4 yw 7 ‘ hI =

“A REMARKABLE NEW BAEDEKER OF THE TOONS.”

Ps vem he asa aaa at
 WRITING AND ART
SCOTT McCLOUD

LETTERING A paperback edition of this book was originally

BOB LAPPAN published in 1993 by Kitchen Sink Press. It is here
reprinted by arrangement with Kitchen Sink Press.

EDITORIAL ADVICE AND

SELECTIVE EGO-TRIMMING UNDERSTANDING COMICS: THE INVISIBLE ART. Copyright
STEVE BISSETTE ©1993 by Scott McCloud. Alll rights reserved. Printed in
the United States of America. No part of this book may
KURT BUSIEK be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever with-
NEIL GAIMAN out written permission except in the case of brief
BOB LAPPAN quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
For information address HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.,
JENNIFER LEE 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022.

LARRY MARDER HarperCollins books may be purchased for educa-

IVY RATAFIA tional, business, or sales promotional use. For
information please write: Special Markets Department,
HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53rd Street,
EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS New York, NY 10022.

WILL EISNER First HarperPerennial edition published 1994.

EDITOR ISBN 0-06-097625-X (pbk.)

MARK MARTIN 94 95 96 97 98 RIPON 10987654321

ANY SIMILARITY BETWEEN CHARACTERS/INSTITUTIONS IN THIS WORK

TO ACTUAL CHARACTERS/INSTITUTIONS IS UNINTENDED
ENTIRE CONTENTS COPYRIGHT SCOTT McCLOUD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
UNDERSTANDING COMICS IS A TRADEMARK OF SCOTT McCLOUD.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
LATER NN LIFE, L FOUND OTHERS WHO HAD SUMMILAR DAYDREAMS AS CHILDREN.
NONE OF US EVER REALLY BEL/EVED THESE THEORIES, BUT WE HAD ALL BEEN
FASCIMATED BY THE FACT THAT THEY COULD NOT BE DISPROVED,

EVEN 7ODAY, AS I WRITE AND DRAW. nis I'VE NEVER BEEN I'VE NEVER SEEN
PANEL, I HAVE WO GLA, ET TO MOROCCO, BUT THE EARTH FROM
ANYTHING EXISTS OUTSIDE OF WHAT My L TAKE IT ON FA/7#’ |_| SPACE FIRSTHAND,
FIVE SENSES REPORT TO ME THAT THERE JS’A YET I TRUST THAT
MOROCCOL
: 1 ROUND.
> JHE EARTH IS

tL
ee AS AP TS
v

ficit

I'VE NEVER BEEN IN THIS PANEL

YOU CAN'T EVEN
SEE MY LEGS,
YET YOU ASSUME
HAS AN /V7ER/OR, THAT THEY'RE
THAT IT ISN'T JUST Z
SOME BIG MOVIE
E77

* NOT TO SAY OUR SENSES ARE ANY KIND

OF GUARANTEES
 ALL OF US PERCEIVE THE YET OUR SENSES CAN
WORLD AS A WHOLE THROUGH ONLY REVEAL A WORLD
THE EXPERIENCE OF OUR THAT IS ARAGMENTED
SENSES. AND /NCOMPLETE.

EVEN THE MOST W/DELY OUR PERCEPTION OF

TRAVELLED MIND CAN ONLY "REALITY" IS AN ACT OF
SEE SO MUCH OF THE WORLD FAITH, BASED ON MERE
IN THE COURSE OF A LIFE FRAGMENTS.

AS VEANTS, WE'RE LNABLE THE GAME “PEEK-A-BOO~ PLAYS

TO COMMIT THAT ACT OF FAITH. ON THIS IDEA. GRADUALLY, WE ALL.

OF MOMMY COMES AND GOES,

MOMMY REMAINS.
 THIS PHENOMENON OF IN OUR DAILY LIVES, WE OFTEN
OBSERVING THE PARTS BUT COMMIT CLOSURE, MENTALLY
PERCEIVING THE WHOLE COMPLETING THAT WHICH IS
HAS A MAME.

IT'S
CALLED
CLOSURE.

SOME FORMS OF CLOSURE ARE OTHERS HAPPEN AUTOMATICALLY,

DELIBERATE INVEIV7/ONS OF WITHOUT MUCH EFFORT... PART
STORYTELLERS TO PRODUCE OF nile AS USUAL.
SUSPENSE OR TO CHALLENGE
AUDIENCES.

IN RECOGNIZING AND RELATING

TO OTHER PEOPLE, WE ALL IN AN
DEREND HEAVILY ON OUR TEARNED INCOMPLETE
ABILITY OF CLOSURE,

SURVIVAL.
 ae f=, bee f"4

SOMETIMES, AMERE SHAPE OR THE MENTAL PROCESS DESCRIBED

wT

OUTLINE \S ENOUGH TO IN CHAPTER TWO WHEREBY

THESE LINES BECOME A FACE
COULD BE CONSIDERED CLOSURE:

yy --AND
OUR MINDS
 IN F IN AZM, CLOSURE TAKES PLACE CON7/NUOUSLY--
ELECTRONIC lf TWENTY-FOUR TIMES PER SECOND, IN FACT-- AS OUR

FORM A SERIES OF S7/Z2 PICTURES. INTO

A STORY OF COV7/VL/OUS MOTION.

A MEDIUM REQUIRING EVEN (WORE CLOSURE 1S TELEV/S/ON, BETWEEN SUCH

WHICH, IN REALITY, IS JUST A SINGLE POINT OF LIGHT, AUTOMATIC
RACING ACROSS THE SCREEN SO FAS7 THAT IT'S DESCRIBED ELECTROMC
MY FACE AUVDREDS OF TIMES BEFORE. YOu CAN EVEN SWALLOW CLOSURE AND THE
THAT CORN CHIP LT SIMPLER CLOSURE
OF EVERYDAY
TFET

~- THERE LIES A MEDIUM WHERE THE AUDIENCE IS

A MEDIUM OF A WILLING AND CONSCIOUS COLLABORATOR
COMMUNICATION AND CLOSURE IS THE AGENT OF CHANGE,
AND EXPRESSION 77ME AND (10770/V.
WHICH USES CLOSURE
LIKE VO O7HER..

fe MEDIA GURU TONY SCHWARTZ DESCRIBES THIS 65

LENGTH IN HIS. es MEDIA, THE SECOND GOD,
ANCHOR BOOKS) 198:
NOW YOUDIE

SEE
THAT SPACE
BETWEEN We
PANELS? THAT'S
WHAT COMICS,
AFICIONADOS HAVE
NAMED "7HE
GUITER!
AND DESPITE
ITS UNCEREMONIOUS
TITLE, THE GUTTER PLAYS
HOST TO MUCH OF THE /MAG/C
AND MYS7ERY THAT ARE
AT THE VERY HEART
OF COMICS’

HERE IN
THE Z/MBO OF THE
GUTTER, HUMAN
IMAGINATION
TAKES TWO SEPARATE
IMAGES AND 7RANS-
FORMS THEM INTO
A SINGLE
 NOTHING

Peek-A-Boo! Peek-A-Boo!
MUST BE THERES

COMICS PANELS FRACTURE BOTH T/ME AND SPACE, OFFERING A JAGGED,

STACCATO RHYTHM OF LINCONNECTED MOMENTS.

