04-28-2013, 03:01 AM
@Gangster and Monkeybread-Totally agree with both of you that the art matters a LOT, and you have to put a lot of work into it. But you have to change the way that you think about story- Story also trumps words. Story, plot, theme, metaphore...these are all totally seperate from the words you actually put on the page, and tie directly into your art direction and page designs. A story is what you are telling, and visual art and the written word are the two primary tools you have to convey it. You can't think of the two as separate from each other, either, because your third and most important tool is how they combine- thats why I stress so much working on both at the same time in the same place.
It might help to clear up my meaning, by pointing out that you can write long sequences spanning pages (or even entire chapters!) completely without dialogue or narration in a comic- in this case artwork takes on the full burden of conveying the story, and having a solid plan of how the scene(s) unfold (in the form of thumbnails, arrows showing yourself how the read and action on the page should flow, notes on details, symbolia (lightbulb over the head, that sort of thing), sound effects to use...) before starting to finalize anything becomes even more important! This is another one of those hard-won lessons for me- it saves you from a lot of wasted effort when you realize that the art you just spent all that time working on isn't really telling the story in an effective way, or that the dialogue doesn't really work with the way that you drew things. When that happens, you have to redo one or the other- in the worst cases where the whole thing just isn't telling the story well, sometimes both. Been there, done that, not fun.
I've seen some mediocre comics saved by great art or by great writing, but the best always focus on the story and telling it in the most effective way, and this leads the rest.
As far as good comics go, some ones that people here might want to check out as examples of well done or highly successful comics:
IMO, probably one of the best out there is White Noise. Brilliant comic in all aspects, and a case study for both comics and science fiction as high art. The author's been on a couple year sabatical due to financial problems, but she's slowly working her way back to regular postings now that she's in a better place money and stress wise.
I'm also a big fan of Odd Nauseam. Wonderful high weirdness, clever dialogue, and a clinic in what can be done with flat black and white art and minimal shading.
Ones people are pushing to get me to read that I've seen enough of to recommend:Goblins (this one is a great example of how a good story can carry the art and writing until they come up to par), El Goonish Shrive, Girl Genius and Romantically Apocalyptic (As soon as I get the chance to read through their archives the last two will probably join my faves list from what I've seen.)
It might help to clear up my meaning, by pointing out that you can write long sequences spanning pages (or even entire chapters!) completely without dialogue or narration in a comic- in this case artwork takes on the full burden of conveying the story, and having a solid plan of how the scene(s) unfold (in the form of thumbnails, arrows showing yourself how the read and action on the page should flow, notes on details, symbolia (lightbulb over the head, that sort of thing), sound effects to use...) before starting to finalize anything becomes even more important! This is another one of those hard-won lessons for me- it saves you from a lot of wasted effort when you realize that the art you just spent all that time working on isn't really telling the story in an effective way, or that the dialogue doesn't really work with the way that you drew things. When that happens, you have to redo one or the other- in the worst cases where the whole thing just isn't telling the story well, sometimes both. Been there, done that, not fun.
I've seen some mediocre comics saved by great art or by great writing, but the best always focus on the story and telling it in the most effective way, and this leads the rest.
As far as good comics go, some ones that people here might want to check out as examples of well done or highly successful comics:
IMO, probably one of the best out there is White Noise. Brilliant comic in all aspects, and a case study for both comics and science fiction as high art. The author's been on a couple year sabatical due to financial problems, but she's slowly working her way back to regular postings now that she's in a better place money and stress wise.
I'm also a big fan of Odd Nauseam. Wonderful high weirdness, clever dialogue, and a clinic in what can be done with flat black and white art and minimal shading.
Ones people are pushing to get me to read that I've seen enough of to recommend:Goblins (this one is a great example of how a good story can carry the art and writing until they come up to par), El Goonish Shrive, Girl Genius and Romantically Apocalyptic (As soon as I get the chance to read through their archives the last two will probably join my faves list from what I've seen.)