Goosebump moments in comics.

[Odd_Bloke]

(This post is dedicated to anybody who had to read a double page spread in a graphic novel twice, because they didn't realise they were meant to be 'reading in widescreen!')

This is particularly frustrating when reading digital comics.  My laptop's screen is too small to read comics portrait, so I rotate them (and my laptop) by 90 degrees, to make better use of the space.  I'll often not notice until the second page of the spread that I missed context for the first page, and then have to rotate, set to double page, read, set to single page, rotate.  Grr.

[TordelBack]

Its worth noting that arguably the most successful 'breakthrough' comic (Watchmen) has a startlingly simple 9-panel layout where it really is impossible to read out of order. 

[Buddy]

I don't think your argument holds much water though. Irrespective of the quality, wasn't Sandman's impact and popularity largely down to the extent to which it drew in a non comics reading audience?

My surefire path for gettin a non-reader into comics would be: Asterix -> DR & Quinch's Guide to Life -> Leviathan -> The Mighty Kev -> Everything else.

Ypu may be right about sandman. I can only speak from my own experience. I spent many years trying to subtly influence my colleagues into reading comics. Truth is, they wouldn't touch Sandman. Threw all the cliched 'pretentious' insults at it. Got a good few with Preacher though. This may speak more to the kind of people I was working with than the merits of the books, I don't know.

All that aside, Preacher/Sandman isn't an either/or for me. I enjoyed them both immensely.

I've found a couple of times now that Hate has worked batter than Watchmen as the gateway comic of choice. The people I gave Watchmen too struggled a little with the Superhero thing while trying to work out how to read comics. Were as Hate was something storywise they related to much easier and so they could concentrate more on relearning how to read comcis.

Agreed.. an old girlfriend of mine absolutly loved HATE but never even hinted at the slightest interest in any other comic... it was if HATE was the only comic ever produced.

Almost every time I seen her her first question to me was 'is there a new HATE out yet?'

If I had have given her Watchmen to read I'm sure she would have given me funny looks wondering why I had a comic that feature a blue guy with his knob out all the time!!

[Mike Gloady]

Those blue guys, it's any excuse to get out the tackle.  As the censored episodes of Rogue Trooper prove.

[SmallBlueThing]

Pat Mills has a lot to answer for! Everything was hunky dory for a hundred years, comics were easy to read- with six panels to a page, typed speech balloons and black and white morals, until he came along and "went all European" on our arses!

The bastard! 

SBT

[HdE]

I have to admit, a dynamic page layout really gets my attention. Frequently I'll see bad attempts at it, where details get squeezed into tiny spaces and there are broad expanses of nothing on the page, but I just love all that adventurous design.

It has to be said, though - easy reading HAS to be the top priority. or even the most alert and switched-on reader can get confused.

What's interesting to me is the way that sometimes, even a simple trick like a double page spread can cause confusion. It's just one big panel, right? But I've seen these so many times where the emphasis has gone on creating a big, striking image, and yet there's little thought given top the placement and reading order of the boxouts and speech bubbles.

[Mike Gloady]

If I've already picked up the comic, I reckon the job of grabbing my attention is already done.  The primary job of a comic artist is to tell the bleedin' story.  The rest must take second place (although obviously we'd like there to be cracking design and all that grooviness too).

[HdE]

I'd say that's a good point!

It's something I'm always considering when I come to doing a page layout. A load of square panels on a page does the job, but to me it's not very exciting. I've subbed a few one page comics for a certain online fan-comic scheme where I've tried to spice things up as much as possible - angled panels, bleed images, funky reading order, that sort of thing. It's surprisingly easy to slip up and create a confusing page.

getting back tot he whole topic of 'goosebump' moments in comics - I really think a dynamic layout can help to achieve that effect. I read Masamune Shirow's Appleseed a while back, and the fourth book has an INSANE fight scene in it, where the heroine takes on a room full of terrorists unarmed. Shirow uses different sized panels to communicate the impact of the blows in the fight. Small panels mark the little slaps and taps, whikle the killing blow gets three quarters of the page as a bled image.

It certainly gets the message across!

[Dandontdare]

I'm currently reading the New X-men TPB by Grant Morrison (& Frank Quitely among others). It's good, but one chapter (ie issue of comic) is presented entirely in landscape format, meaning you have to hold the book up sideways - for some reason, this irritates me probably more than it should!

[SuperSurfer]

Nemesis
Bo: "Oh, no! I... I've just cut my hand off!"
Nosedrip: "Are you all right, Bo?"
Bo: "I'm dying, you fool!"

[Colin YNWA]

Not strictly a comic but a comic strip but anyhoo the Radio 4 Calvin and Hobbes show reminded me