® e || e/ &
KR w
BUT CLOSURE ALLOWS US T0 COMVECTZ” THESE MOMENTS
AND MENTALLY CONSTRUCT & CONTINUOUS, UMVIFIED REAL/ITX

1F WISLAL AND SINCE OUR -- THEN, IN A

fe CG, 5 eS pa SENSE,
VOCABUL. F COMIC:
COMICS) CZOSHEEIS CLOstRES

ICONOGRAPHY

67
 THE CLOSURE OF BUT CLOSURE IN COMICS HS
ELECTRONIC MEDIA FAR FROM CONTINUOUS AN:
IS CONTINUOUS, LARGELY ANYTHING BUT INVOLUNTARY!
INVOLUNTARY AND i
VIRTUALLY
IMPERCEPTIBLE.

EVERY
ACT COMMITTED
TO PAPER BY THE
COMICS ARTIST 1S
AIDED AND ABETTED
BY A SLEV7-
ACCOMPLICE.

I MAY HAVE DRAWN AN AXE BEING

RAISED IN THIS EXAMPLE, BUT IM ALL OF YOU
NOT THE ONE WHOLET IT DROP FARTICIPATED
OR DECIDED HOW AARD THE BLOW, IN THE MURDER
OR WHO SCREAMED, OR WHY. ALL OF YOU FELD
7HE AXE AND
CHOSE YOUR SPOT.

A
Prt
Be

THAT, DEAR READER, WAS YOUR

SPECIAL CRIME, EACH OF YOU
COMMITTING IT IN -YOUR OWN STYLE.

68
 TO KILL A MAN PARTIC/PATION:
BETWEEN PANELS
IS TO CONDEMN
HIM TO A REALIZED THE IMPORTANCE
THOUSAND OF ALLOWING VIEWERS
DEATHS. TO USE THEIR
IMAGINATIONS.

BUT WHILE F/ZA4 MAKES FROM THE 7OSSIVG OF A BASEBALL

USE OF AUDIENCES’ IMAGINATIONS TO THE DEATH OF A PLANET, THE
FOR OCCASIONAL EFFECTS, READER'S DEL/BERATE, VOLUNTARY
COMICS MUST USE IT CLOSURE |S COMICS’ PRIMARY MEANS
FAR MORE GF7EN/ OF SIMULATING 7/ME AND MOTION

CLOSURE
IN COMICS FOSTERS
AN INTIMACY SURPASSED
ONLY BY THE WR/77TEWV
WORD, & SENT, SECRET
CONTRACT BETWEEN
CREATOR AND
AUDIENCE.

HOW THE CREATOR

HONORS THAT CONTRACT
IS AMATTER OF BOTH
ART AND CRAFT
 MOST
PANEL-TO-FANEL NEXT
TRANSITIONS IN COMICS. ARE THOSE
CAN BE PLACED IN ONE TRANSITIONS
OF SEVERAL DISTINCT FEATURING A SINGLE
CATEGORIES. THE F/RST
CATEGORY -- WHICH WE'LL
CALL MOMEN7-70
MOMENT--REQUIRES
VERY L/77LE
CLOSURE
 THE WEX7 DEDUCTIVE
BSE TAKES US FROM REASONING |S
PSEC —SUBSECT OFTEN REQUIRED IN
WHILE STAYING WITHIN A READING COMICS SUCH
SCENE OR IDEA. NOTE AS IN THESE SCENE-
CENE TRANSITIONS,
WHICH TRANSPORT US
ACROSS SYGM/FICANT
DISTANCES OF ZIME
AND SPACE.

BOMBAY!

INO ONE COULD MEANWHILE...

WAVE SURVIVED
|AT CRASH!
 FINALLY, THERE'S.
THE NON 'SEQUITUR,
LOGICAL RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN PANELS
WHATSOEVER S
THIS ZAS7 CATEGORY PERSONALLY, I --ALCHEMY
DON' T THINK so. AT WORK IN THE
SPACE BETWEEN
NO MATTER PANELS WHICH CAN
HOW D/SS/MILAR
ONE IMAGE MAY BE
TOTALLY UNRELATED TO ANOTHER, THERE RESONAVCE \N
TO EACH OTHERY IS A KIND OF-- EVEN THE MOST
VARRING OF
COMBINATIONS.

SUCH TRANSITIONS. BY CREATING A “RRID,

MAY NOT MAKE WITH IDENTITY, AND
“SENSE” IN ANY OR MORE FORCING THE VIEWER
TRADITIONAL WAY, WE ARE TO CONSIDER THEM
BUT STILL A WITH AS A WHOLE.
RELATIONSHIP OF
SOME SORT WILL
INEVITABLY
DEVELOP

HOWEVER
DIFFERENT
THEY HAD BEEN,
THEY NOW BELONG
TOA SIVGLE
ORGANISM.

rl
 THIS SORT OF
CATEGORIZATION
IS AN JMEAXACT SCIENCE
AT BEST, BUT BY USING
OUR TRANSITION SCALE
AS A ZOOL

CAN BEGIN
TO UNRAVEL SOME
OF THE MYSTERIES
SURROUNDING THE
TOL)

3.
SUBIECT-
STORYTELLING’

(a

MOST MAINSTREAM ALTOGETHER, I COUNT

COMICS |N AMERICA NINETY-FIVE.
EMPLOY STORYTELLING PANEL-TO-PANEL
TECHNIQUES FIRST TRANSITIONS
INTRODUCED BY LET'S SEE HOW
SACK KIRBY, SO THEY BREAK DOWN
LET'S START BY PROPORTIONATELY.
EXAMINING THIS
LEE-KIRBY COMIC
FROM 1966.

ae
oF
Ha
WEN SEQUITUR

By FAR, THE MOST COMMON TYPE _OF SUBSECT-TO-SUBIECT TRANSITIONS

TRANSITION IN KIRBY'S ART 1S AC7/0N- ACCOUNT FOR AN ADDITIONAL V/IVETEEN--
“TO-ACTION. I COUNT S/X7¥-7WO OF ABOUT 7WENTY PERCENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER
THEM IN THIS STORY-- ABOUT SYX¥7Y-
FIVE PERCENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER
ART © MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, INC.

[TRACED AND SIMPLIFIED FOR CLARITY'S SAKE]

74
 AND SINCE AZZ ASA wk. ae THIS EMPHASIS ON
OF THE REMAINING IT WOULD LOOK 1ON-TO-ACTIO
TRANSITIONS ARE FROM 4)— SOMETHING LIKE
SCENE TO-SCEME,
FOLLOWING.
BREAKDOWN. 2] 65% IN THIS RESPECT?

