Comics VS Animation Storytelling

Today's a holiday in the US.  I gave notes on an episode of BOB'S BURGERS (please watch), notes to a character designer on my pilot (hope for the best) and found myself with time to post again (read on!).

I even have some subject matter that I've been sitting on.  So let's begin.

Comics.  Animation.   I'm no Paul Dini but I've done both.  Way more of one than the other but I've always studied comic strips, books and the process.  When I was still in college I tried selling a strip to syndication.  It was called FLIPSIDE and told the adventures of the gang at a radio station.  This was long before WKRP in Cincinnati, a TV series older than many of you.

 Anyway, there's a difference between doing sketches, gags or pinups and actually trying to produce an ongoing story.   I did three weeks worth of strips, shrank them down.   Redesigned the characters and redrew them.  Sent it to a syndicate but it didn't sell.  School was starting up and I never followed up with it.  Days after I graduated I started at Disney and never gave serious thought to creating published art for about thirty years.

If you look back at the early pages of this blog, you can read an issue of an original comic I pitched to ONI and the accompanying commentary as I tear it apart.  I may yet revisit that project.  But it taught me TONS.

And along they way I wrote and drew a handful of short comic stories.  The next one up will be in the Darkwing Duck Annual #1 out in March or April.  I worked with the Offical Darkwing Duck artist, JAMES SILVANI, who's a swell guy who spends have his time frolicking with the whales in Hawaii.   At least that's how he makes it sound when he's not scanning finished pages at 3AM.

James asked how it felt working on Darkwing again.  In truth, it didn't feel familiar at all.  

The reason is in the process.  Writing the dialogue, especially Gosalyn's lines, was the closest I came to feeling like I was working on the show but even the way dialogue is used in the two mediums is different.

A good rule of thumb for an action oriented comic is that no word balloon should contain more than 15 words.  I think I got that from a Peter David column.  This forces the writer to be succinct and allows room for the artist to tell the story graphically.  Of course you can have more than one balloon in a panel but the dialogue in each balloon should match the panel's visual.  If you have a split personality character shift from heavy sobbing to maniacal laughter in the same panel, just what is the artist supposed to draw?

In animation, we also try to keep a character's "speech" to a couple of lines at a time.  Same reason, it's a visual medium and you want to leave time (as opposed to "room") for the visuals to play.  

And of course there's another whole step in the process that you don't get in comics: actors.  What the voice sounds like and how the lines are performed can completely change the tone, if not the meaning, of the writer's original intent.

Darkwing Duck's character was molded by both Jim Cummings who did the voice and Ginny McSwain our casting and voice director.  As Jim performed those early scripts Ginny listened for anything he did that was unique.  Specifically I remember when Jim did a sort of squashed voice when Darkwing was hurt.  Ginny would remind him to use it instead of something more standard.   They built a performance vocabulary for the character that became second nature to Jim.

When I wrote the eight page comic story I ran it pass James along with some thumbnail sketches. He then sent me his pencils and I did some redline sketches over those because of my history with the characters.  Since James was inking the story too it was about as collaborative as comic team can be, at least through the black and white stage.

But animation is closer to a community affair. Once a script is approved it gets divided among character designers, prop designers, storyboard artists, BG layout artists, color stylists, BG painters and timing directors. Which is the appeal for me.

Working with a team that are all looking for the best way to tell the story and improving the gags is lots of fun.  Most days feature plenty of laughter.  I'd love to have the time and money for a writers' room to work through everybody's scripts and do the same at storyboard.

In some ways the eight page comic was like a puzzle.  I had a story that was, as usual, bigger than bigger than the allotted space.  So it's a matter of being efficient and funny at the same time in order to cram enough entertainment in the existing space.  In animation, as I said above, you leave time open for artists and actors to get the most out of the material.

 I still play with the cheats that you can do in comics that you can't do in animation.  Over one drawing of a punch Spider-man can deliver two quips and a comeback to Dr. Octopus.  In animation all you get is a grunt.  Each medium has strengths and you need to make the most out of them.   Which do I enjoy more?  I love the art of graphic storytelling and want to do more of it but I like the community of talent that shares my day when I'm working in animation.  I guess I'd choose the village.  -- Tad

 

 

Comments

[jerrocks2day]

Nice sketch of Chrono Duck!

Are you allowed to say what kind of superpower he has?

[Maria Oviedo]

He looks a lot like Clock King!! I can guess two things: one, that guy has the power to control and alterate the time and space (whom it could be great to see it the Mustiverse Darkwing Arc.) and two, this could be the affair future whom Darkwarrior Duck say that HE wil lose HER.

[Anachronism Comic]

Hi Tad. I always love seeing sketches from you, especially when they include Darkwing. <3

It's so interesting to hear you talk about the business and how the process works, and I love the comparison you make here between comics and animation. Some things you can glean from common sense, but to hear about the nuts and bolts of it all from someone who has been there is incredible.

I'm SUPER excited for the Darkwing Duck Annual, and even more so knowing that you're participating in it. :D

[Chris Schweizer]

I'm looking forward to seeing the annual! I don't know that I've ever seen any of your comics work, and I'm excited to do so. I'm always glad when folks who trot the line between multiple storytelling mediums acknowledge the differences in approach that those mediums necessitate.

Though not having talented actors to bring the characters to the life, I do find that subtle manipulation of word balloons can really sell the sense of acting. Slightly enlarging the balloon while slightly shrinking the text can create a sense of a decrease in volume (or confidence)... that's how I'd approach "injured DW," maybe with a little bit of squiggle to the stem of the balloon. This, of course, is a LOT easier when you're doing the balloons by hand rather than digitally - I don't see it done a lot digitally - but I feel like it could translate to that. Watterson and Jeff Smith handle balloon manipulation better than just about anyone.

I'm really excited that you're thumbnailing it as well as writing it. Really, can't wait!

[Tad]

I didn't thumbnail as much as I thought I would. Instead I wrote a detailed script. Maybe not as dense as an Alan Moore script but there was plenty of stuff there. Of course, I gave James Silvani the villain design on this post. I did do some redline drawing on top of his thumbnails, not to be different but to sell the gag.

Word balloons: I agree about Smith and Watterston (didn't they use to make guns?) and I'd add the classic work of Walt Kelly on POGO. I am a huge fan of the big balloon/small font technique and use it as for asides.

My most recent drawn comic work was the two page Hellboy Jr. story, TRADE SNOB, that I did to experiment with Manga Studio... which I originally bought to do thumbnails for comics!
http://hellboyanimated.typepad.com/hellboy_animated/

Will there be another Crogan adventure out at SDCC?

[sophie]

love this print it would be perfect in my room

[ambien generic]

I'm looking forward to seeing the annual! I don't know that I've ever seen any of your comics work, and I'm excited to do so.

[Rubby]

I gave James Silvani the villain design on this post. I did do some redline drawing on top of his thumbnails, not to be different but to sell the gag.

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