Comics: what makes success?
James Butterly
B.A (Hons) Communications in Creative Multimedia
Comics: what makes success?
Index
Abstract ................................................................................................................................Page. 3
Introduction .........................................................................................................................Page. 4
Literature Review .................................................................................................................Page. 5
Research, Methodology & Method ....................................................................................Page. 10
Findings & Results ..............................................................................................................Page. 12
Discussion ...........................................................................................................................Page. 19
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................Page. 21
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................Page. 23
References ..........................................................................................................................Page. 24
Glossary .............................................................................................................................Page. 25
Appendices .........................................................................................................................Page. 26
2
Comics: what makes success?
Abstract
The question that this paper raises is; what is a successful comic book? What makes it
successful? It may be a simple question, but how do we measure success in any industry? Comic
book readers and even the general populous know who superman and batman are. But who
knows how they attained their status as two of the most popular comic book superheroes and
successful franchises in the industry. The purpose of the paper is to offer not guidelines, as to
how to create a successful comic book franchise, but to examine the aspects of popular comic
books as to why they got their status. A question that is important for an ever expanding and
developing industry of graphical artists and writers to know and understand how and why a
series of comic books can advance and flourish in mass culture, an area that has not been
acknowledged. Graphics, narrative, design, readability, character, all have important roles when
deciphering what factors distinguish an outstanding, successful comic book to an average comic.
The author did this paper because as an individual who does not like, nor has the patience to
read a book front to back, but likes a good story, with pictures, to help stimulate the mind. To
give my mind a gentle push in the right direction with regards the graphics used to drive the
narrative. The author is curious to understand what it is about comics that makes people come
back, but not just come back to the same particular comic, but what entices the reader to a
brand? Why do readers and fans invest time and money to a particular series of comics, issue
after issue? This is what this paper aims to discover.
3
Comics: what makes success?
Introduction
This paper explores comic book elements and conducts a comparative study to discover the
difference between a good and bad narrative using graphic novels and comics as a base.
Through analysing the elements of narrative structure and content of successful comics and
identifying possible recurrence of theme, style, form, genre, story-telling methods, narrator and
medium in successful narrative.
My aim is to discover the differences in successful narrative in comparison to bad narrative and
what elements (if any) occur in successful narrative structure.
My objectives are:
1. To analyse the structure of graphic novels in comparison to other media narrative such
as film, novel and game. To articulate an understanding of their distinct narrative
structure and draw comparison, as each is unique, via cognitive walkthrough of graphic
novels, and critique its narrative structure and design to discover what makes a good
narrative and a bad narrative.
2. To identify areas common to successful narrative and examine what ways a successful
graphic narrative is different in terms of immersion and what provokes the reader to
become engaged and bind with successful narrative.
3. To examine the relationship between graphical/ visual style and literature used in comic
books to determine how (and if) they correspond to deliver a good narrative structure.
4
Comics: what makes success?
Literature Review
In conducting this literature review, the hope is, to understand the key points constructed
within these texts in order to create a solid foundation in which to investigate the objectives.
There are several pieces of important literature that can be deemed primary in the research of
the topic of successful narrative structure in comic and graphic novels.
An article examining the history and critique of comics, graphic novels and graphic narrative,
entitled, ‘Comics, Graphic Novels and Graphic Narrative: A Review’ (2010) by Ariela Freedman,
is an entire encompassing of the art form. In it she examines the broad area of graphic novels,
its emergence and potential, criticisms, its underground, lowbrow nature and how it has
impacted on popular culture, stating some of the more influential advocates in the art form,
such as Scott McCloud, Will Eisner, and Art Spiegelman.
An article, appealing for use in any comic or graphic novel style dissertation because of its
broad nature, primarily allows for a good understanding from a lot of aspects in comic and
graphic novels. The connection is established to the proposed title this way. Not only is it one of
the most recent pieces of writing surrounding the art form, but its level of depth, critique and
analysis of the study that scholars partake in the field of comics, both amateur and professional
is detailed within the article.
Perhaps, the article is not as useful in terms that it depicts the impact that major players in the
comic industry has had and what they have achieved in terms of recognition for comics, how
they have helped shed some form of academic light on comics, and their general perception.
This article, although providing information on present research and key figure heads in comics,
is limited in terms of information regarding the chosen topic, and would not support achieving
the proposed objectives, as it neither compare narrative structure nor identify relationships
between narrative and image, to better understand the structure of successful comics.
This leads to the book by author, Scott McCloud, ‘Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art’
(1993), which must be cited in most comic and graphic novel articles, books etc. An old piece of
literature, but because of its clear and concise definitions, its dynamics and explanation of the
5
Comics: what makes success?
working nature in terms of vocabulary to image relationship in comics, it is considered one of
the best analytical accounts on comics and comic books. It’s the “how they work”, style of
approach that is most appealing to the study conducted in this dissertation. The book describes
the dynamics of images and text. How the reader participates. The techniques used by artists to
draw attention to different areas on the page, as Scott describes originally as, “Something that
had never been done, some kind of hidden power.”1 The book is useful in explaining the nature
and dynamics of comics, these techniques, may account for why comic book readers become
engrossed in comics, purchase further issues of a comic book and support the artists and
writers of a particular serialized graphic novel.