3) 20% 123456

41 15%

4 s| —

6 —

APPARENTLY WO7/ HERE’S A GRAPH OF NOW, HERGE’S AND 6 yaa pes KIND
PANEL TRANSITIONS IN HERGE'S7/V/77V KIRBY'S STYLES F LVN 2
AND THE PROPORTION ARE VERY ARE WOT SIMILARY PROPORTION AT
SH MWLAR TO KIRBY'S IN Fact ney RE
LY
DIPERENT 7 INK;
MAYBE A SIMILARITY
123456 OF GENRES 7

“WEARTOREAK SOUP” BETTY 2 VERONICA

A RANDOM
SAMPLING OF
VARIOUS AMERICAN
COMICS SHOWS THIS.
SAME poo

CONSISTENTLY. G. HERNANDEZ
CLAREMONT & LEE DOYLE £DECARLO

FIRANIK IN THE RUVER MAUS

WoopriNe EISNER

75
 SQUERK THE MOUSE WELCOME TD AFLOLOL THE LONG TOMORROW
JT
{ t
T
1 t
T
IF NOT QU/7E AS
UNIFORM,
RESULTS
GOSCINNY& VoERZ9 CRIsTIN ArezieRss | o'@ANNon erceais

THE BACK ISO “THE CLOCK STRIKES

T

MANARA Joost SWARTE

IF WE CHOOSE TO
SEE STORIES AS
ARE THESE CONNECTED SERIES
THREE TYPES OF OF EVENTS, THEN
TRANSITIONS ALL THE PREDOMINANCE
ANYONE SHOULD EVER OF TYPES 2-4 ARE
NEED TO TELL A STORY EASILY EXPLAINED.
IN COMICS 7

TYPES 2-4 SHOW TYPE 1

MNS,
THINGS HAPPENING SHOWS AC7/OVS
IN CONCISE, LIKE TYPE 2, BUT
EFFICIENT WAYS. IT TENDS TO REQUIRE

1.
123456

2
76
 ~- WHILE JN THE AND, OF COURSE,
FIFTH TYPE, BY NON-SEQUITURS.
DEFINITION, NOTHING
“HAP! PENS” AT ALLY
VE
PURPOSES OF ANY
SORT.

123456 41. 2.3 #7506

=>
SOME EXPERIMENTAL BUT BEFORE WE TEZUKA IS AFAR
COMICS, LIKE THOSE OF CONCLUDE THAT TYPES CRY FROM THE
ART SPIEGELIMAN 2-4 HAVE A MONOPOLY EARLY SPIEGELMAN. |
EARLY PERIOD, EXPLORE ON STRAIGHTFORWARD HIS_STORYTELLING
A FULL RANGE OF STORYTELLING, LET'S IS CLEAR AND
TRANSITIONS~~ TAKE ANOTHER LOOK STRAIGHTFORWARD.
AT OSAMU TEZUKA BUT LOOK ATHOW
FROM JAPAN. HE CHARTS’
-- THOUGH
GENERALLY
IN THE SERVICE OF 12.3 45.6
EQUALLY RADICAL
STORIES AND
ae
‘STORIES FROM SPIEGELMAN'SN_ SUBJECTS.
ANTHOLOGY BREAKDOWNS:

"DON'TGET AROUND INTRODUCTION

MUCH ANYMORE”

“SKINLESS “PRISONER ON THE

PERKINS” HELL PLANET”
‘WANZAL NINYSO 0 LEY

FRONT AND “ACE-HOLE, MIDGET “REAL

BACK COVERS DETECTIVE” DREAM" 1975

77
 ACTION- IN FACT, SUBSECT-70-
-7O-ACTION SYE/SECT TRANSITIONS
TRANSITIONS ACCOUNT FORK NEARLY
AS MANY AS AC7/0N.

THOUGH THE LATTER

TYPE ONLY ACCOUNTS
HERE ALSO WE SEE FOR FOUR PERCENT
OUR FIRST EXAMPLES OF THE TOTAL, SUCH
OF MOMENT-TO-MOMENT SEQUENCES CONTRAST]
TRANSITIONS STRIKINGLY WITH THE
10 T34L\

WESTERN TRADITIONS
EXEMPLIFIED BY
KIRBY AND HERGE.
AIOHL
LO AAV
AAWAWAIA

BUT, MOST STRIKING

OF AZZ 1S THE SUBSTANTIAL
PRESENCE OF THE FIFTH
7YPE_OF TRANSITION, A
TYPE RARELY SEEN
IN THE WEST.
‘ART © OSAMU TEZUKA.
 ASFECT-
TRANSITIONS
AN
INTEGRAL PART
OF JAPANESE
JVAINSTREAM
COMICS ALMOST
FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING.

© LEV
DINZIN NUBOIHS
MOST OFTEN USED TO ESTABLISH A A400D OR A SEMSE
OF PLACE, TIME SEEMS TO S7AND S77/LL \N THESE QUIET,
CONTEMPLATIVE COMBINATIONS.

EVEN
SEQUENCE, WHILE
STILL AN ISSUE, SEEMS
FAR LESS IMPORTANT
HERE THAN IN OTHER
TRANSITIONS.

MUST ASSEMBLE
YNGLE
MOMENT USING
SCATTERED
FRAGMENTS.
‘OLYS HO LUV
 IN EXAMINING
SEVERAL JAPANESE ARTISTS,
WE FIND SIMILAR
PROPORTIONS TO TEZUKA'S,
INCLUDING A HIGH INCIDENCE
OF THE F/F7H TYPE.
FATHER£ SON WOLF RCUB
WHY? HAAS! ROSIMA KOIKE & KODA

AKIRA C10R6 O04 PHOENIX

KATSUHIRD OTORO SHOTARD ISHIrtoRL osanu TEZUKA

WHEN INDIVIDUAL FEATURES ARE

COLLECTED, THEY MAY RUN FOR
THOUSANDS OF PAGES.
ENORMOUS AW7HOLOGY TITLES WHERE
THE PRESSURE ISN'T AS GREAT ON
ANY ONE INSTALLMENT TO SHOW
A LOT “"AAFFPENING.”

AS SUCH, BUT I DON'T THINK

DOZENS OF PANELS
CAN BE DEVOTED I BELIEVE THERE'S SOMETHING A
TO PORTRAYING BIT MORE AWMZAMEWAL TO THIS
PARTICULAR EAST/WEST SPLIT.
 TRADITIONAL BUT, IN THE EAS7,
We ESTER ART THERE'S A RICH
AND LITERATURE TRADITION OF CYCLICAL
DON'T WANDER MUCH.| AND LABYRINTHINE
ON THE WHOLE, WE'RE WORKS OF ART.
A PRETTY
E
GOAL-ORIENTED
CLULTLR¢ ns

JAPANESE COMICS
MAY BE HE/RS TO FOR
THIS TRADITION, IN IN JAPAN
THE WAY THEY SO MORE THAN
OFTEN EMPHASIZE ANYWHERE
BEING THERE OVER ELSE, comics }.
ERE. IS AN ART-- .
 THE IDEA THAT ELEMENTS
--OF . OMITTED FROM A WORK OF ART
INTERVALS.)* * ARE AS MUCH A PART OF THAT WORK
AS THOSE /VCLUDED HAS PeeN
A SPECIALTY OF THE EAST Fi
CENTUR/E

