Ever since I began to learn about how comics work, I have started to think of them as movies as much as I consider them books. And while technically they are neither, they incorporate aspects of both which come together to make this unique medium. For like books, comics can be read at your own pace and it is fairly easy to go back and re-read something. And like a movie, it relies heavily on visuals and sequences of events to tell the story. The main difference between movies and comics is the use of space in comics vs the use of time in movies. Because of this, in movies, events can take longer to transpire because unlike comics where one panel often has to carry tons of emotion, a frame of a motion-picture does not have to carry so much weight because there are a lot of them . However, in a comic, this is not the case.
In a comic, the author must use dramatic imagery, as well as clever use of juxtaposition (the way in which the pictures are aligned with each other) to show heavy amounts of emotion as well as dramatic transitions in very small amount of space. I mean imagine if a comic took as many panels to show a thought or emotion as a movie does frames. Thing is, comic authors only have a said amount of space.
As seen in the frame above, this does not stop authors such as Persepolis author Marjane Satrapi from delivering powerful emotions.
What we can see here is the authors use of juxtaposition to show the dramatic clash of the two worlds Satrapi is experiencing at the moment. The top picture shows a gruesome image of a man being cut to pieces. However, this quickly shifts to what Satrapi is experiencing in her life at the moment: a nice and easy life as part of a wealthy family. But through these three frames the author does so much. First of all, the use of such a dramatic transition shows not only the situation in her country but how oblivious she had been to it. It also foreshadows that things may not stay perfect for her in the near future as hinted at by the close positioning the two pictures have to each other
Also, touching on how powerful pictures can be in comics is the fact that in this medium,, authors have the added advantage of being able to use their art style and text together to create an even more powerful expression.
As can be seen hear, the dramatic story of a man having to be separated from his wife is lost on Satrapi, who at the moment is a child and responds with a somewhat confused remark asking if he "has any more stories like that?" (Satrapi, 58). This contrast between the somewhat serious images and innocent text evokes sympathy in the readers. And whats most impressive is how it again is done in just a matter of a few frames.
In conclusion, I have gained a lot of respect in regards to the medium of storytelling that is comics in recent days. For it has been recently that I have realized that the combination of doodles and text can accomplish so much more than evoking a few laughs. I have been made to aw by just how much more efficient comics are in terms of getting a thought through than movies and books and just how much the correlation between text and panel can affect the feel of the story. In terms of comics, consider me a fan.
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