BLOCK 3: COMIC

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO COMICS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

The comic or cartoon is a successive series of illustrations that tell a story with or without written text.Its origin dates back over 100 years. It has gained greater prominence with the advent of new technologies such as television, cartoons, computers, movies, etc..In the United States it is known as a comic, in Mexico as monitos, muñequitos in Cuba, tebeo in Spain, manga in Japan, fumetti in Italy, and across Latin America as a comic (historieta). Cartoons are usually done on paper, either as magazines, inside newspapers or posters, however, they also currently found in digital format as e-comic, webcomic, etc. which we can see through the web and digital devices such as tablets and smartphones.

1.2 BASIC CONCEPTS

"A comic is a narrative sequence consisting of panels or frames within which linguistic texts or some phonetic signs can be integrated representing expressions (boom, bang, crash, etc.)".

One of the main features of the comic, is its narrative, it shows a number of ideas related to the "before" and "after" the balloon that reads, which speaks of a "present".

Another key feature in a comic is the relationship between the verbal and iconic, which is detailed below:

1. The message is issued as a succession of events over time, which relies heavily on the structure of the panel or frame and its sequence.

2. Integration of verbal and iconic elements previously defined.3. It uses codes and conventions mostly predefined and accepted.4. It is a mass diffusion media.5. It has the goal to entertain and provide fun, and it could be oriented to educate.

The comic shares with written narrative, elements such as characters, narrator, and point of view, characters, time, space, and structure, but it also shares cinematic narrative elements like shots (planos) and angles.

1.3 HISTORY OF COMICS

The comic as any other narrative genra has its origings in ancient civilizations and in the Middle Ages through the creation of Egyptian or Greek mural paintings, Roman reliefs (altorelieves), glass windows from churches, etc. The invention of the press (imprenta) in 1446 and lithography (litografía) in 1789, allowed the massive reproduction of drawings. It was in 1800 when the British cartoonist James Gillray created a satirical lithography of Napoleon Bonapart, which was published by the press, and it is considered the first comic strip of all times.

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Later on 1827, the Swiss cartoonist Rodolphe Topffer, published different albums of comic strips in horizontal format, directed for adulted audiences, with a set of panels per page and with a par of lines of text at the feet of each panel, spontaneously and with an open trace. Thanks to his contribution to comics, he is considered the father of modern comics.

First in Europe and then in USA, comics started to evolve through the use of the BALLOON of SPEECH in a series of comics where outstands The Katzenjammer Kids (1897), Krazy Kat (1911) or Bringing Up Father (1913).

Since 1929, adventure comic strips are the ones who become popular, such as Flash Gordon (1934) or Prince Valiant (1937).

The highest peak in the comic industry starts in 1938, through comic books about Super Heroes. The first was Superman, afterwards followed Batman 1939, Captain America and Wonder woman in 1941.

The monopoly of the north American comic suffers a recess with the outbreak of comics from France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Argentina in the 60s. In the 80s the underground comics appear. They dealt with topics about an unhumanized and consuming society.

Little by little the comic industry decreases with television, except in Japan where their comics conquered the rest of the world since 1988, thanks to the success of their cartoon versions.

Curiosities: Did you know that in 2010, one comic book from the first set of Action Comics in which appears Superman for the first time was auctioned on Internet for a record price of $1,500.000.00, where as its original price was $0.10 (10 cents of a dollar)!!!

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LESSON 2: ELEMENTS OF A COMIC

Comics are means of expression in which are combined fixed images and linguistic test. These are the following elements of a comic:

2.1. VISUAL LANGUAGE

As its name says, visual language helps communication through images and gestures.

In a comic, the visual language elements are:

a. The Panel (viñeta) It is the minimum unit of narration of a comic. It represents an instance of a story. It can be square, rectangular, circular, oval, etc. The outline can be linear (straight lines) or closed, sometimes it can be interrupted or ondulated like in the case of a dream. It is composed by an drawn action and in sometimes with text, so inside a panel can coexist iconic language (drawing) and verbal language (written).

b. The Shots.- just like in film, comic uses a series of frames or shots to gather in a panel which is better for the narration of the comic. They are very similar to the ones used in film, which we can name:

Full wide shot: it is open and describes the setting in which the action happens, the characters appear small y hardly seen clearly.

