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Drew Spence
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Posted: 28 April 2017 at 8:51am | IP Logged | 1  

Books vs Movies vs Comics (as a storytelling medium)

 

We first suppose that the story trumps all. But! - the visual is the lure that elicits interest. Books are marketed with an excerpt that shows the literary style and depicts a dramatic turn in the story. Movies are marketed with a trailer, containing short clips of action or drama meant to build curiosity behind the course of events that lead to these glimpsed moments. Comics are marketed with a bold depiction of a character(s) and a plot-teaser related to the action or drama of the story.

 

 

For most, a book still represents one of the purest forms of storytelling. It is the shortest distance between two points: the story being relayed by the author and the mind of the reader who absorbs the words and translates them with their own experiences and imagination. If the writer describes an attractive character entering the room, the reader will translate the loose description and couple it with 'what would make that person attractive to them'. You are always guaranteed to be on the same (sorry for this) page as the author. A movie, beyond budgetary concerns, has to deal with casting. They need to not only consider the character the author has depicted,but also take into account-  who the readers have created in their minds. What actor can bring this character to life? Who is enough of a draw to bring in those unfamiliar with the story?

 

A comic walks the line between both worlds. It is an illustrated story. Nothing more, nothing less. We may simplify a comic into being Idealized (or stylized) people in dynamic poses, but we miss the critical consideration. A comic must be successful at both story and art to survive. Where the graphic novel represents a full story designed to be absorbed as a standalone 'cinematic' experience, the comic book is a serialized episode and a small slice of the larger story. You must entertain the reader and keep them curious. You must display the story and events in plain sight, but also engage the mind and allow the blank spaces (or panels) to be filled in with imagination.You can't grab the hottest actor or actress available (both in popularity and charisma) and cross your fingers. You need to depict them and convince your readers again and again- with every panel.

 

The story is the origin, which is why so many of our most beloved franchises started from text medium. A written account is a near-perfect medium for the sweeping saga. The nostalgia and heavy imprinting was aided by our own imagination. We remember both the story AND the experience of taking in the adventure. Comics get their re-releases, special editions and reboots. A classic book isn't necessarily re-written by different authors, but several versions of the same story are common. In the same way different writers and illustrators may visit the same material (usually the origin story) and add their own voice and version to the mix.

 

Competition affects and challenges comic books in a unique way.Movies are scheduled to avoid box office competition and it's rare that similar movies arrive close together. Books, with their extended shelf life, can survive weeks moving up and down the rankings, on different selling lists and charts.Even if a movie is a weak contribution to its genre, the timing can be beneficial as it gets a run as the current offering. With comic books, it's more than likely that the best example of an idea is STILL being sold and that franchise also has a current comic book for sale. So yes, a comic book must compete with EVERY book in its lane. And for so many comic books, focused on such a narrow subject-matter, the competition for your attention (and dollar) is steep.

 

The idea that 'anyone can film something' is pushed back by the gatekeepers of the industry and the studio system (that's the reason six different companies are listed at the start of films). The open door of 'anyone can be a writer' is usually closed with the challenge of writing a good book. A good comic book is one that excels at BOTH story and rt, which is why comics provide so much material for books and movies. Maybe that's because a comic is both - the depicted word and also a captured frame of motion. A measure of appreciation can be earned from understanding the challenges surrounding the creation and presentation of a comic book.



Edited by Drew Spence on 28 April 2017 at 8:55am
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John Byrne
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Posted: 28 April 2017 at 9:10am | IP Logged | 2  

Books depend entirely upon the imagination of the reader. A while back I reread WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, and the moment when the even predicted by the title actually occurs really requires that the reader be swept up in the whole spirit of the thing, or the words are just going to lie there on the page.

Comics make fewer demands upon the imagination of the reader, but they still make SOME. In the words of Chorus, in HENRY V, the reader is still asked to "eke out our imperfections with your thoughts." Otherwise, words AND pictures will just lie there.

Movies, at least modern movies, remove all need for the audience to think about what's happening on the screen. It's all there. That planetary collision mentioned above can be shown in all it s wonder and terror.

So, in the end, it comes down to the story being told. For "cerebral" stuff, books are better suited. The thoughts of the main character(s) can be explored without voice-overs or thought balloons, both of which I consider something of a cheat.

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Drew Spence
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Posted: 28 April 2017 at 9:23pm | IP Logged | 3  

Books depend entirely upon the imagination of the reader.

The only reason I didn't go with that 100% is that books have a cover that usually shows a theme that matches the content or the actual main character(s). So there's a little bit of an illustrated helper.

And I do see that they are all marketed using the different mediums.....posters for movies...quotes about the movie/reviews...etc...

Video/commercials for books.
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Jack Bohn
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Posted: 29 April 2017 at 3:36pm | IP Logged | 4  

I had the line, "Movies, at least modern movies, remove all need for the audience to think about what's happening on the screen. It's all there." while browsing on to other sites, one of which had commentary on "Teenagers from Outer Space" referring to the characters reacting to a gathering fleet of spaceships which were never shown on screen. Which leads to thoughts of Shakespeare who had to cheat a bit and paint scenes with words because they didn't have painted backdrops at the Globe, and the odd question of when one of his plays is adapted to a movie that vistas or the armies, is it failing in adaptation if it doesn't cut the now-redundant lines that describe what we are seeing.
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