Observations on the @comicsworkbook composition competition, 2016:
First off, who knew we had this many people on the scene! And I don’t even recognize that many of the names! It is really amazing the amount of talent our community has. An exciting thing to be a part of. Also it was clear (and sometimes even stated) that some were first time comics and it’s great that it is a place for that! I almost wish it weren’t a competition, and more just a celebration of all of the comics.
When I was making my comic for the competition, the clear tension that the restrictions caused were that 42 panels is too much for a single “beat” and too little for most short stories. Looking at the comics everyone made, it feels like everyone is struggling with that and resolving it in different ways.
Some people packed a whole lot in, which can be a little obstructive to reading and leads to a little bit of oversimplifying, but can be very effective and impressive. I have a lot of respect for the ambition of these stories.
Some truncate their stories, giving a sense of like, “this is just the start”. Which can be cool, as it’s always good to evoke more than you tell, and to have people wanting more. But it can feel a little abrupt, too.
Some aimed for very brief stories, or vignettes. This is basically going with the “beat” and just stretching it out. Which can suffer a little from the lack of heft and ambition. But can feel complete, and solid.
Some people made poetry comics, or abstracted narratives, which tend to not tell a specific story, but set up a mood and a thought. This is a very effective idea for the competition, but is hard to pull off. And sometimes can feel like it doesn’t add much to what it would have been as a one pager.
There are some silent comics, which is a smart move. Simplifying, and allowing the visuals to shine. But they, again, can feel simple from a story standpoint and lack heft often. Though visual metaphor is able to achieve a bit more depth. And simple can be great.
And I was surprised by how many horror comics there are! I guess it makes sense! Just long enough to set up and then knock down some characters, or to set up a status quo and then overturn it. But maybe not long enough to form much of an investment in the characters or context.
There were also the weird comics, which really work here because they could be any length and feel like it’s an intentional reflection of the weirdness that they ended where they ended. On the other hand, that can feel arbitrary or opaque.
And the personal exposition-heavy comics. Which are more like being told a story by a person you are speaking to. Those are easy to connect with and feel, but can often be less evocative.
And those like, very conceptual ones! Interesting, to directly attack an idea rather than a narrative or a mood. Smart because it’s a decent length for establishing an idea. Can lack the feeling and connection that other stories might have, though.
And I’m sure there are other types too. So many comics.
I know I’m saying negatives and positives for all of these, but I don’t mean to be like, taking jabs at any specific comics. But getting at how this challenge is specifically interesting, because there’s no foolproof solution. All of the choices are valid and make sense.