, sony sh Iarri, 750 Rider: ‘Osamu Tezvko, Vampie: Yasuili Osima, Father and San (with ‘Norio Hoyos! Right column: Shinj Mizushima, Dokaben: Yorosali & Adachi, Hower Comics Series: Osom Te2uko, Dororo; Kei Nakozawa, Gen of Hiroshima: Riyoko kev, Rose of Versailles, Page 217, middle Her: Shotaro ishinomar, Cyborg 009 (2 Images): Yosuti Osmo, Father and Son (win Norko Hays) (2 Images): Shinj Mizushima, Dokaben: Yoshihiro Tatsumi, “Disinfection” from The Fush Man and Other Stories: H Soto, Shonen Champion Comics Series (book tile in Joponesa} ish tsar, 750 Rider, Ryoko ed, Rose of Versailles; Yasul (3ima, Father and Son {with Norio Hoyas). Page 218, panel 2-4: Osamu Tezuko, New Treasure slant, ~Astreboy Blacklock. Dorato, Pincess Knight, Jungle Emperor, ‘Budcha © Termes Productions, Panel 6, lef righ Katou “Kazuhiko ok.0. Monkey Punch, Lupin i: Yersasoki & Adah ‘ower Comics Series (book tte in Japanese); Keiko Tokemiva, Toward Tera; Shinj Mizushima, Dokaben Kazuo Kole ond Goteki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub: Katsuhiro ‘Ohtome, Action Cornics Series (book ie in Japanese) (with ‘Toshiko Yohogi|; huni Sonayama, The Chief Crerk in His Prime: Riyoko Ikeda, Rose af Versailes; Rell Matsumoto, ‘Ghost Warrior; Fujko F.Fufo, Doraemon; Aka Toriyarno, Dy ‘Slump: Camematy and Takeshi Yoneda (think ~ credits in Jopanese), Bottom Madenna. Page 219, panel 3: Craig Thompson, Blonkets: Chis Ware, limmy Conigon, The Smartest Kid on Earth: Chynn ‘Cugston, Queen Bee: Derek Ki Kin, Some Difference. Panel §: Fed Gallagher, Megatotyo, Panel 6: RUMKO Takahashi, InuYasha: Meyoco Anna, Sugor Sugar Rune: ‘Clamp. Chobits: Natsuki Tokaya, Fruits Basket, Masashi Kishimoto, Norvio: Ai Yazawa, Paradise Kiss Page 220, panel I: NotsuiiTokaya. Fus Basket. Panel 2: Layout rom "Everybody Wants my Git" by Joe Simen and Jack Kirby, fon the collection Reo! Love, Panel 4: Layout ‘torn Kedacha by Miho Obana. Panel §: Miwa Uade, Peach Gi, Panel 8: Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto. Page 221, panel 1: Wiasoshi Kishimoto, Naruto. Panel 3: Eichiro Oda, One Piece. Panel 4; Mark Bagley, Af Thibert condi/or Ban Panosian, Uiimate Spider-Man Volume One [with Bi Jornas ond Bian Michael Bend) Pane! 2: Edward Eile from Ful Mera’ Alchemist © Hicornu ‘Arakawa/Square Enix. Panel 7: Amy Kin Ganter, Sorcerers ‘ond Secietcries ® Amy Kim Ganter and Tokyopop. Page 223, panel 1: Bxyan Lee O'Malley, Scot Pigrim. Page 228, panel 3: Jack Kiby, The Fantastic Four (with Stan Lee] © Morvel Entertainment Group, Panel 4 Superman © DC Comics: this panel may be crawn by Cutt Swan but there were no ari crecits in the anthology | found this panelin Page 224, panel 1, circle #1: Osama Tenia, Astroboy © ‘Tezuka Productions, #2: Shotaio shinomar, Cyborg 008, #3: ‘Masamune Shirow, Appleseed. #4: Osamu Tezuka, Princess Knight © Tezuka Productions. #5: Ryokc tkedo, Rose of Versaites: #6: Rumiko Takahashi, Ranme 