IN THE GRAPHIC ARTS THIS HAS MEANT IN MUSIC TOO, WHILE THE WESTERN
A GREATER FOCUS ON FYGURE/GROUND CLASSICAL TRADITION WAS EMPHASIZING
RELATIONSHIPS AND “WEGAT7IVE SPACE.” THE CONWTIWUOUS, CONNECTED WORLDS OF
MELODY AND HARMONY, EASTERN CLASSICAL
MUSIC WAS EQUALLY CONCERNED WITH THE
ROLE OF SZLENCE/

THE GREAT WAVE OFF KANAG’AWA" BY HOKUSA KG 829)

“CHURN THIS PICTURE UPSIDE DOWN TO ste Tit
(AVE OF NEGATIVE SPACE. NATURE'S YIN AND YANG)

IN THE LAST CEW7U/RY OR TWO, AS TROM DEBUSSY TO STRAVINSKY TO

WESTERN CULTURAL INFLUENCES SWEPT OUNT BASIE, WESTERN MUSIC HAS
THE EAS7, SO TOO HAVE FAS7ER/V AND GRADUALLY INCORPORATED ie
S ONS
AFRICAN \DEAS OF FRAGMENTATION AWARENESS OF THE POW! ww}
AND RHYTHM SWEPT THE WES7- FRAGMENTATION AND INTERVALS,
 IN THE VASU/AZ
ARTS, THE IMPACT

od assat

oe VASTING.

THE TRADITIONAL EMPHASIS IN WESTERN mM 7 MD 7 MM) 7 1

ART UPON THE PRIMACY OF FOREGROUND | i uu aut |
SUBJECTS AND
CONTINUOUSNESS " WHAT DO YOUBY THINK
PAINTING THIS
AL HELD
IS CALLED?*

AWARENESS OF
THE PICTURE
PLANE,

FACSIMILE
OF FIGUI
BY PABLO PICASSO
19.

7 _IN UCR THE IDEA THAT & JHE MASTERY OF AVY MEDIUM
"LESS 18 MORE” HAS REAL PRACTICAL xi y USING MINIMAL ELEMENTS HAS.
IMPLICATIONS. ONE OF THE MOST y LONG BEEN CONSIDERED A WO8LE
SUCCESSFUL SHOWS IN HISTORY IS y ASPIRATION.
THE FANTASTICKS-~ A PLAY WHOSE
ENTIRE SE7 CAME IN 7HREE PIECES--
A TATTERED BANNER, A STICK
AND A CARDBOARD MOON.

*ANSWER: “THE BIG '‘N™

[SEE PAGE 216]
PROMISE ME YOU I BETTER
WON'T DRINK AND GO NOWs
DRIVE, CARL.

‘OKAY, THEY'RE
IN MY PURSE,

=a
io 2
ES

DARNS TRAFFIC
SLOWDOWN.

I'M SORRY,
BUT I CANT GOCARL,OUT
WITH YOU TONIGHT.
AWWE

THAT'S WHAT I'M

ASKING YOU.

ONE BEER WON'T

HURT.
 HERE I AML.

I'M SORRY, CARL,

BUT I CANT Go OUT
WITH YOU TONIGHT.

THE ART FINDING THE

OF COMICS 1S BALANCE BETWEEN
AS SUBTRACTIVE
AN ART AS ITIS
ADDITIVE.
K

7H

TO STRIKE THAT BALANCE, CREATORS

REGULARLY MAKE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT FA]
THEIR READERS’ EXPERIENCES. 3HT SI 21 TAHT
T2300 FQV3SIQGUA
SOME SEEM PRETTY SAFE, OV AAO CARA
LIKE THE ASSUMPTION THAT We
THIS WILL BE PERCEIVED
By AUDIENCES AS ANEYE
CLOS)
WE ASSUME AS READERS THAT WE WILL AS CLOSURE BETWEEN PANELS BECOMES
KNOW WHAT ORDER TO READ PANELS IN, MORE INTENSE, READER INTERPRETATION
BUT THE BUSINESS OF ARRAVG/IVG THOSE BECOMES FAR MORE EZASZ/C.
PANELS 1S ACTUALLY QUITE COMPLEX.

SO COMPLEX,

AND (MANAGING \T BECOMES

MORE COMPLICATED FOR THE CREATOR.

SOME ARTISTS CAN BE CLOSURE CAN BE A POWERFUL

DELIBERATELY AMBIGUOUS, FORCE WITHIN PANELS AS WELL AS
OF COURSE, AND OFFER US NO STRICT ETWEEN THEM, WHEN ARTISTS CHOOSE
INTERPRETATION TO GO ON TO SHOW O| NLY A SMALL PYECE
OF THE PICTURE,

BY --THE
SHOWING OFFERING ARTIST CAN
LITTLE OR ONLY CLUESTO TRIGGER ANY
NOTHING THE READER-- NUMBER OF
OF A GIVEN
SCENE--
IMAGINATION
er
>

Jet

86
 READERS FACED BY CONSTRUCTING WHOLE
WITH PANELS LIKE 7HESE MAGES BASED ON THESE
WILL HAVE SY@S7ANV7IALLY ZOAEMENTS. READERS ARE
DIFFERENT \NTERPRETATIONS. PERFORMING | CLOSURE,

WHOOSH
crak! CAR! ciaK:
> Splip Splip <

9109 99ois!
DAHEMLS L SHY,
JUST AS READERS
COMPLETE --

~-AN
ACTION OR--
Owl OWS
STOP THATS
HAS Heal
HO Heal

87
 WHATEVER THE MYSTERIES “THERE'S SOMETHING
PYITHIN EACH PANEL, IT'S THE S7RANGE AND WONDERFUL
POWER OF CLOSURE BETWEEN THAT HAPPENS IN THIS
PANELS THAT I FIND THE MOST SLANK RIBBON OF
INTERESTIVG. PAPER.

ANE

WE ALREADY KNOW THAT COMICS ASKS LET'S TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT

THE MIND TO WORK AS A SORT OF THI E F/FTH TYPE OF TRANSITION,
IN-BETWEENER -- FILLING IN THE GAPS THE ONE SO POPULAR
BETWEEN PANELS AS AN AW/MATOR IN JAPAN
MIGHT-- BUT I BELIEVE THERE'S STILL
MORE TO IT THAN THAT. HERE'S
A FOUR- PANEL
ESTABLISHING
12 3456 SHOT OF AN
OLD-FASHIONED
KITCHEN SCENE.
 NOW, MOST OF WITH A AGH BUT THE SCENE YOUR LOOK AGAIN.
YOU SHOULD HAVE MIND CONSTRUCTS
NO TROUBLE FROM THOSE FOUR
PERCEIVING PANELS IS A VERY YOU'VE BEEN _IN
THAT YOU'RE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE KITCHENS BEFORE,
Ri
KITCHEN FROM FROM THE SCENE YOU KNOW WHAT A
THOSE FOUR PANELS CONSTRUCTED FROM POT ON THE BOIL
ALONE. OUR TRADITIONAL SOUNDS LIKE; DO
ONE-PANEL YOU ONLY HEAR IT
ESTABLISHING SHOT/ IN THAT F728 S7—
PANELZ

“Sete

AND WHAT ABOUT COMICS IS A_MONO-SENMSORY WE REPRESENT

THE CHOPPING MEDIUM. IT RELIES ON ONLY SOUND THROUGH
SOUND 7 DOES THAT ONE OF THE SENSES TO CONVEY DEVICES SUCH AS
ONLY LAST A PANEL A WORLD OF EXPERIENCE WORD BALLOOMS.
OR DOES IT PERSIST7
CAN YOU SMELL THIS
KITCHEN? FEEL
IT? ZASTE IT?

