Panels

An Important Part of Comic Book Storytelling

What Good Are Panels?

• PANELS are how comics divide up the action on each page

• They are a relatively new part of sequential art storytelling – remember how the Bayeux Tapestry and the Egyptian tomb paintings were just one long image?

• Panels are often used just like shots in a movie, and are most often used to subtly direct how the reader experiences the story

Panel Transitions

• When one panel moves to another, it is called a TRANSITION

• It is this transition that gives the writer the influence over your experience mentioned above

• There are FOUR BASIC TYPES of transition:

Transition Type 1:

MOMENT to MOMENT

Moment-to-Moment Transitions

• When we say that a panel transition moves from “moment-to-moment”, we mean that it shows the passage of very small amounts of time

• These transitions involve the same subject(s), little action, and no movement from place to place

• These are rare in Western graphic novels, but are more common in Japanese ones

Transition Type 2:

ACTION to ACTION

Action-to-Action Transitions

• This one is easy: when we say the transition is “action-to-action”, we mean that something or somebody is doing something different in the second panel than in the first

• Usually, the action is very obvious, and follows directly from the previous panel (like in the baseball example above)

• This is one of the most common types of panel transitions, especially in superhero graphic novels

Transition Type 3:

SUBJECT to SUBJECT

Subject-to-Subject Transitions

• This transition is simply when one panel focuses on one character or object, and the next one focuses on a different character or object (within the same scene/location)

• These aren’t hard to follow, but they require a bit more involvement by the reader – they need to understand how the new person or object fits into the context of the scene in order to make sense of the transition

Transition Type 4:

SCENE to SCENE

Scene-to-Scene Transitions

• This transition moves between two entirely different locations

• Usually, the writer/artist will simply start a new scene on a new page

• Even more reader involvement is required to make sense of these, and the connection between the two may not be immediately obvious

Find good examples of 2 types of transitions in your graphic novel:

• Moment to Moment: Same subject(s), same place, little to no movement

• Action to Action: Same subject, different action• Subject to Subject: One panel’s focus is on a different

character or object than the other• Scene to Scene: One panel is in a completely place (in the

story) than the other

Now, share your choices with your group. Once you finish, choose (as a group) an example that you find particularly interesting. The person who found it will then share with the class.