Comic Interlude
Making Light of Serious Work
Growing up on a farm, summers were filled with a tremendous amount of work. However, it wasn't evenly distributed. Often, weather meant I had time on my hands. Fortunately for me, paper and pencils were cheap.
Sometime around Junior High I started drawing on a regular basis. By my senior year I had worked up to spending at least an hour a day. At one point I aspired to be a comic book illustrator. It wasn't to be, however, as the decision was derided by my Mother:
"But does that actually make the world a better place?"
That was the effective end of my illustrative ambitions. However, I would continue to dabble since the form is so tremendously effective. Whether a Sunday strip, comic off a magazine rack (they still have those, right?), or a digitally delivered graphic novel there is power in creating the perfect composition. Images are able emphasize a point words may fail at.
There are few things more intimidating, especially for technical concepts, than a solid wall of text. Usually astute writers will break up the monotony with a selectively chosen image that underscores their point. A carefully written comic not only accomplishes that but provides a lens for bringing new aspects into focus. Anyone familiar with the BBC series Dr. Who has an idea of what I'm talking about. That show's namesake is a 900+ year old genius universal time-traveler. Left to the Doctor's own devices, he'd flit through all continuity doing things seemingly at random. For the sake of the story the writers almost always have him paired with a human companion. The purpose of this person is to be an audience surrogate; they ask clarification of what's happening and they challenge motives from their alternative perspective. In much the same way a comic can be a wonderful companion for a larger piece, providing that other perspective.
I'd encourage anyone interested to check out BitStrips.com. Don't be put off by the propensity for comic sans on the homepage. It's a great site that allows anyone to pull together a comic from stock art. For those without the talent or time BitStrips is a great option for adding color to anyone's writing.
Update 2013/11/01: So shortly after I posted this piece the nice, reliable Bitstrips folk go and release an Android and IOS app. Normally this wouldn't be a problem. Except it went viral on Facebook and desktop users are now subjected to this lovely condescending excuse:
Not cool. I'd make a comic to illustrate my rage but, well, you know.