‘Page 1, Panel 1…” Creating an Australian Comic Book Series Author Mason, Paul James Published 2015 Thesis Type Thesis (Professional Doctorate) School Queensland College of Art DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/3741 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367413 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au ‘Page 1, Panel 1…” Creating an Australian Comic Book Series Paul James Mason s2585694 Bachelor of Arts/Fine Art Major Bachelor of Animation with First Class Honours Queensland College of Art Arts, Education and Law Group Griffith University Submitted in fulfillment for the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Visual Arts (DVA) June 2014 Abstract: What methods do writers and illustrators use to visually approach the comic book page in an American Superhero form that can be adapted to create a professional and engaging Australian hero comic? The purpose of this research is to adapt the approaches used by prominent and influential writers and artists in the American superhero/action comic-book field to create an engaging Australian hero comic book. Further, the aim of this thesis is to bridge the gap between the lack of academic writing on the professional practice of the Australian comic industry. In order to achieve this, I explored and learned the methods these prominent and professional US writers and artists use. Compared to the American industry, the creating of comic books in Australia has rarely been documented, particularly in a formal capacity or from a contemporary perspective. The process I used was to navigate through the research and studio practice from the perspective of a solo artist with an interest to learn, and to develop into an artist with a firmer understanding of not only the medium being engaged, but the context in which the medium is being created. This means both in the American genre and its adaptation in Australia within the context of the local scene. Comic books in Australia are considered an “invisible art” (Patrick 2010), with an overwhelming majority of the population unaware that Australian comics are being produced in various parts of the country. While the average person should be able to recall at least one incarnation of the character Superman, be it from the comic books, live action films, animation, video games, or other licensed media, the same cannot be said for an Australian equivalent. The aim of this thesis is not to spur on an industry, which has not been near the levels of its wartime peak since cheap US imports were allowed back into Australian for distribution in 1959. However, in recent years, there has been a mind shift in the Australian comics scene, with writers and artists, from a range of skill bases, creating original and creator-owned works for public consumption. The better of these comic books and graphic novels look towards the more popular and widely available American and other overseas products in terms of printing quality and presentation, and, more importantly, an understanding of the verbal and visual language that separate the good comic books (that entertain and communicate well from a visual standpoint) from the bad ones. i In terms of methodology, this research was completed through a combination of gathering information from historical overviews, attending seminars and Master classes both in Australia (as a professional attendee or advertised guest) and in notable international conventions such as San Diego Comic-Con, reading and holding interviews, and action research—engaging with the studio work, gaining professional feedback, and working with professionals. The process also involved understanding a selection of action and superhero comics produced by the creators mentioned throughout, with an attempt to see the theories and history outlined in the articles, books and interviews through their practice. The influential period of “The Silver Age” of superhero comics, defined by the work of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in particular, become a strong discussion point throughout the research, as much of what occurs in the genre and art form after their appearance is an effort to capitalise on the production methods and energy these creators captured on the page. Overall, my objective was not only to establish the context of the Australian and American comic book scenes in relation to superhero comics, the environment and output in general, but also to identify the methods used by these creators. As storytelling is paramount to comic books, the research focused primarily on the methods used by writers in relation to scripts and plotting, and how the artists (primarily, the pencillers) work with the writer to craft a clear, engaging and entertaining story; panel by panel, page by page. Other