-
Ss

WITHIN THESE
PANELS, WE CAN WHICH IS
ONLY CONVEY Wey AZZ OF
INFORMATION REQUIRED AT ALL. OUR SENSES
VISUALLY.
ENGAGED!

BUT
ALL IN ALL, IT IS
AN EXCLUSIVELY
VISUAL
REPRESENTATION.
SEVERAL TIMES THEN CALG/ CAUGHT QUICKLY BUT IS IT POSSIBLE
ON EVERY PAGE BY THE Out STRECED SO_AS NOT TO LET THAT CLOSURE CAN
THE READER 1S THE READER FALL BE SO MANAGED IN
RELEASED LIKE A INTO CONFUSION SOME CASES--

oe
TRAPEZE AR TIS7- OR BOREDOM.
INTO THE OPEN AIR
OF /MAGINATION..

IN CHAPTER TWO, WE DISCUSSED

~-THAT VARIOUS TYPES OF ICONIC AND NON-ICONIC
THE READER DRAWING STYLES
MIGHT LEARN

SINCE CARTOONS ALREADY EXIST AS CONCEPTS FOR THE

READER, THEY TEND TO FLOW EASILY al THE
CONCEPTUAL TERRITORY SETWEEWV PANELS.

IDEAS FLOWING INTO ONE ANOTHER SEAMLESSLY.

90
BUT REAL/S77C IMAGES HAVE A BUMPIER RIDE. THEIRS IS
A PRIMARILY V/SU/AZ EXISTENCE WHICH DOESN'T PASS EASILY
INTO THE REALM OF IDEAS. ANYWAY. THESE
THINGS ARE ALL
SUBJECTIVE/ ].

LY ee
AND SO, WHAT SEEMED LIKE A CONTINUOUS SERIES OF
MOMENTS IN THE LAST EXAMPLE, HERE LOOKS A LITTLE MORE
LIKE A SERIES OF S722 FICTURES...

SIMILARLY, I THINK WHEN COMICS ART VEERS CLOSER TO

CONCERNS OF THE PICTL/RE PLAIVE, CLOSURE CAN BE MORE
DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE, THOUGH FOR DIFFERENT REASONS.

GIVEN STORY--

NOW IT'S THE IMF YING PROPERTIES OF DESIGN THAT

MAKE US MORE AWARE OF THE PAGE ASA JWHOLE, RATHER
THAN ITS INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS, THE PANELS.

OF COURSE, MAKING THE READER WORK A LITTLE

MAY BE JUST WHAT THE ARTIST IS 7RY/VG TO DO.
ONCE AGAIN, IT'S ALL A MATTER OF
~ PERSONAL TASTE.
) |
 THE COMICS
CREATOR ASKS US
TO JOIN INA S/LEVT
DANCE OF THE
SEEN AND THE
UNSEEN.

THIS DANCE IS LIMW/QUE THIS IS WHY I THINK IT’S

TO COMICS. NO OTHER ARTFORM. A MISTAKE TO SEE COMICS AS
GIVES SO MUCH TO ITS AUDIENCE A MERE AYERID OF THE
WHILE ASKING SO MUCH GRAPHIC ARTS. AND PROSE
THEM AS WELL. FICTION.

Ss WHAT
= HAPPENS
— BETWEEN THESE
= PANELS IS A
KIND OF MAGIC
OMLY
 HERE IN
THIS STUDIO, I'VE
TRIED TO COW7ZROL &é
THAT PROCESS AND
USE IT TO MAKE
MY CASE.

BUT L
CAN ONLY PO/NT
HE YAY. 1

DON'T WANT TO
Co.

ALL I CAN DO IS MAKE ASSUMP7/ONMS

ABOUT YOU AND HOPE THAT THEY'RE Ss
CORREC7--

-- JUST AS WE AZZ ASSUME, EVERY. ALL I BS oF you

THAT THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THAN S a ey
THE EYE. = =

--AND A WORLD
OF IMAGINATION.
SOL ! LE7°S SEEOF: A A
EACH PANEL
AND BETW EEV
SE FROZEN WEEN
COMIC SHOWS THO
MOMENTS ----BET RIGHT7
MOMENT 4
SINGLE TIM THE PANELS IN OURTHE S,
IN E. MINDS FILL ENT |)
INTERVENINGTHEMOM
ILLUSION
CREATING
.
OF 7IME AND MOTION

OOO
LIKE A LINE DRAWN
BETWEEN TWO POINTS

COMICS
TIME IN NITE
\S JNFI LY Ye
WEIRDER
THAT7
THAN
\
\\
VA
wt

py
\\\

Te
RY

2
 OH, HEWRY WELL, IF
OL' HENRY IS
AWAY, WILL GONNA HAVE MUCH
YOu?

EVEN THE BRIEF FAR SLOWER 1S LIKEWISE, THE NEXT

SOUND OF A FZASH- THE DURATION OF BALLOONS COULD HAVE
SINGLE BULB HAS ACERTAIN THE AVERAGE WORD. ‘El
MOMENT7. DURATION, SHORT UNCLE HENRY ALOE
TO BE SURE, BUT NOT BURNS UP A GOOD
HARDLY? INSTANTANEOLS£ SECOVE IN THIS ADDING STILL MORE
PANEL, ESPECIALLY
PAF: SINCE “SUILE/”
UNDOUBTEDLY
PRECEDED THE AAGHS
FLASH THAT FLASH
1S BLINDING,
UNCL

b 4

JUST AS PICTURES AND THE INTERVALS BE7WEE/V THEM CREATE THE ILLUSION OF TIME
THROUGH CLOSURE, WORDS. INTRODUCE TIME BY REPRESENTING THAT WHICH CAN ONLY
EXIST JV TIME -- SOLD.

WITH ALL ITS AC7/OVS AND REAC7/OMS,

A PANEL SUCH AS THIS COULD LAST A
GOOD HALF MIMLTE OR SO.

95
 BUT THE ACTIONS THAT WE SEE ] TT i ]
OCCURRING SEEMINGLY AT THE SAME ANTI i NAT ANOTHER
TIME OBVIOUSLY CAN'T BES AI qT) Way
To Look ar.
TIME AS A

AND SINCE EACH

EACH INCH MIGHT BE SAID FACE AND FIGURE
REPRESENTS A JO WIND SOME-
SECOND.
THROUGH OUR _/|
-- THOSE FIGURES, THE PROPERTIES OF THE SINGLE PORTRAYING TIME
CONTINUOUS JMAGE, MEANWHILE, TEND ON A LINE MOVING
TO MATCH EACH FIGURE WITH EVERY LEFT 70 RIGHT,
O7HER FIGURE. THIS PUTS ALL THE
/MAGES ON THE
SAME VERTICAL AXIS.
—t
SINGLE
MA
SINGLE
MOME?

