The Essentials of Clear Storytelling in Comics
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Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2021 The essentials of clear storytelling in comics Nan-Teng Liu Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Recommended Citation Liu, Nan-Teng, "The essentials of clear storytelling in comics" (2021). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 18541. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/18541 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The essentials of clear storytelling in comics by Nan-Teng Liu A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF FINE ARTS Major: Integrated Visual Arts Program of Study Committee: Charles Richards, Major Professor Brent Holland David Zimmerman The student author, whose presentation of the scholarship herein was approved by the program of study committee, is solely responsible for the content of this thesis. The Graduate College will ensure this thesis is globally accessible and will not permit alterations after a degree is conferred. Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2021 Copyright © Nan-Teng Liu, 2021. All rights reserved. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 My Pursuit of Comics ................................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 2. RESEARCH .............................................................................................................6 Scott McCloud’s Principles of Clarity ....................................................................................... 6 Choice of Moment ..................................................................................................................... 7 Choice of Frame ...................................................................................................................... 17 Choice of Image ....................................................................................................................... 19 Choice of Word ....................................................................................................................... 22 Choice of Flow ........................................................................................................................ 29 CHAPTER 3. APPLICATION ......................................................................................................39 Application of McCloud’s Principles of Clarity in Unforgotten ............................................. 39 CHAPTER 4. CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................49 Moving Forward ...................................................................................................................... 49 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................51 APPENDIX A. UNFORGOTTEN ................................................................................................55 Artist Statement ....................................................................................................................... 55 Illustrations from Unforgotten ................................................................................................. 56 APPENDIX B. HANNAH HOFFMAN’S STORY, PROCESSING THE LOSS ..........................84 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank my mom, my dad, and my sister, for always being there to support me and encourage me, even though we are thousands of miles away from each other. Your love, support, and encouragement are the strength to my creative journey at Iowa State University. Next, I would like to thank my committee chair, Professor Chuck Richards, and my committee members, Professor Brent Holland and Professor David Zimmerman, for your guidance and support throughout the course of this thesis. Particularly, I would like to give my special thanks to Professor Chuck Richards. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have your guidance. You taught me a lot of knowledge, helped me become a better artist, and inspired me to chase my dream. I would not be where I am now without your support and encouragement. Thank you so much for everything you give me. Also, I want to thank Taylor Carlson. You are like a sister to me. Thank you so much for your inspiration, support, and encouragement. In addition, I want to thank my friend, Hannah Hoffman, for your amazing story and giving me the permission and opportunity to adapt it into a graphic novel. Finally, I would like to thank my friends, colleagues, the department faculty and staff for making my time at Iowa State University a wonderful experience. Without you, this thesis would not have been possible. iv ABSTRACT The key to achieving a good comic is clarity of storytelling. Over the centuries, artists create in various forms, from paintings on a canvas to images behind an electronic screen. There is content behind the work that artists want to communicate with their viewers. In comics, the story is the content that the comic artist wants to deliver. Clear storytelling prevents readers from becoming confused and allows them to immerse themselves into the story, which can motivate the readers to continue their reading. This thesis analyzes the principles of clear storytelling in comics and their effects on the artwork in my thesis exhibition. Unforgotten is a graphic novel I adapted from a short story written by Hannah Hoffman. It is about Eli Aviant, a CEO of his dad’s company, and his twin sister, Elena. While Eli tries to save the company, Elena appears to have other motives. As the flashbacks progress, the secret about the Aviant’s family is slowly unveiled. Scott McCloud is an American comic artist and theorist who wrote the books that provide a deeper insight about comics, such as Understanding Comics, Making Comics, and Reinventing Comics. By examining McCloud’s Principles of Clarity from his Making Comics, such as Choice of Moment, Choice of Frame, Choice of Image, Choice of Word, and Choice of Flow, Unforgotten implements clarity of storytelling by choosing the necessary moments, composing the panels thoughtfully, illustrating images with specificity, selecting words carefully, and guiding readers with the placement of elements on the page. My graphic novel demonstrates that these techniques help readers fully understand the story. Making a good comic requires a series of thoughtful decisions. Becoming aware of every choice on a page and how it can lead to a clear understanding of the story is essential to the creative process in comics. The first step in becoming a successful comic artist is neither creating v cool-looking characters nor developing a unique artistic style, but in developing a compelling narrative as well as the creative skills needed to tell the story clearly. 1 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION My Pursuit of Comics Like many others, I developed my love and passion for comics when I was little. While reading comic books, I could forget worries or sad things that may have happened that day. Reading comic books gave me a moment to escape from the real world and immerse myself into a fictional world filled with interesting characters. The first comic I read in kindergarten was not a comic book but a comic strip from Mandarin Weekly Magazine, which featured a lot of educational information, including the cultures of Taiwan and other countries, knowledge of different animals, folktales, and proverbs. I enjoyed reading Mandarin Weekly Magazine a lot, especially the comic strips in it. I still remember the first comic strip was about the Chinese proverb, “Once bitten by a snake, ten years in fear of a well rope,” which implies that someone will be afraid of a similar situation after encountering a large frustration. This comic was both interesting and informative. I loved the characters in the comic because of their design – big eyes with little noses (or without noses), bigger heads with small bodies, as well as cartoonish facial expressions. To me, these features created a sense of humor and playfulness. I also loved the way the artist told the story, which was clear enough for me as a kindergarten boy to understand. Instead of telling readers the original story behind the proverb, the artist made up a story by showing what the proverb means using a humorous approach. Attracted by the character’s design and the interesting story, I became really interested in comics, and I looked forward to reading a new comic strip every week. I did not read comic books until elementary school. Yu-Gi-Oh! and Naruto were the first two manga (Japanese comics) I read. Often, the popular manga were (and still are) produced into animated television series, even if the manga series was still ongoing. At the time, I was really