Week One Homework: Comic Analysis

Hell on Earth

  My immediate reaction to the style was a aversion to the way the panels were framed and colored. I was turned off by the consistent use of uniform panels. But, after getting into the story, I found that I appreciated the framing. No environment was ever fully fleshed out with characters interacting and I think it helped convey a mood that fit the story. The character’s surroundings were up to the reader to imagine, much like the actual character designs themselves. This work was adapted from a short story and, in the end, it shows. Although, I think this could have been executed a lot better as the comic tends to tell the audience what is happening rather than show it. 

Nightwings

This story was laid out in more along the lines one would associate with classic graphic novel paneling. There is something to be said about the effect movies and television media have influenced graphic novels such as this one as I was constantly reminded of the similarity in camera framing for each drawing. It was reminiscent of a typical A B closeup and long shot sequencing. Dialogue worked in tandem with exposition to tell the story as opposed to Hell on Earth which used primarily exposition. Stylistically I was reminded of a combination of old, classic sic fi illustrations and settings that one would find if they read a Flash Gordon comic or watch a cheesy, 60s sci fi movie but with a large budget. This story relied heavily on imagery and composition to echo/enhance the storyline. Panel shapes varied and overlapped each other as well. 

Frost and Fire

Much like Nightwings, Frost and Fire is handled with a heavy focus on visual impact that echoes the storytelling’s exposition and dialogue. It definitely uses the same type of framing for paneling for the most part, but in this story there was more creativity when it came to layouts. It diverged from standard imagery one would find in film media and explores the possibilities of drawings juxtaposed next to each other. One example comes to mind on page 34. In the fourth panel on that page we see an interesting way in which to depict the sense of double exposed imagery typically used in movies to convey a sense of confusion or dizziness. In panel seven we also see multiple exposure to simulate movement. Everything is still confined to the boundaries of their panels, though, and elements other than text never break their borders. 

Merchants of Venus

The story starts off with an immediate breaking of the fourth wall as the protagonist introduces himself directly the the reader. There is an unique (up to this point) use of dialogue boxes that overlap each other to simulate one person literally talking over another. I thought that was pretty clever! The panel layouts for this comic are noticeably more liberated than those of the previous three and play on the use of placement to indicate a transition of depth through the picture plane. 

Demon with a Glass Hand

Sequencing and pacing of this comic remind me of an action flick. The story is quickly set up through expositional dialogue within the first few pages leaving the rest of the story to develop through reactionary dialogue as the story unfolds. Paneling is not quite as liberated as Merchants of Venus. There is a heavy reliance on lots of different panel “shots” to progress the story on each page which makes the story seem longer than it actually is (at least in my opinion). This was the first comic yet to show a sequencing technique that I just recently noticed: There is a singular static image in common with a series of panels in which characters and dialogue progress the story forward (page 30). Its no different from a single shot in film but the repetition in paneling is definitely appealing and is a nice way to set a pace in panels. 

The Magic Goes Away

This is the first comic yet to deal with multiple timelines at once through its storytelling. By juxtaposing certain imagery with dialogue or exposition the audience is helped along. Both image and text support each other. As I’ve found, depicting this form of storytelling in a way that is immediately understandable to the reader is hard to do. It is achieved early on in the story by coupling high visual contrast between past and present with that of expositional dialogue. The framing in this comic is pretty standard as far as comics go and does little to change up framing aside from depicting different timelines. 

Sandkings

Although I love George R.R. Martin, this comic does not do the writing justice. The comic was not unique at all in terms of framing, pacing, or paneling. Standard panel layouts with imagery to echo/enhance the story. Typical approach. Great story, nonetheless. Very entertaining.