1/2 © Rumiko Tokahashi/Shogokukan. #7: Osamy Tezuka, Dorora @ Tezuka Productions. #8: Sampel Shirato, Ninja Bucheicho. #9: Kazuo Koke and Goseli Koima, Lone Wolf and Cub. Panel & ‘Osamu Tezuka, Phoeniic lack Kirby, New Gods @ DC Comics Page 227, panel 1: Herd, Tintin © Caslerman, Panel 2: Moebius. Oeuvres Completes Tome 2; Jean-Cloude: ezieres, Ambassacor of the Shaws (with Pier Céstin): Lewis Trondheim, Mildiou © Edtions cy Seul, Panel 3: Hoyao Miyazaki, Nausicaa of The Valley of the Wins & Niotiki/foktima Shoten, Panel 4: eft Jacques, Questionable Content; Mike Kranuik, Penny Arcade (with Jeny Holkins): ‘Mitch Ciem, Nothing Nice to Soy; James Kechalks, ‘American Ei Ec Miliin, Fetus X; Joe Zabel. Fear Mangers: Jetfrey Rowland, Overcompensating: Jenn Manley Lee. icebox; Dylan Meconis, Bite Me. Panel §:The Hulk® Marvel Enterioinmen! Group. Page 230, lat: Hol Foster, Pinca Volant © King Featuves: Colleen Doran, A Distant Soli P, Craig Russel, Murder Mysteries (with Nell Gaiman), text © Nei Gasman, adapta: flor. ancl stations @ P. Craig Russel. ight: Lynn Johnston, For Bete or For Worse’ Jack Kibsy, The Fantastic Four (with Sian Lee) 8 Marvel Entertainment Group; Dan BeCoslo, Betty ‘ond Veronica © Archie Comics, Page 231, left: Art Soiegeiman, "Ace Hole: Midget Betec- five" ftom Breakdowns: Kevin Hulrenga, "The Sunset” orn ‘Goriana: Danie! Merlin Goodbray. The Format, Right Jule Boucet, My New York Diary: Jacques Tard, "Manhotton epritedin Read Yourself Raw; R. Crumb, "I'm Gratefull'm Grateful” from Weirdo #25. Poge 233, panel 4: Miton Conif, Teny and the Pirates © King: Features. Panel 8: Art Spiegelman, In the Shadow of No Towers. Panel &: Dave McKean. Cages. Page 234, panel §; Charles Burns, Black Hole. Panel 6: in Woosting, Frank Page 240, left Kim Jea Eun, Soul to Seoul® Kim Jeo Eun/Dolwon C.l: Doha Kang, The Great Catsby. Right: Hroned Kikuchi “Gedatsu Man” © Honor KikuchiSeiindo; ‘Yuko Tsuno, “Swing Shell" 6 Yuko Tsuno/Garo; bath reprinted In Secret Comics Japan. Page 241: Yoshihivo Tolsumi, “retic Accident" fm The Push ‘Man and Other Stories. Page 282: Mark Bagley. Art Thibert and/or Don Panoxien, LUimate Spider-Man Volume One {with Bal Jemas and Brian Michae! Bendis). Page 246, panel I: Chori Brown ™ United Medio: Calvin and Garfcid ™ Universe Press Syndicate; Batman ™ DC ‘Comics: Spider-Man ™ Marvel Entertainment; Betty ™ Archie Cornies. 259Index Abel, Jessica, 194, 208-209 Adobe. 197-198, 202. 211 “Age of Condos, The". 169 ‘Alegr, Natosha, 200 Alison, John, 200 Alternative comics, 56, 106,219, 246 Ames guide lettering template, 189, 195, 211 Amphigorey, 38) ‘Analog to digital transition, 205-207 ‘Anatomy. 28, 104, 14-115 ‘Anderson, Brent, 208 ‘Anderson, Ho Che, 29 Anime, 219, 222-223 ‘Animist, see four tibes of comes ‘Anno, Moyaco, 219 ‘Appleseed, 226 ‘Arakawa, Hiromu, 222 Archetypes, 48, 123. 