On the Uniqueness of Comics & Graphic Novel Storytelling

CGN is a balancing combo between writing and artwork.

When I was young, I thought the most important thing in comics and graphic novels was the artwork. Perhaps this was due to my background in illustration. I love to draw. Naturally, the first thing that caught my eyes would be the quality of art.

But as I grew up, I slowly realized that a good comic/graphic novel (Let’s just shorten this to CGN for typing-sake, shall we?) does not necessarily depend on how skilled the illustrator is.

This can be a controversial perspective, as it offends illustrators. Are you saying what we do is not important? How dare you.

Of course not. I’m an illustrator myself. I LOVE illustrations. I would buy a CGN if the cover artwork attracts me. I buy prints. Beautiful and unique arts make me go to a happy place. They touch my soul.

This summer, without knowing what the story was about, I bought “Takemitsuzamurai” (written by Issei Eifuku & illustrated by Taiyō Matsumoto). The artwork simply looks stunning, doesn’t it?

I’m saying, a good CGN depends much more than just the quality of art.

Here’s a famous example.

When One (that’s his pseudonym) made the web manga One-Punch Man, objectively, his artwork might not be considered great, in a traditional sense.

“One-Punch Man”, created by One.

Turns out, One-Punch Man became a big hit online because of its engaging storyline. It caught the attention of famous manga illustrator Yusuke Murata (村田雄介). He connected with One and re-illustrated One-Punch Man.

“One-Punch Man” was re-illustrated by Yusuke Murata and got picked up and serialized.

One-Punch Man became one of the best-selling manga series of all time.

It’s easy for me to say Story is King! Story is King! Story is King! But, if you ask my honest opinion, story is also just part of why One-Punch Man was so good. One might not have a formal illustration training background, but the story pace and storyboarding technique are clearly there. I wouldn’t call that a killer instinct in CGN storytelling methods. He must have spent a long time studying how CGN worked.

From plot to storyboarding, One clearly had a good understanding on how to execute a story in sequential art format.

Another example off the top of my head is Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama.

When I first got my hands on the book, I was mildly surprised.

The artwork, especially character design in the early volumes, had room for improvement. (To be fair, the titans were designed in a very unique and memorable way.)

Once again, the story was very gripping. I personally did not enjoy anything overly graphic and violent, and Attack on Titan surely went there, but I ended up reading at least 10 volumes of the series. The story was fantastic, pacing was done well, and the world-building was a lot of fun to read.

Are there rules on the visual sides of creating CGN? Absolutely! I’m a creator, so I notice them more, but if the story carries through, I also know breaking those rules doesn’t matter.

Here’s an example when it comes to “CGN art rules”. I don’t remember when I learned this. It must have been in one of those how-to-create-CGN books. Basically, a speech bubble should never be kissing a panel box, as that tangent creates visual confusion, or, on a minimum level, a visual annoyance. Do I avoid it? Yes. Do I see it on other CGN? Sometimes. Do I immediately throw away that book? 100% not. If the story is good, the story is good. These rules have very little weight (if at all) when it comes to the bigger picture.

I think they are more suggestions than rules. :-)

A well-written story is still fantastic even with occasional grammatical errors.

CGN is a very interesting storytelling method. It’s not a play, but dialogues drive the story the majority of times. It’s not a movie script – because how a story unfolds in a two-hour screen-time is different from the length of a book. It’s not a regular novel – because a CGN too wordy becomes a heavily-illustrated novel, not a CGN. The art is important, but the plot, the pace, and the writing are also extremely important. A lot of times, the visuals can attract a reader’s attention, but the story will keep the reader.

It’s a balancing and integrating act. A special dance.

Which is why it’s so challenging but so fun to make them.

And the best practice is still read a lot, write a lot, and draw a lot.

In my opinion, “storytelling crafts”, “business skills” and “personal traits” combined to make each CGN creator unique. I’ll discuss more on this in future posts.