Editorial Research - What makes comics so effective and unique?
What makes comics so effective and unique? What makes them unique to both read and draw is the relationship between space and time which the artist creates. A panel by definition is a moment in fictional time so when we read a sequence of panels we infer that within the fictional world time is moving. One action is happening after another. But at the same time a panel is just a physical drawing. Art Spiegleman said 'Cartooning is the art of moving time back into space'. He said this because in comics one is trying to instil time into a physical sequence of panels. We try to give the illusion of time passing inside a comic. Another advantage of comics is that although the panels are in sequence and one action leads clearly to the next. But if we look at two panels in any comic there is a gap between the two actions which the reader does not see. When you read a comic our minds work out what must have gone in between. 1925 born American illustrator, Edward Gorey, was famous ...