217 ‘Atist's Complete Guicie to Facial Expressions, The, 124 ‘Atangon, Patrick, 135, 140 Aimospheric effects, 201 ‘Auster, Poul. 137 Bobra, Nef, 200 Backgrounds, $0. 178, 180. 201,216 Backup drive, 208 Bagley, Mark, 221, 242 Boker Kyle. 125, 212 Balance [also see imbalance and discontent} between words and pictures, 128-127, 153 in choice of frame, 19 Baldwin, Christopher, 200 Bande dessinee, see European comics Bayne, Matt, 200 B., David, 5, 186, 213 Betty (and Veronica), 122 Bisette, Steve, $7, 208, 21) Black roling ball fine point pen, 185 Bio, Preston, 124 Bleed, 142-163 Bodly language, 4. 37, 62, 76. 102-120, 126-127, 144, 221 Bogart, Humphrey. 30 Boliong, Brian, 210 Books Kinokuniyo, 215-216, 241 Borders panel borders. 195, 197 borderless colors, 200-201 Boutros-Ghoi, Boutros, 30 Bristol board, 188-189, 196, 208-209 id finish, 189 plate finish, 189 vellum finish, 189 Brosgol. Vera, 136 Brown, Chester, 55:56 Brushes (also see sable), 188-189, 193-198, 210-211 ‘toh, 210 brush pens, 210 Copic markers, 210 Kuretoke, 210 Pentel Pocket, 210 Sable brushes. 191-192 209-210 Sokura Pigmo, 210 Windsor.Newton Sceptre Gok, 208 yellow Loew-Comell, 208 Zebra 303, 210 Bryant, Steve, 200 Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 30, Butty and Spike, 122 Bums, Charles, 125, 194, 234 Compbel, Joseph. 123 Coniff, Miton, 233 Coptions, 128, 155 Cartoon Animation, 124 Cavazane, Giorgio, 173 Choirs, drafting, 205, 208 Challengers of the Unknown. 124 Character design, 4, 62-79, 120, 216. 249 Chelseo. David, 172, 183 Chiong, Clio, 200 Chibis, 242 Children’s book tone, 135 ‘Chinese comics, 240 Chmakova, Svetiang, 200, 242 Choe, David. 139, 155 Choice of flow, 10, 32-39, 42, 45, 53-54, 57, 173, 247 frarme, 10, 16, 19-25, 37-43, 45, 83. 56-57, 173, 249 image, 10, 26-29, 37-40, 43, $3, 57, 173. 249 moment, 10, 11+18, 37-40, 43, 45, 53. 56. 173. 249 word, 10, 80-31, 37-39, 42-43, 53,173, 249 Cy of Gloss. 137 Clamp. 219. Closity, 37, 45, 47-48, 51-58, $557, 195 Classicist. see four tribes of comics Clem, Mich, 200, 237 Glevinger. Bian, 200 Close-ups, 20,22. 40,42. 51.54, 74, 140, 178, 198. Cloud. Steven 1. 200 Giowes, Daniel. 145 Clugston, Chyna, 219, 241 ‘Clyde Fons, 167 ‘Color 193, 200-201 ‘ole of, internationally, 240-241 focial expressions comparison, 83-85, 125 ‘Comedy, 224 Comic books. 5, 128, 200, 246, 255 Comicratt, 202 ‘Comic stips, §, 54, 124, 126, 169, 246 ‘Comics, 1-255 Comes ana Sequential Ar. 2.142 Computers: Cost of, 204-205 a3 "tools," 207 Confct. internal vs, extemal, 67 Consistent took, 79 Cooper. Dave. 194 ‘Corman, Leela, 208 Costumes, 75 Grane, Jordan. 158 Calley, Mork, 208 ‘Gropping, 19 Grosshatching, 194 ‘Crow quil (alo s9¢ ni pens), 192, 210-211 Gnuse, Howard, 194, 208, 210-211 Grumb R.. 106. 194, 231, 243 Currie, Andrew, 108 Cutting mats, 207 Syborg 008. 226 Daly, Poul, 200 Boredevil, 154 Borger, Henry, 122 260Darwin, Chores, 82. 124 DC Comics. 210, 215-216, 241 Dean, Greg, 200 DeCorie, Bon, 230 Deisie, Guy. 155 Demian Five, §, 200-201, 213 Depth cues, 46,48, 0, 85. 