Comic and Graphic Novel Terminology . Technique Definition Effect or Examples Bleed Image that extends beyond the edge of a page. Makes a page more dynamic and visually appealing. Background Backdrop or landscape of an image. Creates backstory, context, or additional information. Center of an image where our eyes gravitate towards. Midground Center of a panel. Foreground Part of a panel closest to the viewer. often appear more dramatic due to larger scale. Distance between camera and subject e.g. close-up, Strategically used to convey meaning, emotion, to create long shot, low-angle, high-angle, wide-angle etc. perspective, and to provide hierarchy of detail. Object may be placed off-center to create visual tension. Generally where the main action takes place. Objects here Camera angle Boxes separate from the rest of the panel, which Captions contain a variety of text elements, including scene-setting, description, etc. Closure Emanata Figure Graphic weight Gutter story by clarifying to readers the events in the scene. Use of prior knowledge to fill in the gutters (gaps) Creates a sense of narrative progression and between a series of panels. sequencing within the reader’s mind. Motion lines beside characters’ faces, such as Reveals characters emotions or immediate reactions to teardrops, sweat drops and question marks. particular events. Visual illustration of an object or person. Body posture sand facial expressions reveal a lot about a character’s thoughts and feelings. Ways in which some images draw the eye and Often achieved through juxtaposing or manipulating capture attention more than others. color, shading, or other patterns. The blank space between panels. A single frame or box that generally contains one Panel Creates a voice-over to the action, helping to enhance the sequence or segment of action. Pages may consist of a single panel, or several panels of uniform or varied sizes. Action that occur here are not literally seen or experienced by the viewer; instead it is inferred. A row of panels is a tier. An illustration taking up a whole page is a splash. An image that spans two or more pages is a spread. Special-effects Letters used to copy sound effects, considered a The font, colors and lettering of sound effects will affect lettering form of onomatopoeia. the tone or mood of a narrative. These enclose dialogue and come from a specific Speech balloons speaker’s mouth; these vary in size, shape, layout, and can alternative to depict a conversation. Helps convey external dialogue between different characters, or a character’s internal dialogue.
