Digital Comics: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger?

by JOSIP BATINIC
November 21st, 2016

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Comics are an example of a medium that has taken on new forms in the digital realm. Being a combination of visual and textual components, comics offer many ways in which these can be reshaped and presented in a new light. The physical limitations of the printed page are lifted as computer screens offer virtually unlimited space to arrange comics panels. What’s more, one can also use front-end programming languages in order to manipulate the way these elements will be displayed, and whether there will be interaction with the reader. Besides merely optimizing the harmony of the existing constitutive elements of comics, one could introduce new ones originating from other disciplines and art forms, such as animated videos, soundtracks, videogames, and so forth. A digital comic book could include, for instance, a video clip in the place of a static panel image or sound effects instead (or alongside) the familiar ‘SOCK!’ and ‘BANG!’.

But is that what comics readers want to see (or hear)? Substituting the onomatopoeic sound-words so characteristic to comics with the actual sounds might be more realistic, but is it appropriate? // 

The idea of the panel, and the sequential arrangement of panels on the page are still very intimately connected with the medium of comics. Of course, these were ‘invented’ with the printed page in mind and were meant to represent reality as faithfully and as simply as possible. Time-based events such as motion picture and sound tracks cannot exist on a static page, which forced comics creators to find other ways of representation. Motion lines indicating movement trajectories, the order of the thought bubble and the already mentioned onomatopoeic sound-words are just some examples of the metaphor of time in comics. Telling a story in a sequential form using both images and text eventually led to a well-defined identity for the medium of comics

As comics migrated onto the computer screen these limitations disappeared and the opportunity arose to incorporate time-based events and other elements, which were unthinkable on paper. Nevertheless, the first digital comics and webcomics were still nearly identical to print comics in everything except format. As technology evolved and allowed for an easier and more sophisticated manipulation of digital media, the first interactive and animated comics started to sprout. In recent years, comics have become augmented through the use of animation, sound and interactivity to the point that their classification as comics is questionable

To better understand the artistic potential of digital comics, it is necessary to examine the ways the medium of comics is brought onto the screen. How can this be done effectively while at the same time preserving the comics-specific identity? How can comics use digital technology to their own advantage and remain faithful to their distinguishing features without being too purist or fixed in their traditional form?

However, Guided View interferes with one of the most important principles of comics, namely having hermeneutic and temporal control over the comic. 

At times they can create nice effects, especially in conjunction with a well-suited soundtrack. But they can also be pushed too far, making the comics look like animated shorts aspiring to be something other than a comic.

Comics on Madefire contain an interactive cover, where the readers can drag the image across the screen. It consists of images built on different layers, which respond to the interaction differently, and in doing so create the illusion of a 3D space. This 3D effect can be put to creative use, as the different image layers can work together to create a rich and deep mise-en-scène, while at the same time allowing the readers to interact with the comic.

DeepComix’s goal sounded very appealing and

noble: ‘provide a unique user experience which is true and faithful to the comics medium while taking advantage of specific functionalities offered by modern digital devices’. In other words, this meant manipulating the form of the comic without undermining its core comics principles. This attitude, I believe, is what is necessary if comics want to successfully embrace the digital realm.

In the case of DeepComix, the interactive experience involves turning the device horizontally and vertically in order to see ‘behind’ the different layers of images. This sort of interaction might be what digital readers need to feel more at ease with the digital work itself. Scrolling, dragging or clicking through a digital work of art feels more intimate than merely watching the comic unfold. If we see that our clicking and dragging affects the structure or constitution, we will have a better sense of it and will gain more knowledge about its inner working and functionalities. This might correspond most to touching a book and grasping a sense of its dimensions, the thickness and the texture of its pages, or the quality of its binding.

Many comics strive for so-called ‘immersion’ through video clips and interactive ludic elements. But this offers mostly a passive experience, contrarily to the active mode that reading requires.

adding different multimedia will raise the quality of the production seems to be a common misconception in the scene of digital comics. Loading the comic with elaborate and impressive effects does not necessarily make it great and engaging. In fact, the higher the number of different artistic forms, the more difficult it becomes to synchronize and coordinate them into a meaningful and unified whole.

Comic creators should strive to adopt simpler ways of constructing a narrative. The stylistic modes of the chosen medium should be used in such a way that they reinforce the exposition of the story in a clear way. By taking control of the medium and using its methods to full potential, the strengths of the story can be highlighted. In the specific case of digital comics, this translates to being aware of the myriad of possibilities made available with digital technology and applying them effectively to the sequence of images and text that make up a traditional comic.

The idea of having a vertically infinite comic is not revolutionary, but it works remarkably well as it takes into consideration the natural behavior of online readers (vertical scrolling and interacting with the various parts that make up the website, for instance) and the structure of an internet website (HTML alt and title attributes in this case) in order to deliver a smooth and natural reading experience.

What’s more, a large part of the comic is drawn from a first-person perspective, which further augments the immersive experience, especially since several panels look like software interfaces which could very well be mistaken for the reader’s computer display.

An exceptional example of a comic using augmented reality is Sutu’s Modern Polaxis, released in 2014. It is essentially a printed comic book, and can be read as any other comic book. However, if the reader uses the accompanying app to scan over the pages, new shapes and new forms emerge bringing additional information about the character and the plot of the comic. The comic is a diary of a young man called Polaxis, whose paranoid thoughts and feelings can only be accessed in augmented reality. The technology in this case is not only a tool used for reading the story, but also an integral part of the story itself. Augmented reality is not needed to read the print comic book, but not using it would mean being deprived of the complete story. The comic offers a balanced compromise between print and digital comics:

I believe that the effectiveness of the digital comic does not depend much on the impressiveness of the technology that is being implemented, but rather on the way in which the same technology is implemented in the comic. By this I mean that the choice of creating a comic in the digital format should be clearly reflected in its form

Gifs, video clips, HTML elements, and a variety of other digital techniques should be used to add to the value of the comic itself, by enriching its storytelling potential and by enhancing its characteristic comics elements. After all, since the comic already exists in the digital sphere, it would only be logical to embrace its environment and take full advantage of the newfound opportunities.