163, 165, 171, 201 Desks, 205, 208 Deutsch, Bary, 200 Bewan, Brian, 57 Dewan, Ted, $7,208 Diogonais. 46, 48,50, 54-55 Diologue/conversation, $1, 41-44, 127,197, 212 Digital a, 196-207, 207 Diktuis, Reinder. 200 Distance ond relationships. 104, 107-108, 111-112, 126, 198 Ditko, Steve, 68, 139 Donovan, Kelly, 30 “Don't Get Around Much Anymore," 138 Doran, Coleen. 290, 242 Dororo, 226 Draiting chai 168 Diotfing table, 188, 196-197, 208 Bramacon, 242 Drawing tom life, 28, 177, 181 Brawn and Quarterly, 241 Drechsler, Debbie, 171 Dresen. Kis. 194, 200, 208, 210 Drooker. Bic, 104,213 Doucet, Juie, 231 Dumbledore, 68 DVD burner, 208 Ebony, 124 Einstein, Alber, 27 Eisner, Wil, 2. 73. 123124, 126, 139, 141-142, 144, 154, 156, 210. 243, Ekman, Poul, 82, 124 Elevation and stotus, 104196, 111, 126 Emotion, 29, 76, 125, 150, 220, 241 basic (primaries). 82-86, 89, 93 Emotional average, 99, 143 Environments, 158-180, 182, 217, 227 Erasers, 188 ‘gum. 190 ink peor, 190, 207 Establishing shots, 22-28, 37, 40-41, 117, 160-168, 180, 183 European comics, §, 54, 156, 188, 227, 240-243 Exaggerotion, 46-48, 94, 97 Expression, 29, 37, 44-47, 63, 74-78, 100, 144 symbolic, 96-97 Expressionistic effects, 216, 220, 241 Facial expressions, 4, 62, 76, 80-101, 108, 116, 120, 124, 126-127 Facic! muscles, 92-93 Faigin, Gory, 92, 124 Fantastic Four, 72, 123-124 Farley, Patrick, 200 Feo2el, Matt, 27 Fett brush, 210 Felt tips, 192 Fetch, Tac, 194, 208, 210 Fidler, Chad. 200 Figure Orawing: 114-115 Fixedwicith, see: technical pens Fleener, Mary, 208 Fight Anthology, 242 Fonts, 195, 203, Formals, see four tribes of comics Foster, Hal, 230 Fountain pen, 187, 198 Fourth wall breaks, 33, 46, 48, 50 Four bes of comics, 229-239, 243, ‘animists. 122, 230, 232-239, 243 Clossicists, 230, 232-239, 249 formaists, 231-239, 243 Iconoclasts, 231-239, 243 Frame (size and shope}. 24, 46, 50, 54 French, Renee, 135 Frodo (and Gollum), 122 Fullseript, 38, 197 Goiman, Nell, 72 Gallagher, Fred (aka Piro), 200, 219 Gombretl, Dorothy, 200 Gondialf, 68 Ganter, Amy Kin, 222, 242 ‘Gomes, Jennifer, 154 Gority, Shaenon, 200, 208, 211 Goro, Cat, 200 Geary, Rick, 167, 194 Genres, $4,214, 216, 218-221, 224-228, 240-242 Gesture and communication, 103-104, 112-115, 119 Gibbons, Dave, 160 Gibson, Charies Dano, 196 Gloeckner, Phoebe, 213 Gollum (and Frodo), 122 ‘Geodbrey, Daniel Metin, 200, 231 Gorey, Edward, 187 Graphic contrast, 46, 50° Graphic novels, 5, 54,56, 69,79, 128, 167. 