steps in the process are referred to, including the role of the editor, colouring, inking and lettering in the context of the studio work produced in conjunction with the research. The results of the research proved to be an evolving and ongoing process for the studio work, and established that there are no definitive rules to creating comic book pages. Nevertheless, there is certainly strong evidence that an understanding of the production process, the visual language involved (particularly when it comes to superhero and action comics), and knowing the fundamentals of comic book making allows one to be able to reach their potential in creating professional and engaging work in this unique and underrated art form. ii Statement of Originality: This is to certify that this work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, this research paper contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made within the research paper itself. ……………………… Paul Mason, 28 February 2014 iii ‘Page 1, Panel 1…’: Creating an Australian Comic Book Series Contents: Abstract i Statement of Originality iii Table of Contents iv Acknowledgements vi Glossary of Terms ix Introduction 1 Chapter 1: The Context of the Research 8 o 1.1 On Learning About Comic Book Creation 8 o 1.2: The American Superhero Genre in Brief 12 o 1.3: Australian Comics: Past and Present in General 20 o 1.4: How Does This General Overview Relate to the Superhero Genre in Australia? 30 o 1.5: UK Comics – A Brief Comparison 33 Chapter 2: The Process/Method of American Comic Book Storytellers 42 o 2.1: The Editor 44 o 2.2: Writing . 2.2.1: Full script 48 . 2.2.2: The ‘Marvel method’ 53 o 2.3: Narrative Considerations When Writing 65 o 2.4: Comic Book Visuals- Pencilling the art 69 . 2.4.1: Layouts: Storytelling Considerations, and Planning the Page 74 . 2.4.2: Consideration of Pacing 81 . 2.4.3: Practical Pencilling Methods 83 o 2.5: Completing the Comic Page Visuals 85 . 2.5.1: Inking 86 iv . 2.5.2: Colour 89 . 2.5.3: Lettering 93 Chapter 3: The Soldier Legacy & Studio work 99 o 3.1: Illustrating The Soldier Legacy 106 o 3.2: Solo Writing The Soldier Legacy, & Working with Writer Soldier Legacy’s Strange Tales & Dark Detective 110 o 3.3: Working with a Writer (Script): The New Adventures of The Human Fly 112 o 3.4: Soldier Legacy Production and Format 114 Chapter 4: Conclusion 119 Reference List, Bibliography 126 Appendices: o 1: American and Australian Comics (historical and process examples) 142 o 2: Studio work- Soldier Legacy, script writing and concept art examples 186 o 3: Marvel Method collaboration: Soldier Legacy’s Strange Tales 208 o 4: Full Script Collaboration process: The Human Fly 236 o 5: Timeline of progress/achievements during DVA period 247 Other Materials: o 1: The Soldier Legacy collected edition volume 1 (trade paperback) o 2: The Soldier Legacy issue 4 o 3: The Soldier Legacy issue 5 o 4: The Soldier Legacy's Strange Tales issue 1 By Sequeira and Mason o 5: The Soldier Legacy preview/sketchbook 2014 o 6: Paul Mason sketchbook 2013 (containing pages from 'The New Adventures of the Human Fly #1') v Acknowledgments: First and foremost, I would like to thank my DVA supervisors: My primary supervisor Professor Paul Cleveland, and Associate Professor Andi Spark for convincing me I could do this, your invaluable assistance, patience, help and support, particularly during the edits. I would also like to thank Professor Ross Woodrow and Ben Byrne for their assistance during my time in the DVA program, Evie Franzidis for her patient editing assistance, Dr. George Petelin, Lisa Hargreaves, Minerva Capati and Joanne Umemoto. Other QCA colleagues (and some my original teachers) I wish to thank for their kind support, and words of encouragement during this DVA, include Dr. Peter Moyes, Dr. Kay Kane, Dr. Louise Harvey, John Eyley, Marianna Shek, Donna Hamilton, and Darren Fisher. I would also wish to thank a number of professionals who took the time to look at my studio work at various points, and offer feedback, constructive criticism, advice or even just a word of support, either in person, online or both. Thank you (in no particular order): Mike Royer, Gail Simone, Christina Blanch, Stan Lee, Brian Michael Bendis, George Perez, Klaus Janson, John Romita Jr., Carlos Pacheco, Tom Taylor, Colin Wilson, Skye Odgen, Gary Edwards, Andrew Constant, Christian Read, Emily Simth, Tim McEwen, The Fillbach Bros., David Yardin, Dave Gibbons, Jamal Igle, Keith Dallas, Charles Hatfield, Rand Hoppe of the Jack Kirby Museum, John Morrow of Twomorrows publishing, Steve Saffel, Paul Power, Arlen Schumer, Daniel Way, Colleen Doran, Jan Scherpenhuizen, Doug Holgate, Tristan Jones, Justin Randall, Amy Louise Maynard, Kevin Chiat, Paul Abstruse, Jason Franks, Darren White and Jon Sommariva.