Understanding Comics

Right off the bat I found it interesting when McCloud showed it was hard to explain comics in a basic way. He gives up at “juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence.” Comics are hard to explain it’s a medium for story telling that is unlike any other, combining visuals with internal dialogue.

When McCloud was describing the appeal of cartoon, specifically cartoon faces. I really appreciated the way he described the faces as not merely simplified but focused. By simplifying the surface we are amplifying the meaning. I don’t think I’ve ever though of simplifying as amplifying before. We see faces in many faceless things because we are a “self centered” species, such as a car’s headlights. It’s really not that hard to show emotion when people interpret two dots and a line as a face. Some of the most basic shapes create the most memorable characters. It will most certainly affect how I create my own characters in animation.

I also enjoyed the explanation of the gutter. I notice that comics used a gutter to separate the panels instead of a line but I never wondered in depth why they were there. The gutter does more than separate panels for clarity is gives the comic a rhythm. What isn’t drawn still gives us our experience.

The apple, or the six steps of a sequence, really struck me.  Noticed that this goes beyond comics into visual storytelling in general. There are many gorgeous animated films or shows such as Mystery Incorporated or Tron: Uprising that are just hollow apples. The visuals are gorgeous and maybe the plot is strong but the treatment or script is too weak. Without the strong core you just try to avoid the story completely even if it is gorgeous. Visuals are still important, sometimes there might be a strong piece with weak visuals and people will just refuse to watch it. There are countless examples of visual storytelling where the image and story just don’t match up. Both the writing and the visuals are needed to tell the story together.