An odd approach to style...
What. a. crazy. summer!
Forgive me for being away for so long, but my summer was packed with kids and travel. Now that school is finally starting, I can get back to WORK!
For today's topic, I want to talk about style. For decades, comics have always been in "boxes", then, sometime in the mid eighties, certain artists broke out of the box, and began to use the entire page for art. nowadays, you can't find a mainstream comic that uses the old style boxes.
In comics, at least to me, the boxes with their shape and size are all just as important to the story as the text it is put into. Below is an image that you've seen before (in my previous blog).
This is a page from the upcoming issue #1. the ebb and flow is about what you would expect from a typical comic page..old school at least. Now what if you were to change one aspect of the page. maybe change the shape of the boxes?
Now what does this do to the page, if not the story? the funny thing is, not one reader will have the same response to that question as anyone else. It reminds them of a submarine, or a steampunk monocle. anything really. It really doesn't matter what the reader thinks about with this conglomeration of shapes, BUT if used frequently, the reader will begin to associate the shape of the boxes with that comic, or story.
here's where I really blow your mind...
What if, in that same comic series, you changed the shape and line style to indicate a new realm or planet. If the artist sets up a color pallet and border style, and is consistent with them, the reader won't need reminder text boxes about where they are. the reader will just KNOW IT.
Still haven't blown your mind yet?
If not, answer me this: Why am I the first person to think of this in the 70 plus years of print comics?
ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! We will be at the Augusta toy and comic convention artist alley selling our wares next year!!! that means the CSRA Sequncial Artists Anthology #1 AND Orbital 47 #1!
Yes! It will be ready!
more details to come!
STAY TUNED! STAY FROSTY!
-John