PERHAPS WE'VE BEEN TOO

CONDITIONED BY PHOTOGRAPHY TO.
AND TANGLES UP TIME PERCEIVE SINGLE IMAGES AS S/VGLE
BEYOND ALL RECOGNITION’ MOMENTS. AFTER ALL, IT DOES
TAKE AN EYE 7/ME TO MOVE ACROSS
_ SCENES IN REAL LIFES

EACH FIGURE IS IN SOME RESPECTS THIS PANEL BY ITSELF ACTUALLY F77$ OUR
ARRANGED FROM DEFIN/TION OF COMI ICS! ALL IT NEEDS IS A FEW GU77ER\
LEFT TO RIGHT IN THROWN IN TO CLARIFY THE SEQUENCE.
THE SEQUENCE WE
WILL “READ” THEM,
EACH OCCLIPYING A
DISTINCT 77ME

OWE PANEL, OPERATING AS SEVERAL PANELS.

97
 meter?)
OF COURSE.
[|i
a at
HE'S GIVING.
IS INTRODUCED,
THIS CEASES TO BE
ha( ITHIS AZZ, rl TRUE--
A SILENT PANEL H FOLKS/ €
SUCH AS THIS COULD :
INDEED BE SAID TO
DEPICT A SINGLE
MOMENTS

7, \N ‘THESE VARIOUS)
AN OTHERWISE
SILENT CAP7/ONED FANE?
PANEL, THE SINGLE + y THEIR BORDERS ALL
MOMENT CAN THT tf OF THE ICONS THAT
ACTUALLY BE te ADD UP TO THE

FOR JUST AS THE

BODY'S LARGEST ORGAN --$O TOO IS THE PANEL /7SELF
--OUR SK/N-- OVERLOOKED AS COMICS’ MOST
IS SELDOM 77QUGH/| IMPORTANT /CONM,7
OF AS AN ORGAN--
RY
a)
e

98
 THESE ICONS WE NOR IS THEIR
CALL PANELS OR MEANING AS FZL//D
“FRAMES” HAVE AND MALLEABLE
NO FIXED OF AS THE SORTS OF
IBSOLUTE MEANING, ICONS WE CALL
aygt ICONS OF PICTURES.
LANGUAGE, SCIENCE s
‘AND COMMUNICATION.

THE PURATIONS. OF THAT 77/E AND THE

DIMENSIONS OF THAT SPACE ARE
Ben MORE BY THE C%
THE PANEL THAN BY THE PANEL /78EZ~ae

HE WAS GIVING IT
His ace, WHEN

PANEL SHAPES VARY CONS/DERABLY THOUGH, AND WHILE WHICH BRINGS US

DIFFERENCES OF SHAPE DON'T AFFECT THE SPECIFIC "MEA/VIVGS” TO THE STRANGE
OF THOSE PANELS VIS-A-VIS TIME, THEY CAN AFFECT THE RELATIONSHIP
READING EXPERIENCE.

HFEISNER DISCUSSES THIS UNDER THE HEADING “FRAMING TIME

IN SONICS AND SEGUENTIAL ART. 99
 IN LEARNING TO READ COMICS
WE ALL LEARNED TO PERCEIVE
TIME SPATIALLY, FOR IN THE WORLD
OF COMICS, 7/ME AND SPACE
ARE OME AND THE SAME.

SO, AS READERS,
WE'RE LEFT WITH ONLY
THE PROBLEM THE FEW CENTIMETERS
lS THERE'S
WO WHICH TRANSPORT US FROM
CONVERSION SECOND TO SECOVO \NONE ARE MOVING THROUGH
ro SEQUENCE COULD TAKE US A SPACE, THEYRE ALSO
ed. MILLION YEARS MOVING THROUGH
IN ANOTHER.

IN MOST CASES IT’S NOT HARD TO FROM A £/FETIME

MAKE AN EDUCATED GUESS AS TO THE OF CONVERSATIONS,
DURATION OF A GIVEN SEQUENCE, SO E
LONG AS THE ££ FMEWTS OF THAT
SEQUENCE ARE FAMI/L/AR TO US. PANEL LIKE THIS
LASTS FOR NO MORE
THAN SEVERAL
SECONDS.
T ALWAYS FIGURED GUESS
many woud
60 FOR GILLIGAN,
‘a

100
 BUT IF THE CREATOR OF THIS SCENE
WANTED TO LEWG7HEN THAT ENnee HOW
COULD HE OR SHE DO SOY ONE OBVIOUS
SOLUTION WOULD BE TO ADD MORE PANELS,
BUT IS THAT THE ONLY WAY?

DYA THINK THE SOx

COULD FINALLY DO
IP ALS YEAR?

IS THERE ANY WAY TO MAKE A WE'VE SEEN HOW

SINGLE SILENT PANEL LIKE THIS ONE TIME CAN BE
SEEM LONVGER,7 HOW ABOUT WIDENING CONTROLLED THROUGH
THE SPACE BETWEEN FANELS7 THE COj OF
ANY QIFFERENCE 7

STILL OWEMORE.
HEY, & DESERVE A I GUESS:
BETTER 20B! 1 cous]
BE ALBRAW SURGEON!

AS UNLIKELY AS IT SOUNDS, THE PANEL SHAPE CAN

BASIC "MEANING"
AS [TS SHORTER VERSIONS, STILL IT
HAS THE FEELING OF GREATER LENGTHY

THAT MADONNA,
AN, SHES ONE HOT

101
 THE PAWEL BORDER
IS OUR GUIDE THROUGH
NOTICED HOW. THE TIME AND SPACE, BUT
IT tea.
GUIDE US
0 Fe

IN A MEDIUM
WHERE TIME AND
IERGE SO

VAMISHES/

AS MENTIONED,
PANELS COME IN
MANY SHAPES AND
SIZES, THOUGH THE
CLASSIC RECTANGLE
I$ USED MOST OF 7EN.

WHEN THE CONMTENV7| BECAUSE OF ITS AND ITS PRESENCE

OF A SILENT PANEL UNRESOLVED NATURE, MAY BE FELT IN
OFFERS NO CLUES AS SUCH A PANEL MAY THE PANELS WHICH
TO ITS DURATION, 1 ZINGER \N THE FOLLOW IT.
CAN ALSO PRODUCE READER'S MIND.
A SENSE OF
TMMELESSNESS.

| : til)
 TIME IS
NO LONGER
CONTAINED
BY THE
FAMILIAR
ICON OF THE
CLOSED PANEL,
BUT INSTEAD
HEMORRHAGES
AND ESCAPES
INTO
7IMIELESS
SPACE.

