Since I was a child, I have always collected comic strips and manga books. Keeping them on my shelves, I have read them over and over again. This has inspired me to become a comic artist, so I have analyzed shots and techniques that only comics can apply. Films or animations have a similar concept, but they are slightly different with comics. I am not demeaning the art of films and animations, however, they can not express the art that comics show, and vice versa. To understand about comics more deeply, I read Understanding Comics written by Scott McCloud. By reading this book, I found some interesting points about comics that the author presented; they are sequential arts and simplicity.
Both films or animations and comics contain the techniques of sequential art, but they have main differences. Films or animations are sequential in time, but they are not specifically juxtaposed. On the other hand, comics go more with space in deliberate sequence. For example, films always go with projectors, so each frame is projected in the same space. However, comics occupy a different space, so they convey information by playing with the space, which are called cuts.
The other element I found interesting is simplicity. Comics are very simplified from the reality and we readers can easily respond to them, which is iconic. Icons contain various definitions, but for the purpose of this topic, Scott McCloud defines the icon as “any image used to represent a person, place, thing, or idea.” Non-pictorial icons are languages or words that are absolute and abstract. In contrast, pictorial icons are fluid and variable depending on the subjects. Simply with two dots and one straight horizon line in a circle, it can easily be recognized as a face. Scott McCloud mentions, “We humans are a self-centered race, and we see ourselves in everything.” Cartoons or comics and shapes of characters are very simple and basic, but we find our identities through them, and that is the reason we easily get fascinated by comics.
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