Comic_Creation



Narrative The narrative depicted in this comic strip is a fictional story created by myself to be used as a marketing tool to sell and promote an up-and-coming hip-hop artist from Toronto. The main character of the comic strip, Redway, has just arrived home from a tiring day at the studio and is finally getting the chance to relax. Just as he is in the middle of a heated game of NBA 2k10 his phone rings. When he picks up his iPhone he is greeted by the voice of his manager, Dukez. Dukez prepares Redway for the information he is about to tell him and then proceeds to expose the bad news over the phone. As it turns out the recordings Redway did earlier that day have been stolen. The first instalment of the “New Day Same Wings” simply and effectively sets up the plot.

Analysis In creating this comic the techniques analyzed by McCloud in Understanding Comics were used to create an effective and efficient medium to get the message across to the reader. The use of frames helped to separate and segment the images providing a sense of elapsed time in between each frame. The shape of the frames also provided a sense of differentiation between the amounts of time that has elapsed. For example the positioning of the 3rd to the 4th frame is quite different from the rest of the frames beside it. This is done to show the same point in time but at two different angles. For the first frame I chose to make it larger than the rest to give the reader the aura of the environment Redway was in. I set up his surroundings and implicitly let the readers know that he was playing some sort of video game with the text box provided. Text and the shape of the text bubbles also played a large role in reiterating the message being told. In frame two I chose to use a spike-shaped text bubble to emphasize the loudness of the vibration of the phone. In the last frame Redway’s text bubble is shaped in such a way which portrays a sense of anxiousness and worry in his voice. As well Dukez’s text bubbles show his sense of hesitation. The close up images in each frame is used to exemplify the appropriate function of each item in the dilemma being presented. The close up of the television with the video game being played is to give the reader the sense of distraction that is surrounding Redway until his attention is fully deterred by the information Dukez presents to him. Another technique utilized to effectively create the sense of depth is the use of bold lines and blurred images. The bold lines around the couch in contrast with the thinner lines used to make Redway’s character show give emphasizes to the fact he is sitting comfortably in the couch. In conjunction with the thickness of the lines the blurred image on the television shows how it is in the background of the conversation. The bold jagged lines surrounding the iPhone in the second frame also give inanimate objects sound and actions within the frames of the comic strip. Bibliography McCloud, Scott. //Understanding Comics //. New York: Kitchen Sink Pr (Nrt), 1994. Print.