3
MMMM) ONCE AGAIN, THIS
| | em | | | IS_A TECHNIQUE
USED MOST OFTEN
SUCH
IMAGES CAN i
l H NUT
i Hi
MAU IN JAPAN AND ONLY
SET THE MOOD WT RECENTLY ADOPTED
OR A SENS: | HERE IN THE WEST.

TTT
 IN COMICS, | ANY PANEL
AS IN F/ZM1, THIS. BEFORE THIs--
THAT LAS7 ONE,
TELEVIS(ON AND PANEL AND
"REAL LIFE,” THIS. PANEL FOR INSTANCE--
IT 1S ALWAYS REPRESENTS THE
NOW. REPRESENTS THE FAST.
PRESENT.
I

| Pir

LIKEWISE, ALL BUT LIVLIKE BOTH WHEREVER YOUR

PAST AND
Ss WOW. Burt
OTHER MEDIA, | IN EYES ARE FOCUSED,
COMICS, THE PA‘ ST. FUTURE ARE
IS MORE THAN Ji UST REAL AND AT THE SAME TIME
MEMORIES FOR VISIBLE AND
THE AUDIENCE AND
THE FUTURE IS
MORE THAN JU: IST
AkoiND
ws’
POSSIBILITIES”

4
Z
ATT ATT

LIKE A S7ORM FRONT, THE EYE MOVES

OVER THE COMICS PAGE, PUSHING THE
WARM, HIGH-PRESSURE F2/72/RE_AHEAD WHEREVER
OF IT, LEAVING THE COOL, LOW-PRESSURE THE EYE HITS
PAST IN ITS WAKE. ZAND, WE EXPECT
IT TO BEGIN

104
ONE BEER WON'T
HURT.

NAH, I BETTER
NOT.

Sy

TLL JUST DRIVE OH MY GOD/IM

AROUND ® WHILE. IN THE PURONG
HOUSE/
|

HMMu A FORK:
0. THE RIGHT IS
THE VIDEO STORE. ) eB WHAT ARE YOU
DOING HERE 27
GOSH, I JUST
WANTED 10 RENT
ANOTHER VIDEO,
f q
“OG
NAAH/ LL
GO LEFT

THIS MAY, IN PART, CONDITIONED AS WE ARE TO READ

BE THE INFLUENCE LEFT-TO-RIGHT AND LP-TO-DOVN,
OF OTHER MEDIA A MISCHIEVOUS CARTOONIST CAN
LIKE F7ZM AND PLAY ANY NUMBER OF 7A/CKS ON US.
TELEVISION WHERE
VIEWER CHOICE THE THE END oF rit gust
HAS NOT GENERALLY INCREDIBLE THE MONTH. BoRkoW SOME
MONEY FROM
BEEN FEASIBLE. Ro [eine SASELE IN THE
Future!

orm 7 Sf
Wa Fetal =
Breez
DINNER!
|eer aowed | | vey!
PAY COMPLIMENTS.
THE CHECK, PLEASE
| /ean weit.
N
v
 COMICS READERS
ARE ALSO CONDITIONED

E T AVERY
L/NEAR PROGRESSION. JUST
A STRAIGHT LIVE FROM
POINT ATO POINT &.
BL IT 1S THAT
NECESSARY 7

FOR VOY, THESE BUT WEWER HOW COMICS

QUESTIONS ARE THE PARTICIPATION: ADDRESSES THIS
TERRITORY OF IS ON THE VERGE ISSUE-- OR FA/LS
GAMES AND TO--COULD PLAY A
STRANGE LITTLE CRUCIAL PART IN
EXPERIMENTS. IN O7HER MEDIA. DEFINING THE ROLE
OF COMICS JN THE
NEW CENTURX
=

106
 AS MENTIONED EARLIER, AS ARESULT,
7IME AND SFACE INTHE WORLD OF SO TOO ARE THE
COMICS ARE CLOSELY L/NKED. ISSUES OF 7/ME
AND MO7I0N.

ey TRANSITION
ONE

AS DISCUSSED IN CHAPTER
EE, MOTION IN COMICS.
ICED &%

DESPITE COMICS’ 7HKEE 7THOL/SAND

YEAR HISTORY, \T WASN'T UNTIL WITHIN
TOPFFER’S (N1D-/800'8 DOODLINGS A FEW YEARS,
THAT SPEC/F/C MOTIONS WERE HOWEVER,
PORTRAYED IN COMICS IN THE NOW- MOTION WAS A
FAMILIAR PANEL-70-FANMEL FORM. HOT
INDEED

A) BRIGHT
Societys AND WITTY
ese Snowe Be
Seared fp oRDeR ro
 COPIED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY EADWEARD MUYBRIDG!

BY 7880, INVENTORS THE WORLD OVER KNEW EVENTUALLY DUCHAMP, MORE

THAT "MOVING PICTURES” WERE JUST AROUND MAS EDI: IF YOU'RE CONCERNED WITH
THE CORNER. EVERYONE WANTED TO BE F/RS7/ GOING TO --FILLED ~-THEN THE (DEA OF
WITH BE PREPARED MOTION THAN THE
My S7ROBOSCOPE \S SUPERIOR
IV EVERY MOTION -~ SENSA: (ON, OULD
WAY 70 THE OBSOLETE ZOETROPES EVENTUALLY REDUCE
SUCH CONCEPTS AS
BAH/ My PRAXINOSCOPE |S BETTER! MOTION TOA
INGL.
Al FOOLS’ My HAS CHILDS PLAY! LINE.
THEY ARE BUT
WILL SHOW YOU, [z,

AS THE MOVIVG PICTURE BEGAN ITS SPECTACULAR RISE, A FEW OF DUCHAMP SOON MOVED ON, THE FUTURISTS
THE MORE RADICAL A// >S OF THE DAY EXPLORED THE IDEA THAT DISBANDED AND FINE ARTISTS GENERALLY
MOTION COULD BE DEPICTED BY A S/WGZLE IMAGE ON CAMIAS. IT LOST INTEREST IN THIS OTHER TYPE OF I'M SURE
WASN'T A “MOVING PICTURE” yOu CAN ALL
THE FUTURISTS \N \IALY AND MARCEL DUCHAMP BAD IDEA!
IN FRANCE BEGAN THE SYS7EMA7IC DECOMPOSITION OF BUT THROUGHOUT THIS SAME PERIOD
MOVING IMAGES IN A STATIC MEDIUIA. ANOTHER MEDIUM, LESS COMSPICLIOUSLY,
HAD BEEN INVESTIGATING THIS

Nude Descending a
Staircase #2 by
Duchamp

108
 FROM ITS EARL/EST DAYS, THE MODERN
AND
IN COMICS,
COMIC HAS GRAPPLED WITH THE PROBLEM UNLIKE
OF SHOWING MOTION IN A S7A7/C MEDIUM. PAINTING, IT
WAS MORE THAN

HOW DO YOU SHOW THIS ASPECT OF TIME

IN AN ART WHERE 7IME STAVDS S77LL;7

THOUGH SEQUENTIAL ART SURVIVED FOR MANY CENTURIES WV77/OL/7—

DEPICTING MOTION, ONCE THE GENIE WAS OUT OF THE BOTTLE IT WAS PERHAPS
INEVITABLE THAT MORE AND MORE EFFICIENT MEANS WOULD BE SOUGHT.
AT FIRST, THIS SEARCH CENTERED ON LZ7/PLE IMAGES IN SEQUENCE.

