Comic books in the future
Visual Space
What you see, and what you want others to see..
Writing
The graphical representation of speech.
New Media
Our shift from printed text to text that is displayed on illuminated screens.
Introduction
What do modern day comic books look like? Today’s comic book craze has challenged the way we think about traditional comic books. While there is still a thriving market from traditional, printed comic books, recently there have been new ways of creating this content. A company named Madefire has recently created an application that combines, written text, illustrations, with motion graphics. This allows the user to enjoy written content, on new media platforms, in a visual space.
By deconstructing traditional methods of comic books, we can see the pieces of what makes a comic book a comic book. We have a translation of thought via text, but now in a motion graphic state.
Visual Space
“Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak.”
The Visual space is the space in which we see content. Not only is it what we see, it is also what is presented to us. We can think of this space as a place to translate our thoughts and ideas into a visual representation using a medium. This means that find meaning in our thoughts and can translate this to others in visual mediums.
Motion comics give us a new way to utilize visual space.
Daniel Chandler presents this idea to us in Semiotics for Beginners, when he states, “We seem as a species to be driven by a desire to make meanings: above all, we are surely Homo significans - meaning-makers. Distinctively, we make meanings through our creation and interpretation of 'signs'” (2). A sign is made up of two parts: a signified and a signifier. The signified is the form in which the sign takes, and a signifier is the concept it represents. Chandler gives us an example of this, “The same signifier (the word 'open') could stand for a different signified (and thus be a different sign) if it were on a push-button inside a lift ('push to open door').” (2).
In this new style of motion comic books, we can see Chandlers concept take place. we can see the text displayed in the panel, as well as the image that it is describing. There is a a connection between what we are reading and what is shown to us on the panel. The motion helps make the text more profound by adding more depth and fluidity to it.
Writing
Without writing, motion comics would lack in depth meaning.
Writing, in its essence, is the visual, and graphical representation of speech. Writing is not only culturally significant, but it defines the way translate thoughts and ideas today. Writing is intrinsically apart of our lives, so much so that we cannot function without it. Writing allows us to keep our thoughts recorded, and available for retrieval whenever we need it.
Writing as a construct, according to Ong, is an artificial system, and is the transcription of orality. Ong says it best however, whenever he describes this, “To say writing is artificial is not to condemn it but to praise it. Like other artificial creations and indeed more than any other, it is utterly invaluable and indeed essential for the realization of fuller, interior, human potentials.” (3).
This matters to comic books because the writing is the heart and soul of communication in them. We use illustrations as a way to bring emphasis to the words, but we still rely on the words to truly bring meaning. Its more than just text, it’s the translation of speech that makes the meaning so profound. When a character speaks, or a narration is performed, all of this makes the story come alive in a way that cannot solely be done by illustration.
New Media
New Media paves the way for future comic experiences.
Lev Manovich talks about new media being something that cannot be specifically defined but can be a combination of things, like computing and media technologies. This theory gives us a great base understanding of how new media can serve as an amazing platform for modern-day comic books. New emerging media platforms can change the way we as a culture consume comic books, and this is best represented by Manovich when he states, “The computerization of culture not only leads to the emergence of new cultural forms such as computer games and virtual worlds; it redefines existing ones such as photography and cinema.” (4).
With emerging technologies like madefire, we can see how powerful new media can be for comic books. Not only is motion graphic comic books best consumed on mobile devices, but we can see how powerful they can be in more advanced spaces like virtual or augmented reality. There are limitless possibilities for emerging technologies to shape the way we consume comics, and those mediums can change the way we feel and process them.
Wrapping it all up
So, let’s recap these three words. With the visual space, we are recognizing that what we see and is presented to us is a translation of ideas and thoughts. In writing, we recognize that speech is translated onto a physical medium that can stand the test of time. In new media, we see these older mediums come together in a new, modern space.
All of these ideas blend together in a way that lays a foundation for modern day comic books. We still have classic representations of ideas via text, in a visual space, but translated onto new digital devices. Not only that, but the use of motion graphics gives more depth, and enrich the experience of the comics.
What we are seeing is a progression in storytelling. Thoughts and ideas can be translated in a way that gives the user a new experience. Being on a modern device, we no longer have to rely on objects to accompany our content (i.e., a lamp to read a comic book). Instead, these modern devices can be self-sufficient, and can give the user a more enjoyable way to consume comic book content.
Citation
1. Berger, J., & Dibb, M. (2008). Ways of seeing: Based on the BBC television series directed by Michael Dibb. London: British Broadcasting Corporation.
2.Chandler, D. (2006). Semiotics for beginners.
3. Ong, W. J., & Hartley, J. (2013). Orality and literacy: The technologizing of the word. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
4. Manovich, L. (2010). The language of new media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.