The hermeneutics of sequential narrative

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There's a convention to the process of reading a comics page akin to reading a page of text; in the latter, conventions dictate among other things if it's left to right, while in the former, there are certain clues that direct the reader to the succeeding panel. However, what happens when it's unclear just how the progression goes? (Otherwise great writers commit this mistake often: Mignola, Bendis (in Powers), Koike to name a few.) It's a breakdown of the convention, and the page approaches static art.

The panel is a construct, same as other constructs governing the interpretation of other media, and when it "works," it's low on the hierarchy of constructs because it's more transparent/requires less intrepretation from an experienced reader.

I don't know, just putting some thoughts in print and seeing how they look.

― Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Monday, 14 June 2004 04:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Because it constructs a movie in your head, this construct also implies some cinematic constructs: eg when showing a pair of talking heads, don't keep switching the point of view from one side of them to the other between panels/shots.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 14 June 2004 08:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Have you read McCloud's "Understanding Comics" yet?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 14 June 2004 09:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I think it was in the SuperFriends collection I got from the library, where I think the Flash is running around in a circle and talking to Aquaman or something and it took me three passes to figure out the sequencing of the dialogue balloons (simple left to right).

― Huk-El (Horace Mann), Monday, 14 June 2004 13:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Contemporary cinema borrows as much from comics as comics do from cinema.

I think when the page becomes static comics are often becoming "more like themselves", since they are, ultimately, a static medium.

― August (August), Monday, 14 June 2004 13:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't believe in Scott McCloud.

― Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Monday, 14 June 2004 17:28 (twenty-one years ago)

That doesn't quite answer the question.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 14 June 2004 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes.

― Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Tuesday, 15 June 2004 02:08 (twenty-one years ago)

You sound very positive.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 08:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Can we finish up the Godot round sometime in the next millenium, kids?

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 11:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I believe in Scott McCloud, but Scott McCloud no longer believes in MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...

(massive ILE x-post)

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Are there any (good) comic adaptations of Beckett? Someone could probably do well with "Le Depeupleur" (excuse me if I'm misspelling it).

― Casuistry (Chris P), Saturday, 19 June 2004 06:12 (twenty-one years ago)

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