BUT JUST AS A
SINGLE PANEL CAN --SO TOO. DYNAMIC MOVEMENT AND DUCHAMP’S

ead (ciceeeenes
REPRESENT A SAV CAN A SINGLE DIAGRAMMATIC CONCEPT OF MOVEMENT
OF TIME THROUGH PANEL REPRESENT LIES COMICS’ MOTION LINE.”
A SPA SPAN OF TIME
THI

(33 +3
3>—

v#§_@
110
 IN THE BEGINNING, MOTION_LINES--OR “Z/P-R/BBONVS” AS SOME CALL THEM--
WERE WLD, MESSY, ALMOST DESPERATE ATTEMPTS TO REPRESENT THE PATHS
OF MOVING OBJECTS THROUGH SPACE.

OVER THE YEARS, THESE LINES BECAME EVENTUALLY, IN THE HANDS OF HERO/C
MORE REFINED AND S7YL/ZED, EVEN FANTASY ARTISTS LIKE BILL EVERETT
DIAGRAMMATIC. AND JACK K/RE6Y --

--THOSE SAME LINES BECAME so STYLIZED AS TO ALMOST HAVE A L/FE

AND FHYSICAL PRESENCE ALL THEIR OWN,”

ART (CENTER AND ABOVE RIGHT) © D.C. COMICS. (LEFT

AND RIGHT)
© MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP INC. 111
 BECAUSE OF
THEIR ABILITY TO pee
ACTION WITH DK¢ UCH
7 \ CONSPICUOUS ACTION MES
HAVE BEEN AN AMER/CAIVV
SPECIALTY FOR YEARS.
0S

IN THIS APPROACH,
BOTH THE MOVIVG
OBJECT AND THE LE IV
EOS SE THE SUBJECT, ATTEMPTING TO
INVOLVE THE READER MORE
ARTA SPE, DEEPLY IN THE ACTION.*

MOTION IS IMPOSED
OVER THE SCENE.

E
SOME INTRIGUING RESULTS
IN THE SIXTIES AND
SEVENTIES.

* MULTIPLE IMAGES CAN BE FOUND IN THE

WORK OF KRIGSTEIN, INFANTIN AND 112
COLAN, WHO WAS ALSO A -AYLM-BUFF,
WAS OF COURSE AWARE THAT WHEN A A CAR GOING AT 60 MPH
CAMERA'S SHUTTER SPEED |S TOO SLOW TO MIGHT LOOK LIKE 7A//8.
FULLY FREEZE A MOVING OBJECT'S IMAGE,
AN INTERESTING BLURRIVG EFFECT OCCURS.

CCMAEEIEL Eo oo LUEZ
AMERICAN comics}
& UT \F THE CAMERA MOVES W/TH THE MOVING OBJECT, ARTISTS TOOK
THAT OBJECT WILL REMAIN USED WHILE THE LITTLE OR NO INTEREST
BACKGROUND Witt NOW BE STREAKED. IN THIS KIND OF
PHOTOGRAPHIC
TRICKER™.

BUT IN JAPAN, ONCE

AGAIN, A VERY D/FFERENT
COMICS CULTURE EMBRACED
THIS VERY DIFFERENT
IT WAS LIKEWISE CONCEPT OF MOTION AS
IGNORED. THEIR OWN.

feo?
 “SUBSECTIVE
ZION,” AST CALL
IT, OPERATES ON THE
ASSUMPTION THAT IF
OBSERVING A MOVING
OBJECT CAV BE
INVOLVING, BEING
THAT OBJECT SHOULD
BE MORE So.

JAPANESE
ARTISTS, STARTING
IN THE LATE 60%,
BEGAN PUTTING THEIR
READERS “/V THE
DRIVER'S SEAT” WITH
PANELS LIKE 7HASE.

AND
STARTING IN THE
MID-EIGHTIES,
A FEW AMERICAN
ARTISTS BEGAN TO
ADOPT THE EFFECT JN
THEIR OWN WORK,
UNTIL BY THE EARLY
MINETIES \T HAS
BECOME FAIRLY
COMMON.

OHA?

ARE THESE
THE OMLY WAYS
WE CAN PORTRAY
 INA --THE ~-SUCH AS IS
MEDIUM WHERE STORYTELLER THE POLYPTYCH, IMPOSED OVER
TIME AND SPACE WHERE A MOVING
MERGE-- FIGURE OR
FIGURES--

Oj je

LRU UTP ERE A

TI
METH ay
T

q
o °
q

BY INTRODUCING HERE, THE

TIME INTO THE COMPOSITION OF
EQUATION, COMICS THE PICTURE IS ~- AND THE
ARTISTS ARE JOINED BY THE IMPOSITION
ARRANGING THE COMPOSITION OF OF MEMORY. \ i
ANGE, THE
COMPOSITION OF
DRAMA--

IE THE COMPOSITION THE MATURAL WORLD CREATES GREAT

OF A SINGLE PANEL BEAUTY EVERY DAY, YET THE ONLY RULES
1S TRULY PERFECT, OF COMPOSITION IT FOLLOWS ARE THOSE COMICS,
DOESN'T THAT IMPLY OF FLINCTION AND CHANCE. AT ITS BEST,
THAT IT CAN- ~OR . = SHOULD DO
EVEN SHOULD--STAND NO LESS.
ALONE?
 AS WE'VE SEEN, THE INTERACTION OF 7/ME AND
COMICS GENERALLY LEADS US TO ONE OF TWO SUBJECTS:
UND OR MOTION.

SOUND BREAKS BOTH TYPES ADD TO THE DURATION Mo7/0N ALSO

DOWN INTO OF A PANEL, PARTIALLY THROUGH THE BREAKS DOWN INTO
SUBSETS: WO, NATURE OF SOUND /7SEZF AND BY TWO SUBSETS.
BALLOONS AND INTRODUCING ISSUES OF AC7/0/V AND THE FIRST TYPE--
& REACTION. PANEL-TO-FPANEL
IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TO MERIT ITS OWN
CHAPTER.

ue Que Wee -- MOTION W7A/V

ELS--CAN BE FURTHER DIVIDED THE WORKINGS OF
INTO SEVERAL DISTINCT S7YZLES. I’VE 7IME IN COMICS SHOULD
COVERED THE ONES Z KNOW, BUT THERE BE AS SIMPLE AS--
MAY BE MANY O7HERS. TIME WILL TELL.

116
I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT BUT
WHAT MAKES COMICS “7/CK™” FOR NO_ MATTER HOW
YEARS AND I'M STILL AMAZED BIZARRE THE
BY THE S7RANGEIVESS OF IT ALL. WORKINGS OF TIME
IN COMICS IS-- 4

OF SIMPLE
NORMALITX

ALL
DEPENDS ON
YOUR FRAME
OF MIND.