a question...

[ratcreature]

I vaguely remember hearing from several people in comic discussions that they didn't really know how to talk about graphic storytelling or how to pin down what elements have which effects and why, when trying to analyze comics, or do comic meta.

I love reading comic meta that goes into detail, but I'm far too lazy to do anything like that myself. However, since I've been interested in comics for as long as I can remember, I have over time read/listened to/participated in a whole bunch of books/talks/lectures/workshops on comics and graphic storytelling, anything from the often quite convoluted academic analyzes of comic pages to how-tos for aspiring artists, and occasionally acquire books on that subject. For example, most recently I have picked up the Wizard How To Draw volume on Storytelling when I got my comics today. As is usual for this series there's lots of examples with little text, in particular of course focused on superhero comics, and paging through it, some seems quite interesting.

Now I'm wondering whether anybody of those who feel they're lacking the vocabulary or whatever to analyze comics would be interested in scans from books about it, like for example from that Wizard volume. Also, if you are thinking it might be useful, I'm obviously curious what you'd find particularly interesting to know about.

Like for example the chapters in that Wizard book (each only about 2-5 pages and by different authors) on the graphical aspect of storytelling are: fundamentals of page design, panel sequence, laying out a page, panel layout, advanced layout, splash pages, evolution of a page, pacing a scene, pacing an issue, dramatic tension, emotional impact, tension & pacing, settings, settings at work, backgrounds, background details, group shots, group dynamics, shadows, silhouettes, negative space, sound effects, master storytelling, and then there's the last part with example scripts and the authors and artists talking bout a particular aspect of the realization, though they didn't reprint the actual comic pages which makes it a bit harder to imagine, unless you own them, in particular Bendis, Bagley and Finch talk about Drama & Action with the example of an Ultimate Spider-Man issue, Kirkman and Ottley about Fight Scenes with an Invincible issue and Brubaker, Epting and Lark about Flashbacks with a Captain America issue.

Any opinions?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/__marcelo/]

Woot! I'd *love* to get to learn more about that. More than anything, I guess I'd like to understand better the storytelling elements - how page layout, pacing, etc, are used with deliberate aims in mind (I don't know if I'm making much sense... I guess that's part of why I need to learn *g*).

[petronelle.livejournal.com]

The book in general sounds fascinating.

[catmoran.livejournal.com]

Have you ever read Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud? It sounds like your Wizard book is quite similar. I initially read it because I love McCloud's Zot! comic.

[ratcreature]

Yeah, I have read that, also its sequel. The Wizard series isn't really like that though. It's foremost intended as a practical guide to drawing, and as such explains the graphic narrative that's not particular to comics (like for example the effect of backgrounds, shadows and silhouettes) as well as specific comic stuff, also there's no connecting argument or anything like that in it, since all the chapters are written by different people and of different quality.

Have you read the two books Eisner wrote on graphic storytelling? They are really good.

[brownbetty]

So very, very interested. I really don't know enough about it to know where to start, though.