219, 240-241, 246, 248, 255 Graphic strategies, 94 Graphic Storyleting: 73 Grophies programs, 204-205 Graphics fablets, 204 Guerra, Pia, 208-207 Guidelines, 195, 211 Gurewitch, Nicholas, 200 Hologen lamps, 208 Homm, Jesse, 21 Hones, 112-113, 117, 19 Hond strain, 199, 208, 211 Hardwore, see computers Homy Potter, 243 Hort, Tom, 115, 136, 194, 208, Herman, Rachel, 200 Harvey, R.C., 128, 154 “Heartbreak Soup,” 123 Herge, 213, 227, 242 Hernandez, Sibert, 123 Hemondez, Jaime, 25, 72, 115, 125-128 Hemandez, Lea, 200, 242 Hero with o Thousand Faces, the, 123 Hicks, Faith Erin, 200, Hitch, Bryon, 106 Holcombe, Walt, 200 Holkins, Jeny (oka Tycho}, 200, 227 Horizon lines, 170. Horrocks, Dylon, 208 Huizenga. Kevin, 231 Hyperrendering, 55 Iconic characters, 216-217, 240 26!Iccnociost (see four tribes of comics) Ikeda, Ryoko, 216-217, 226, 241 Imbalance ond discontent, 104, 109111, 128 as hand gesture, 112 Info-comics, 135 Ink, 188, 191-193, 205, 219 Deleter ink and white paint, 211 Higgins Black Mogic, 211 Speeciball Super Black. 21) Inking, use of term. 55 Innerlife, 63-89, 120, 249 Inspector Javert [and Jean Valean), 122 Intensity, 45-83. 85, 57, 99 In the Realms of the Unreal. #22 Ishida, Tetsuya, 200 Ishinomor, shotero, 217, 226 Ito. Jung 136 Jack's Luck Runs Out, 100 Jocques, Jeff, 200, 227 Jone [and Tarzan}, 122 Jansson, Tove, 242 Japanese comics, see Manga Jeon Valjean fond! inspector Javert), 122 Jimmy Corrigan, $6, 100, 106 Johnson, Bryant Paws, 200 Johnson, R, Kikue, 208, 211 Johrston, Lynn, 5, 230 dung, Cor, 68, 123, 235, Kang, Doha, 249 Korosik, Poul, 137, 141 Kelly, Walt, 69 Kelso, Megon, 194, 208 Kibuishi, Kazu, 200-201, 208 Kikuchi, Hono, 240 Kim, Derek Kir 31, 161, 208, 200-211, 219, 241 “kim, Je Eunn, 240 Kim, June, 194, 208 Kirby, Jock, 54, 72, 123-124, 144, 148, 220, 225-226, 230, 243 Kishimoto, Masoshi, 156, 219, 220-242 Nein, Todd, 156 Kley, Heinrich, 115 Knisley, Lucy, 142 Knives, 188 Kochoika, James, 200, 227 Kodomo, 242 Koepp, David. 122 Kojima, Gosek, 226 Korean comics, 240 Krahuiik, Mike (oka Gabe) 200, 227, Kuper, Peter. 142 Kurtz, Scott, 200 Langridge. Roger, 200 Loppan, Bob. 145 Larson, Hope, 142, 194, 208.209 Lasky, David, 208, 210 Loyout, 38, 174, 196197, 220 Leave it fo. Chance, 186 Lee, Jenn Meniey, 209, 208, 227 Loe, Stan, 46, 72, 123-124, 148, 225 Lettering, 197, 202-203, 208, 211 Lexicon of Comicana, the, 125 Life history, 64-64, 127 Lightbox, 209, 211 Line, 45, 191-192, 197-200, 209, 212, 226 character 191 precision, 191 voriation, 191 width, 191 Linus (from Peenuts), 126 on, hungry, 11-14, 20, 51 Little, Jason, 100, 208-210 Lie Mermaid {and prince Whatsisname). 122 Lois Lone {ane! Superman), 122 Lone Wolf and Cub, 226, 242 Longshots, 44, 54. 117, 160, 242 Louis Riel, 55-54 lucas, George, 123 Lucy irom Peanuts), 126 Lutes, Jason, 28, 145 Macs (Apple Computers} 196, 204,211 Madagascar effect, 241 Madden, Mat?, 208 mainstream comics, 220, 241 Monole, Steven Charles, 200 Mango, 5, $4.97, 123, 166, 180, 182, 214-223, 227, 239-241, 243, 246-248 ‘osel, 242 Shojo, 220-721, 240-249 Shonen, 220-221, 240-242 Seinen, 242 Masco, 171 Morkers, 188, 199-194, 210 sharpies. 217 Marvel Comics, 8, 241 masking eftect, 182-189, 216 Maus: A Survivor's Tale, $8, 100.187 Maziuechell, Dévid, 5,137, 141 McCiaine, Les, 200 McDonnell, Petfick, 144, 152 McGuire, Richard. 