Volume 2 Page 150
Posted December 30, 2016 at 12:01 am

Today, the exciting conclusion of a recent “Subtweet Comics Critique” rant crossposted from my Twitter account!

Rule of thumb: Once per comic page, show a “relational shot” reestablishing where the action scene’s characters are currently located.

Come to think of it, that “at least one relational shot per page” maxim applies to ALL scenes in a comic, not just the action-oriented ones. The discombobulated conversation scene in Comic A that I mentioned earlier would have been well-served by a steady diet of relational shots. On every comic page, ask yourself, “Without dialogue, can a reader tell where this is taking place, and the characters’ relative positions?”

You’ll likely need to depict some degree of concrete, literalistic background detail as this “reestablishing shot” anchors the characters. I often fudge this by drawing the ground underfoot as a literal and often detailed setting, but with speedlines as a swirling background.

One of the comics I’ve been critiquing featured a separate writer and artist, which might well have exacerbated the lack of clarity in the book’s action scenes. The writer probably wrote a “full script,” with specific descriptions of each panel, and might have asked for isolated, disconnected shots. Well, a comic’s writer having an inept narrative sense doesn’t absolve the artist from employing clear visual storytelling principles. Work those “relational shots” in, even if the script didn’t specifically call for ’em. Anchor all those characters and settings, regardless.

Artists: When other editors see the published issue’s incoherent mess, they’re as likely to blame you for lousy storytelling as the writer. Those other editors work with writers no doubt busy taking aim at their own feet, and don’t need an artist who will only make things worse. How many times have we seen a crappily written comic with great art and storytelling? Well, that artist will get snatched up in a hurry, believe me.

And thus ends my latest Subtweet Comics Critique, admittedly a tad abruptly. Tune in next time for our regularly scheduled Empowered commentary, folks!

-Adam Warren

Comments
Privacy Policy