Visual Language &Communication

A Comic book tale

Teacher: Sara del Río

1.The Panel. This is the basic unit of a comic book page, consisting of a single illustration. It's most often contained within a square or rectangular frame, although circular and irregularly-shaped panels are also possible.

2.The Gutter. This is the space on a comic book page that is outside the panels. The gutter doesn't contain any other graphic elements. However, objects or speech balloons within the panels can stick out to some degree.

3.Balloons. It is the element what contains the text. These come in two basic kinds: Speech balloons: are (usually) round, and contain the text of what a particular character is saying. Thought balloons: depict what a character is thinking, and are conventionally drawn with lumpy edges, like clouds.

4.Splash Balloons. These special balloons have jagged edges, and enclose important or dramatic text, such as the title of a comic on a Splash Page, the first page of the story.

Main Elements of a Comic Book

Speech balloon

Balloon

Panel

Gutter

Frank Miller, Sin City Daniel Clowes, Ghost World

Splash Balloon

Thought balloon

Quino, Mafalda

The Text-Related Parts of a Comic Book Page:

1.Title. the name of the comic on the front cover. Given the nature of comics, the title is nearly always large, colorful, and especially ornate.

2.Credits. the credits promote the "stars" of the comic: scriptwriter & comic artist.

Jim Davies, Gardfield

Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes

3.Lettering. This refers to most of the text in a comic book.

4.Captions. Lettering not in a speech or thought balloon is usually in a caption, in a separate frame.

CAPTION

Sonia Pulido

5.Sound Effects. Any writing meant to convey a noise or sound is called a sound effect. Sound effects are shaped to suggest the kind of sound – loud or soft, harsh or mellow.

http://www.artsletters.com

Some Original Comic because of its Structure

Frank Miller, Sin city, 1991

Sonia Pulido, Duelo de caracoles, 2010

Jeffrey Brown, Gato saliendo de una bolsa, 2008

Jiro Taniguchi, The Lonely Gourmet, 2010

Some Original Comic because of its Plot

We´ll see some example of comics in which the author tells stories about his own life to show aspects of his own culture.

Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis, 2000

Harvey Pekar, American Splendor, 1976

Laura Pacheco, Let´s Pacheco, 2011