171 McKay, Windsor, 124 Mekean, Dave, 233, MeManus, Shawn, 158 McNeil, Gora Speed, 208, 210 Meoning versusresembiance, 9% Meconis, Dylan, 200, 227 Mercury, Freddie, 30, Mezieres, Jeon-Cloude, 227 Michelongelo, 2, 186 Middle shot, 40, 44, 51. 54, 160 Mighty Atorn, 226 Mignolo, Mike. 211 Mile, Frank. 29, 242 Milken, Eric, 227 Mini-comics, 206 Miyazaki, Hayao, 179, 227, 240:241 Mizushima, Shinj, 216 Models, 94 Model sheet, 74:77, 79, 124 Moebies, 175, 227. 242 Moen, Eke, 200 Montages, 216, 220-221 Moritor 204 Mood, 29 Moore. Alon, 148, 157 Mudron, Bil, 200 Nokazowa, Keil, 216 Naruto, 242 Navigation oniine. 201 Neary, Paul, 106 Neufeld, Josh, 208: New Treasure island, 218 262New York, 210-211 Manhattan, 215 Rockefeler Center, 215 New Yorker "Master Coss,” 125 Nib pens, 192-195, 210, ‘crow quill, 210° Hunt, 210. Niko, 210 Rotting Art, 210 Speedball, 210 Tachikawa, 210 Zebra, 210 Nickerson, Al, 208 Ninjo Bucheicho, 226 Nevana, 242) Normal tife, 200 North American comics styles, 5, 167, 219, 227, 240-241, 243, 246 bane, Miho, 219. 220 ObiWan, 68 Oda, Eichito, 221 el, 242 Off balance, 107 Olive Oy (and Popeye). 122 ‘O'Malley, Bryan Lee, 223, 242 Oniine comics, see webcomics Original art, 196 , NEAT Otome, Katsuhiro, 241 Panet-to-panel transitions ‘action fo action, 15-16, 18, 37.42 ‘spect fo aspect, 15, 17-18, 97, 166,216, 240 general, 15.56 mament to moment. 15-16, 18,37 non-sequitur 3S, 17.37 scene fo scene, 18, 17-18, 22.30, 37 subject to subject, 15-16, 18, 37 Ponasian, Don, 221. 242 Panter, Gary, 171 Pontoja, Tintin, 200 Paper, 208,211 Poliem-bosed stomps ond brushes, 199: Peanuts, 126, 167 Pen brushes. 192 Penciling Use of term, $5 tools for 190 Pencis, 188-189, 201, 209 mechanical, 190. 209 Mirco F2.5 School, 209 non-epro bive, 190, 209 ‘Venus Velvet H8 Yellow, 207 Pens, 188-189, 196-198 Pitot Precise v7" roling bell 208 Personal space, 107,117 Persepolis, 56 Persion pointing. 171 Perspective, 28, 170-176, 183 western, 170, 172 Perspactivel for Comic Book Artists, 172 Photocopying, 20° Photographic reference. 94, 181-182 Fini, Wendy, 242 Popeye (and Ove Oy), 122 Porcelins, John, 171. 181 Posture, 48, 117 Poses, 46, 47, 50,77, 103, 127 Power of Myth. The, 123 Princess knight, 224 Prince Whatlsiniame (and the: Little Mermaid), 122 Print comics, §, 203, 204-207, 209, 228, 243 Printer, 205 Proportion wheel, 20 Prosser, Adam, 200 Publisher, 206, 246 Publisher's Weekly, 242 Quanto comics, 57 Queen Bee, 241 Quinn throm City of Glass), 137 Roieni, Sam, 122 Ramos. adion, 200 Ranma 1/2, 228, 242 Reader involvement, 217-223, Reader's camera, 24 Realism, 94,97 Reatiife reference, 95, 181-182 Recluicing for print, 190, Reh, Henrik, 208 Research, 176-177 Resemblonce versus meaning, 98 Rivera, Paulo, 208 Ronin, 242 Rose of Versailles, 226, 241 Rosenberg, Jonathan, 200 Roshell, John, 202 Rowiond, Jelfrey, 200. 227 Rude, Steve, 208 Rugg, Jim, 194 Russell, P. Craig, 230 Sacco. Joe, 212 ‘Somurai, 226 Sondman cost, 72 Son serit vs. seri, 202 Satrapi, Marjane, 56, 155. 