Out of curiosity, how do you pace your comics? Like, do you plan out what goes on each page ahead of time? How do you keep scenes from running on too long or falling too short?
Truthfully, I wing like 90% of my work.
That sounds terribly lazy, but let me explain.
I used to make detailed drafts. Character A looks at Character B in panel 2 and says, “Hello.” etc. The problem with that is...oftentimes characters tend to want to do what they want to do. They run away with the plot, they don’t always listen, and as soon as I go, “Oh...Character A doesn’t want to look at Character B and say, “Hello.” Character A wants to look at their hands and mumble something Character B doesn’t catch.”
Which throws off the paneling I’d planned. With throws off everything else.
So this is what my drafts typically look like:
Whatever Remains: Beryl CoronetSherlock takes John to a flat. Ladies of the Night live there together. Names: Liberty Bell, Scarlet Fever, Summer Solstice, Harvest Moon, and Morning Glory. Sherlock questions Beryl Coronet about Woodley.
That’s it. I don’t leave myself any more information than that.
I didn’t know Liberty Bell was going to answer the door. Or that Scarlet was going to berate her. But it was a good way to introduce the mysterious and so-far absent ‘Slim’. Also to imply that Scarlet is a bit of a boss.
Much the same way with That Certain Night, only a lot less organized!
The only info I have written down for myself is: Aziraphale and Crowley walk home after dining at The Ritz. Everything is a bit awkward and sweet and the pining is real.
So I didn’t know before I drew this page...
...that Aziraphale was ready to approach Crowley. And since Crowley’s hands are in his pockets...I’m going to make it funny.
So, for me, plotting meticulously is pointless. This does, I admit, tend to let the story get away from me if I’m not careful.
Pacing in comics is very tough. Because a single page takes a while to draw. But it only takes seconds to read. So my instinct is to make more happen on each page. If I do that, though, it reads too quickly. I have to take my time, show emotion and intent. I don’t tend to draw backgrounds much unless it’s necessary because when you’re reading a comic, you read it so quickly you don’t tend to notice there’s nothing there.
Not while it’s a WIP, of course. It tends to be glaringly obvious there isn’t anything there.
If you read any of my other comics from back to front in one go, you’re likely not to notice. And while it may look like I’m stringing readers along with the slow pacing, I promise I’m not. It would read way too fast otherwise.
I took a lot of notes reading manga. I have Fruits Basket and Oran High School Host Club on my shelves. If I ever need a reminder, I look through them.