Full shot: closer shot to the character, seeing the character and the setting more detailed. American Shot: The panel cuts the character at the knees (rodillas) allowing to distinguish the

gestures and movement of the character. Medium shot: In this shot, the character is cut at the waist (cintura), allowing to see the facial

expression of the character with more details, and still you appreciate part of the setting. Medium Close up: This shot centers from the shoulders up and shows the entire face of the

character. Close up: the face and maybe a specific detail Extreme close up: a specific detail from the face of the character or part of his body or object.

Example: eyes, a gesture, his eyelashes, an object, etc.

Full Wide Shot Full Shot American Shot

Medium Shot Medium Close up

Close up

Extreme Close up

c. Angles: Are similar to film. (check Block 1: Film)

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d . Format: It is the way to present the comic on paper, it could be rectangular (horizontal or vertical) or square, circular, triangular, etc. It is important the selection of the format and the relationship with space, the panel and real time, so when reading the comic it provides sequence to the comic strip. It is not the same to present an extreme close up that could occupy and entire page called SPLASH or a quart of a page. The main formats are a SPREAD is an image that spans more than one page. The two-page spread is the most common. There could be one page called SPLASH, half page and strips (tiras)

e. Colors.- they have different functions in a comic strip. They are used to: as figurative (to give more image to icon), aesthetic (tints, values, etc.), psychological (reinforces the personality of the characters, creates a sense of identity or rejection from the receptor), and meaning (it can affect the message). The meaning of colors is not a norm, red on cheeks (mejillas) can mean that the character is furious; or on nose, the character is drunk; or if it covers all the face, the character is embarrassed.

f. Gesture code.- the gestures and the dialogues are important in a comic character.

g. Kinetic figures.- express the illusion of movement or projection. Its representation can be in many ways. For example lines, parallel lines, dense, ondulatory, etc. and they show the movement of a body or object, the clouds behind a car means that the car is moving fast, etc. (see powerpoint).

2.2 VERBAL LANGUAGE

In the case of comics, it refers to the text that appears inside the panels. The text is used to represent all kind of sounds. It is used to:

Express dialogues and thoughts of the characters. Add extra information to support the story or panel. Suggests real sounds through onomatopoeia.

Text can be presented in the following ways:

a. Balloons (speech balloons, bubbles) contain the dialogue that the characters in the comic speak. Balloons are frequently rounded, but can take many shapes including rectangular. It has a pointer, called a tail, directed towards the speaker.

b. Caption:- Text that speaks directly to the reader. Frequently, the text appears below the comic panel, but it can be placed beside or above it as well. It represents the narrator and its shape is usually rectangular.

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c. Onomatopoeia.- It is the imitation of sound. It could be in or outside the speech balloon. Most known are: crack, splash, boom, click, sniff, glup, zzz…, pow, etc.

d. Letters.- the type of letter will be according to the character and his tone of voice. For example, if the character shouts, the type of letter will be capital letters, bigger, etc.

2.3. CONVENTIONAL SIGNS

a. Visual Metaphor.- They are the graphic norms accepted to express an idea through an image. For example, a saw over a piece of wood means sleeping, a light bulb over a head means a great idea, a question mark mean confusion, etc.

b. Kinetic figures.- are graphic representations to the natural non movement fixed images, trying to represent movement in a more a dynamic way.

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c. Layout & Design.- it is a selection of the space and time to build up a rhythm between one panel and the other. The most expressive moments have to selected as well as the gestures of the characters. Comics offer the following resources for the layout:

Panoramic: it is to draw en sequenced panels the significant moments of a rotating movement, in which a spectator moves his head.