194,213 Scanners, Scanning, 204-205, 209 Scholastic, 241 Schulten, Francois, 47, 242 Schulz. Chatles, 126, 169, 213, 243, 255 Scissors, 188-189 Scott Pigiim, 242 Scripts. 149, 157 Self publishing, 206, 246 ‘Sense of place. 23, 158-169, 218 Seth, 106, 167 Seurot, Georges, 123 Shodoian, Chis, 200 Shakespeare, 224 ‘Show. Justine, 207, 208-209 Shiga, Joson, 174 Shiroto. Sampel, 226 Shirow, Masamune, 226 Sim, Dave, 144 Simmands, Posy, 142 Simplification, 94, 97 Siens, The, 171 "Slow Jams,” 185 Small press, 206, 246 ‘Smith, Jeff, 186, 182. 213 Smith, Paul, 186-187, 208-207 Software cost of, 204-205 drawing programs, 205 263Dreamweaver 211 ustrotor, 197, 202, 211 Painting programs, 205 Photoshop, 197-198, 211 Sorcerers ond Secretaries, 242 $00, Kean, 200 Sound etfects, 128:129, 199, 146-147. 157 ‘Speech pattems, 76 Spider-Man, 64 Spider-Man movie (2002), 122 Spiegelman, Arf, 5, 56, 100, 198, 187, 291, 233 Spike (aris!), 194, 208, 200, 210 Spike (character), 122 Spit the, 124 Starn, Jim, 123 Star Wars, 123 Stereotypes, 69, 124 Stevens, R200 Stippling, 194 Storyteling, 3, 215-223, Stroight edge ruler 188-189 Strom, Gel, 200 Sturm, James, 136, 141 Style. 212-214 Subjective motion, 214, 218, 221, 240 “Sunday Attemoon on the sland of La Grande Jatte,” 123 Superheroes, 54, 66, 127, 144, 148, 216, 225, 240, 242-243 Superman (and Lois Lane). 122 Surtace appeal (virtuoso drawing}, 46-47. 50 ‘Swan, Cun, 225 ‘Swarte, Joost, 174 Swing arm lamp, 188-189, 208 Symbolsmn, 94, 9697 Symmetry, 58-60, 109, 122 Syndicates, 248 Szykowny, Heidi, 156 Tablet/monitor 197, 204, 211 Wacom Cintiq monitor, 211 Tablet PCs, 211 Takahashi, Rumiko, 5, 70, 123, 219-214, 219, 226, 242 Tokaya, Natsuki, 220 Tope. 188 Tard, Jocques, 231, 242 Torzon (and Jane}, 122 Totsumi, Yoshihiro, 24? Taylor, Pau, 200 Technical pens |or fxed-wieth), 192-195, 199, 209-210 Alvin Pensix, 210 Copic’s Fixed-Width Mutiners, 21) Koh-ENoor Rapidograph, 210 Pigma Microns, 210-211 Rotring, 210 Stoeattier 210 Telgemeier, Raina, 200 Tezuka, Osamu, 123, 213,216, 218, 226, 241 Thiber,, Ar, 221, 242 Thompson, Graig, 29, 79, 126, 186, 194, 210, 219, 247 Thompson, Jason, 200 Thought balloons, 185 TH 19 Tintin, 186, 227 Tone, 194 Toptfer Rodolphe, 124 Tools, 4,181, 184-211, 251 Tragedy, 224 Tangle, 188-187 Troneiheim, Lewis, 227 T-square, 188-189, 195, 208, Tsun, Yuko, 240 Turner, Joson, 200, Twain, Mork, 27 Twenty-tour hour comics, 87 Uderwo, 72, 242 Ueda, Miwa, 220 Uimate SpiderMon, 242 LUtirasonic cleaner, 207 Unele Jack, 182 Understanding Comics, 4, 122, 180, 154, 156-157, 180. 182, 216, 240-241, 243 Unifying idea/ theme, 69 Utility knife, 189, 209 Vonishing point, 170-171 Vernon, Ursula, 200 Veronica (and Betty), 122 Virtual tools, 198 Visual communication, 8) ‘Visual distinction, 63, 70-73, 78 Vocal inflection, 99 Wolker, Mort, 125 Were, Chris, 56, 100, 108, 125, 136, 139, 212, 219, 241 255 Warlock, 123 Watchmen, 180 Web access, 205 Web authoring program, 205. 