Comments on: Should have cut this by 50%, easy. http://www.atomic-robo.com/2008/12/04/should-have-cut-this-by-50-easy/ Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener talkin' about comics Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:24:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Josher http://www.atomic-robo.com/2008/12/04/should-have-cut-this-by-50-easy/comment-page-1/#comment-5989 Josher Sun, 01 Feb 2009 07:30:13 +0000 http://www.atomic-robo.com/?p=269#comment-5989 It also allows the writers to come up with fewer ideas and fill the issue of chatter. Anybody who reads Wheel Of Time knows what I'm talking about..! In conclusion: <a href="http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1265:here-let-me-describe-in-great-detail-the-building-about-to-collapse-on-us&catid=29:confounding-comic-covers-index&Itemid=32" target="_blank">http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_cont...</a> It also allows the writers to come up with fewer ideas and fill the issue of chatter. Anybody who reads Wheel Of Time knows what I'm talking about..!

In conclusion:
http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_cont...

]]> By: Josher http://www.atomic-robo.com/2008/12/04/should-have-cut-this-by-50-easy/comment-page-1/#comment-5987 Josher Sun, 01 Feb 2009 07:29:52 +0000 http://www.atomic-robo.com/?p=269#comment-5987 (3) Delaying story advancement By putting the padding in, stories are also lengthened. A standard story might run along the lines of : (1) Villian has plot to kill hero with a trap, (2) hero receiving alert of villain activity, (3) hero crashes in on villain into trap, (4) hero escapes from trap, (5) hero fights villain, (6) villain is captured/flees. Fairly straight forward and done in one issue. But if lots of dialogue is thrown in, the length could easily be quadrupled or quintupled and take several issues to resolve. (1) hero falls into trap, (2) villain taunts, (3) hero worries about situation, (4) villain taunts, (5) hero wangsts about how he'll never fix his unfixable problem, (6) villain taunts, (7) hero worries about the people depending on him, (8) villain has potty break, (9) henchmen taunts, (10) looks around and comes up with idea, (11) villain smokes a cigarette and taunts, (12) hero ponders idea and if it could actually work, (13) villain tells his story and has dinner, (14) hero starts to implement, (15) villain laughs maniacally, (16) hero makes the attempt to escape the trap, (17) catch the escape (and part one of the fight) next action(dialogue)-packed issue! (3) Delaying story advancement
By putting the padding in, stories are also lengthened. A standard story might run along the lines of : (1) Villian has plot to kill hero with a trap, (2) hero receiving alert of villain activity, (3) hero crashes in on villain into trap, (4) hero escapes from trap, (5) hero fights villain, (6) villain is captured/flees. Fairly straight forward and done in one issue. But if lots of dialogue is thrown in, the length could easily be quadrupled or quintupled and take several issues to resolve. (1) hero falls into trap, (2) villain taunts, (3) hero worries about situation, (4) villain taunts, (5) hero wangsts about how he'll never fix his unfixable problem, (6) villain taunts, (7) hero worries about the people depending on him, (8) villain has potty break, (9) henchmen taunts, (10) looks around and comes up with idea, (11) villain smokes a cigarette and taunts, (12) hero ponders idea and if it could actually work, (13) villain tells his story and has dinner, (14) hero starts to implement, (15) villain laughs maniacally, (16) hero makes the attempt to escape the trap, (17) catch the escape (and part one of the fight) next action(dialogue)-packed issue!

]]> By: Josher http://www.atomic-robo.com/2008/12/04/should-have-cut-this-by-50-easy/comment-page-1/#comment-5988 Josher Sun, 01 Feb 2009 07:29:14 +0000 http://www.atomic-robo.com/?p=269#comment-5988 (2) Padding (the issue) Ever hear the phrase "talk less and say more?" Now think of the comic book as a story being 'talked' in graphic form. By putting lots of dialogue in a comic, the action is reduced and events take longer to play out. A group can meet to 'discuss' a situation, suggest plans, recap history, analyze personalities, bicker with each other, gossip, trade rumors, gradually reveal tidbits of the situation, and rehash it all; and not do anything of consequence. All the while taking up space and crowding out action. It also takes up space where drawing would ordinarily be. Text is easy to correct, but each and every line needs to be carefully drawn or the picture looks rather bizarre. (2) Padding (the issue)
Ever hear the phrase "talk less and say more?" Now think of the comic book as a story being 'talked' in graphic form. By putting lots of dialogue in a comic, the action is reduced and events take longer to play out. A group can meet to 'discuss' a situation, suggest plans, recap history, analyze personalities, bicker with each other, gossip, trade rumors, gradually reveal tidbits of the situation, and rehash it all; and not do anything of consequence. All the while taking up space and crowding out action. It also takes up space where drawing would ordinarily be. Text is easy to correct, but each and every line needs to be carefully drawn or the picture looks rather bizarre.

]]> By: Josher http://www.atomic-robo.com/2008/12/04/should-have-cut-this-by-50-easy/comment-page-1/#comment-5986 Josher Sun, 01 Feb 2009 07:27:31 +0000 http://www.atomic-robo.com/?p=269#comment-5986 "Characters who speak in big clunky expository blocks of text are my biggest pet peeve in comics writing." Perhaps you could add that to The Promise Though there are probably some direct reasons for having large speech paragraphs, it reduces the amount of effort, time ($) and creativity needed to produce the comic. (1) Static scenes If several people are together and they're doing a lot of talking, it makes for simple drawing with static objects, random passerbys, and the same location being drawn from different angles (including near a woman's butt). The number of locations is reduced and there is only a minimal level of action needed. While a high action scene usually involves lots of motion, debris, damage, maneuvering. "Characters who speak in big clunky expository blocks of text are my biggest pet peeve in comics writing."
Perhaps you could add that to The Promise
Though there are probably some direct reasons for having large speech paragraphs, it reduces the amount of effort, time ($) and creativity needed to produce the comic.

(1) Static scenes
If several people are together and they're doing a lot of talking, it makes for simple drawing with static objects, random passerbys, and the same location being drawn from different angles (including near a woman's butt). The number of locations is reduced and there is only a minimal level of action needed. While a high action scene usually involves lots of motion, debris, damage, maneuvering.

]]> By: Stephen Schleicher http://www.atomic-robo.com/2008/12/04/should-have-cut-this-by-50-easy/comment-page-1/#comment-5689 Stephen Schleicher Sat, 27 Dec 2008 10:52:08 +0000 http://www.atomic-robo.com/?p=269#comment-5689 our review of issue #5 is now available at Major Spoilers (<a href="http://www.majorspoilers.com/archives/9302.htm/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.majorspoilers.com</a>). our review of issue #5 is now available at Major Spoilers (http://www.majorspoilers.com).

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