Travelling.- it is when a character is presented as close and then far in the following panels. Linked.- it when the main image is fading and then reappears with a different value. Simultaneous layout.- in which appear the characters drawn in different places at the same time,

describing a total action. Layout at different times.- represents the different moments in a temporary sequence,

concentrated in a big panel.

Layout

Panel:

A panel, frame or box is one drawing on a page, and contains a segment of action. A page may have one or many panels, and panels are frequently, but not always, surrounded by a border or outline, whose shape can be altered to indicate emotion, tension or flashback sequences.

The size, shape and style of a panel, as well as the placement of figures and speech balloons inside it, affect the timing or pacing of a story. Panels are used to break up and encapsulate sequences of events in a narrative. What occurs in a panel may beasynchronous, meaning that not everything that occurs in a single panel necessarily occurs at one time.

Gutter: The gutter is the space between panels. Tier: A tier is a single row of panels. Splash: A splash or splash page is a large, often full-page illustration which opens and introduces

a story." It is rarely less than half a page, and occasionally covers two pages. Often designed as a decorative unit, its purpose is to capture the reader's attention, and can be used to establish time, place and mood

Spread:

A spread is an image that spans more than one page. The two-page spread is the most common, but there are spreads that span more pages, often by making use of a foldout (or gatefold).

Elements A caption (the yellow box) gives the narrator a voice. The characters dialogue is given

through speech balloons. The character speaking is indicated by the tail of the balloon. Speech balloon: A speech/word/dialogue balloon or speech/word/dialogue bubble is a speech

indicator, containing the characters' dialogue. The indicator from the balloon that points at the speaker is called a pointer or tail. The speech balloon bridges the gap between word and image—"the word made image", as expressed by Pierre Fresnault-Druelle. In early renderings, speech balloons were no more than ribbons emanating from their speakers' mouths, but as it evolved and became more sophisticated, it became a more expressive device. Its shape came to convey meaning as well. A thought balloon contains copy expressing a character's unvoiced thoughts, usually shaped like a cloud, with bubbles as a pointer. Emotions can be expressed by the shape of the balloon—spiked balloons can indicate shouting, and balloons "dripping" balloons can indicate sarcasm.

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Caption: In a caption, words appear in a box separated from the rest of the panel or page, usually to give voice to a narrator, but sometimes used for the characters' thoughts or dialogue.

Sound effects: Sound effects or onomatopoeia are words that mimic sounds. They are non-vocal sound images, from the subtle to the forceful.

Concepts

Closure: The reader performs closure by using background knowledge and an understanding of panel relations to combine panels mentally into events.

Encapsulation: It is the capturing of prime moments in a story. Not every moment of a story is presented in comics. For the artist, encapsulation involves choosing what will be presented in which panels, how many panels will be used to present the action, and the size and layout of the panels. The layouts of the panels can influence the way the panels interact with each other to the reader. This interaction can lend more meaning to the panels than what they have individually. Encapsulation is distinctive to comics, and an essential consideration in the creation of a work of comics.

Lesson 3: Exercises and Activities

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Name ____________________________________ Class: ____________________________________

1. Observe the following comic strip. Order each one using numbers.

2. Choose ONE of the following comic strips. Print the one you would like to do. Paste here and invent a text and a title for your comic strip.

OPTION 1:

TITLE: ___________________________________________

OPTION 2:

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TITLE: _______________________________________

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OPTION 3:

TITLE: ___________________________________________

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LESSON 4: CREATING CHARACTERS

To create a comic, you do not have to be an expert in drawing, know about settings, and color them. You should knkow about how to narrate stories, know about semiotics of comics, know how to use specialized software, etc. You could learn all these through months of attending a comic specialized school. However, anyone can learn the basic concepts of creating characters.

The basic elements of a comic are the characters because they are the ones that develop a story.

The following are some of the techniques used to create characters:

1. Creating characters using geometric shapes.2. Creating characters using isomorphic forms.3. Creating characters using the human or animal figure.4. Creating characters using combined techniques, etc

4.1 BUILDING UP A CHARACTERa. Proportion:

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