Week 2 - Understanding Comics
Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics is not your standard how-to or history book, but a rather brilliant way to explain the art and uniqueness of comics while creatively formatted as a comic itself. In other words, its a comic about comics. From the opening page, I knew I was going to have a ton of fun exploring this book. McCloud constantly comes up with super entertaining and clever ways to inform his audience about closure, icons, and what makes a comic a comic.
One major point that McCloud discusses in his book involves the six types of panel-to-panel transitions featured in comics (moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequitur). Using examples from the works many comic artists throughout America and Europe, he concluded that the three most popular transitions in comics are action, subject, and scene with action being the most commonly used by far. McCloud poses the question whether or not these three transitions are all we need to tell stories due to their efficiency and clarity. But rather than giving a straightforward answer, he compares the western way of telling stories to that of Osamu Tezuka and various Japanese comics, who use almost every transition in their pieces, especially aspect-to-aspect.
Aspect-to-aspect transitions are rarely used in Western comics, as the American/Western culture is more interested in getting a goal across/telling a clear story. The Japanese want you to experience the comic all the way through and uses the aspect transitions to help accentuate this. This transition reminded me of establishing shots in film; various detail shots to let the audience know where they are and to examine all the little details in the environment. The fact that they are used in a ton of American films but not very many American comics is very interesting to me.
This was an excellent read this week and it really opened my eyes to the various ways comics appeal to the masses and tell engaging stories. Can't wait to see whats in store for next week and take what I've learned into consideration for when I read.
One major point that McCloud discusses in his book involves the six types of panel-to-panel transitions featured in comics (moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequitur). Using examples from the works many comic artists throughout America and Europe, he concluded that the three most popular transitions in comics are action, subject, and scene with action being the most commonly used by far. McCloud poses the question whether or not these three transitions are all we need to tell stories due to their efficiency and clarity. But rather than giving a straightforward answer, he compares the western way of telling stories to that of Osamu Tezuka and various Japanese comics, who use almost every transition in their pieces, especially aspect-to-aspect.
Aspect-to-aspect transitions are rarely used in Western comics, as the American/Western culture is more interested in getting a goal across/telling a clear story. The Japanese want you to experience the comic all the way through and uses the aspect transitions to help accentuate this. This transition reminded me of establishing shots in film; various detail shots to let the audience know where they are and to examine all the little details in the environment. The fact that they are used in a ton of American films but not very many American comics is very interesting to me.
This was an excellent read this week and it really opened my eyes to the various ways comics appeal to the masses and tell engaging stories. Can't wait to see whats in store for next week and take what I've learned into consideration for when I read.
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