Category: Teaching

To build a dynamic page you need contrast in the shapes between panels. Putting the same scale of shapes next to each other panel after panel leads to dull comics. Robbin’s make the Thief’s hand and gun almost exactly the same size in the first two panels. Then Batman jumps from a small figure to a full panel side head. The spatial relationship between Bats and the thief feels all screwed up in the cut between the two panels. So the large scale Batman head just feels kind of funky. Even just leaving all the blacks off the hand in the first panel would have made a difference in this shot reverse shot.

This is a flattened Robbins page to see if I can find the design of the page underneath it. Jack’s use of 2-d design and three-d space is what makes his work unique. Working within his grid Jack would consider the flat shape based design of the page along with the space he was creating. Kirby often seemed to set up suspense that could be carried visually in a page.
Kirby considered each page as a scene with a beginning middle and end that could be told visually.

Dr. Comics, my local comics store had a celebration of 28 years in business. They invited old staff and customers from over the years back.

Michael Pandolfo has been a great aid to the comics community and the community. Michael gives lots of kids their first job, and helps them figure out how to be an adult in the world. And for those of us who have a hard time figuring things out he still just sells us comics, lots, and lots of comics. The Cap is my thank you present for the 26 years of gab, friendship, and support. It’s drawn in Flash 6 on the computer and inked with brushes on paper as I slowly work my back into an organic style.