How To Read A Comic
By Alex Buckinghamand
Eric Kortschak
Where do I start?
• Reading a comic book is just like reading a novel. You start at the top left, read across and then downward.
• However, there will be instances where the panels and text won’t be arranged left to right, top to bottom, but the page will be arranged in a way the reader will easily understand.
Start here
End here
Bubbles & Blocks
• When characters speak, bubbles are usually reserved to demonstrate this.
• If there is a narrator, that text is usually contained within a box. In most cases, the box will be tinted a certain colour to remind the reader of which character is speaking.
• eg. Spiderman narration blocks are usually red.
Arrangement
• As it was mentioned before, the teams that create these books work together to arrange the text and images in a way that is straight-forward to the reader.
• There is a certain “movement” in regards to the relation of images and text.
See how these speech bubbles are arranged?
Two Page Spreads
• Sometimes, writers will create a scene where they use two facing pages together, and the dialogue flows across both
• In this case, the speech of the characters usually moves across both pages
Reading Manga
• Japanese comic books, or “manga”, work a little differently
• You still read from the top of the page to the bottom, but the speech bubbles and page order are right-to-left instead of left-to-right
End here
Start here
Images and Words
• The biggest difference between a novel and a comic book is, of course, the pictures
• These are made to complement – enhance – the speech of the characters, so it is just as important to look at the images as it is to read the words
• By looking at the face of a character or the scenery of the panel, the words can take on whole new meanings
That’s all, folks!
• That is all you need to know in order to enjoy the wonders of sequential art literature.
• Sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Top Related