211 Webcomics, 5, 54, 200-201, 203, 206, 211, 219, 228, 227, 241, 243, 247, 248, 255 Weing, Drew, 208-209, 210 West Wing. The, 181 Whelon, Chuck, 200 White, Coin, 200 White, Tracy, 200 Windsor-Newton, 208-209 Wiearel of Oz, 122 Woodting, lire, 212, 234 Word balloons, 101-102, 128-129, 142-145, 154, 156-187, 195, 202-203 World building, 158-183 . 242 Word/picture combinations, 130-141, 149, 155. 157 ‘duo-specific. 130, 135, 140-141 interdependent, 130, 137, 140-141 intersecting, 130, 136, 140-14) montage, 130, 139, 140-141, 155, 157 poraiiel, 130, 138, 140-141 piciure-speciic, 130, 133-134, 140-14), 157 word-specific, 130-133, 140-141, 185, 157 Words and pictures, 128-167 World building. 53, 227 Weiter-ortist teams, 129, 148-149, 157 Waitlen word, 96 Xander (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer}. 30 X-acto knife, 189, 209 XeMen, 186 Yamasaki & Adachi, 216 Yang, Gene, 208. 217 Yexawa, Al, 219) Tabel, Joe, 200, 227 Zoi, 68, 72. 210, 264Also by Scott McCloud nT See eee bd fi TH alt) Pe es x7 aMiED et ATE UNDERSTANDING COMICS 1993 “if you read, write, teach or draw comics: if you want 407 oF if you simply want to watch a master expiciner ‘at work. you must read this book." =Nell Gaiman “Cleverly disguised 9s an easy-to-read comic book. Scott McCloud!'s simple looking tome deconsiructs ‘the secret language cf comics while casually revealing secrets of Time, Space, Art ond the ‘Cosmos! The most inteligent comics I've seen ino fong time. Bravo, Art Spiegelman “When the 215-page journey Is finally over, most feaders will find it cifficutt to look at comics in quite ‘the some way ever agoin. ~Gamy Trudeau, New York Times Review of Books “i you've ever felt bad about wasting your life reading comics, then check out Scott MeCioud's classic book immediately. You might sfil feel you've ‘wasted your life, but you'l knw why, and youll be proud.” = Mott Groening ‘creator of The Simpsons VMS SCOTT McGLOUD REINVENTING COMICS 2000 "Scott MeCioud has got to be just about the smartest ‘guy in comics. Once again, he’s opened the floor to ebate that will no doubt go on for years — this time. ‘with not just the definition of comics, but its very fate at stoke Frank Miller ‘creator of Sin City “Anyone involved in interactive entertainment (games, ‘web, etc.) should read this book, Scott McCloud hos ‘once again transcended the world af comics end Topped inio much deeper issues of creativity. entertainment and economics. Ths fime he's looking Into the future rather thon the past: = Will Wright creator of The Sims “This & an exceptional baok (in comic format) of ideas presented as a readerfriendly theoretical lecture — ‘and it may just be the blueprint for the very future of the comics industry. Sironaty recommended for al public and acadernic libraries.” —tibrary Juma FROM HARPERwww.scotimecioud.com/makingcomics