When you read comics,

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JustSarah

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Do you find yourself noticing how many panels a page has, and how large those panels are? How those panels may be used?

I'm used to reading decompressed comics, so when I read one that has fewer panels with larger spaces of time in between it often is a strange reading experience.
 

snafu1056

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You mean you feel like the ones with bigger panels seem more abbreviated?
 

T Robinson

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What is a decompressed comic, as opposed to a compressed one? Not in the genre, so I have no idea what that means. Thanks in advance.
 

snafu1056

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Decompressed just means a slower, more nuanced pace of storytelling as opposed to the faster paced action-oriented stuff usually associated with comics. Some people love it, others hate it.
 
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JustSarah

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I'm not sure if I would call it abbreviated, its just feels different.o_O (Baring in mind I read manga for years, so Western stuff is different to get used to.) Although there are some Manga that reads that way.

Wanting to try reading Local (the graphic novel) as its more a genre I like. I'm not sure what that's going to be like.:p
 

archangel

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I'm not sure the bigger panels means that they are slower. I think the panels reflect the story and how the writer/ artist wants it to be told. It also depends on the comic. I've seen big panels with a lot of stuff going on. It's more visually engaging.
 

Lissibith

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Honestly, the only time I've ever noticed panel layout is if the artist is particularly boring about it and you keep seeing the same layout over and over again without it just being the way every page is. but then, I switch from superhero comics to more laid-back comics to manga pretty interchangeably so I may have just gotten used to it.
 

Shadow_Ferret

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I guess I do notice how a comic book's panels are laid out because to me, that is often as interesting as the artwork itself. I guess having grown up with Jack Kirby, who pretty much broke the standard panel grid and had action spilling all over the page, and later Jim Steranko, who brought a pop art sensibility to the pages, I expect the artist to show a little creativity with his story telling.
 

JustSarah

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Maybe its because I grew up with like uneven panels, when I read some that are squares it often feels strange. Kingdom Come wasn't to bad about that though, and I loved Marvels Dracula.

I guess I need to see the latest one shots.
 

veinglory

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I mean obviously I see it and it effects me so that is a kind of noticing, but I don't explicitly think about it very often unless they are doing something weird or wrong.
 

Ken

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I grew up on comics books too. The traditional ones. So anything with less than 6-8 panels a page seems a bit odd. Just amounts to what you're used to I suppose.
 

gp101

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Last read the "Lock and Key" and "Saga" compilations. With each, there were points in the story where the plot, the characters were so gripping, I didn't notice the number of panels on a given page or the size of various panels unless a splash page was presented. And yes, the art helped me breeze through the storyline.

Having said all that... I've caught myself backtracking to study the panel arrangements and size in connection to storyline. It's fascinating And much respect to those who pull it off.
 
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