In saying that, using these techniques, possessing impressive visual art, or an incredibly vivid
imagination or heartfelt, absorbing writing style, none of these could create a successful comic
book, but what makes the techniques described in Scott McClouds book, successful... Profit,
respect for the author or publisher, status, popularity? Success in a comic book, individually
speaking, may arise from just one of these topics that have personal affect in the reader’s life,
they may feel sympathy in a related subject matter or theme, or the reader may just like the
artistic style and action sequences. Psychologically, comics are a broad subject matter, but what
makes them successful. Success is an opinionated subject. It can mean different things to
different people, in many different ways. Success is defined as, “The attainment of wealth,
position, honours, or the like.” This is the approach that is used in this piece of writing. Success
may arise from popularity. With the author questioning; surely a comic (even an adaptation of
kind) is deemed to be a success if it is a household name?
So where did the popularity of comics come from, and why are they so popular now? This is
where Robert Peterson comes in, with his book, ‘Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels: A History
of Graphic Narrative’. Peterson travels back to where comics first started to become popular,
the early 1900’s, and then again in the 1930’s and post-World War II America. Chapter 8, “The
Superhero and the Comic Book”, delves into when the comic first started to gain popularity in
mainstream culture. The introduction of a “Superhero” style of character and Science Fiction
provided a market for a world of escape into the never before art form of comic books,
6
Comics: what makes success?
although, characters such as these were popular in current film, newspaper strips, and radio
programmes at the time. But in 1938, a Superhero made an appearance in “Action Comics” that
would revolutionise the comics industry, and be cited as an American icon of times, this hero
was Superman. He was a vastly popular comic book icon of the “Golden Age” of comics. This
was perhaps, because of his working class manner, and good nature, to thwart his enemy’s evil
doings. A perfect figure head for a tension induced America leading into World War II. And
without, we may have never seen the likes of other popular comic book heroes, Batman
Spiderman, Captain America etc. The popularity in comic books only increased over the next
few decades, with the introduction of several profoundly popular (yet similar) Superheroes.
Peterson examines the history and roots of the comic book popularity through the early years
(1900’s – present), which may arise in the industries success, and point in favour of what
exactly makes a successful narrative comic book, which is imperative for completing the
objectives set out in this paper.
But yet again, there is no standard for depicting what makes a successful comic. If you are to
take into account of film adaptations, which is a far more popular medium than comics, movies
such as, The Dark Knight (Batman), Spiderman 1, 2, and 3, Iron Man 1, and 2. These movies rank
in the top 6 comic adaptations of all time, with a combined lifetime gross of $2.2 billion. Of
course, these statistics are for film, which may or may not have an impact on comic book sales,
or have anything to do with the popularity of that particular comic. But those figures certainly
do suggest that comic book adaptations are extremely profitable, and would convey that
comics are a successful medium if producers and directors are willing to spend their time and
money working on them.
Comic books are a huge industry, with books, movies, video game adaptations, Exhibitions
(Comic Con), toys and figurines, clothing, roller coaster rides in theme parks, and many various
merchandise, such as key chains and stickers, even special edition collectable comics that cost a
fortune. This must suggest that comics are successful, but what this paper is asking is, what
makes them successful? Robin Varnum and Christina T. Gibbons book, “The Language of Comics:
Word and Image.” which contains a collection of critical essays from different authors in the
7
Comics: what makes success?
field, Robert C. Harvey (cartoonist and comic critic), Gene Kannenberg, Jr (founder:
comicreseach.org), is a delightful look at the relationship of text and image. They examine,
where the eye travels on the page, and the capacity of the reader to use their imagination to fill
the gaps between the cells. They research the science of the comic and focus on, word and
meaning. “In our culture, which depends increasingly on images for instruction and recreation,
it is important to ask how words and images make meaning when they are combined.”2 This
science (like in other media such as, film, games) is delivered with emotion, a sentimental value
surrounding the narrative. Accompanied with techniques discussed in Scott McClouds book,
“Understanding comics” make the backbone of comics. The collection of essays are useful to
the research of this paper, The use of artists combining elements discussed in each of the
books, is key to establishing the foundation of a comic, then all that’s left is the narrative
content right?
Henry John Pratt’s article in “The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism” entitled, “Narrative in
Comics”, is helpful in terms that Pratt considers why we say we “read” comics, when they are
“essentially” pictorial. “The pictures are crucial to the narrative construction of comics” “it is a
hybrid art form”3. The Narrative features are constructed identically to other literature, and
how it shapes readers experience with comics. Pratt discusses the similarities between other
media and comic book narrative, especially film. Suggesting that it is easier for a comic artist to
control the narrative, more so than a director, therefore should have a sturdier platform to
voice their point of view and construct a strong narrative. “Close connections between artist
and reader in a pictorial narrative medium are hard to come by, and it is with good reason we
value their occurrence in comics”4.
Pratt references and questions the work of great figures in comics within the article, such as,
Art Spiegelman, Robert C. Harvey, Scott McCloud, and Will Eisner. What Pratt would suggest is
that, there is no doubt then, that comic artist must do some hard work in order to portray their
message and construct an interesting, evocative narrative that will touch the readers on a
personal level, whether emotionally, traumatically, humorously, or by teaching a moral, or life
lesson. This is what creates a good narrative, one that people will want to pick up for €15 every
8
Comics: what makes success?
issue. Once a good narrative foundation has been established, and not only readers, but critics,
analysts and reviews know this... That artist has been successful in what they initially set out to
do.
What these books and articles have done is proclaimed the comic book medium, the science of
it, and the narrative structure, none suggest that this is what makes them successful. This paper
has set out to find why this formula works, and there is no way more accurate in an
opinionated topic than to surveying the readers themselves. Their opinions on comics and the
industry is what make comics and graphic novels successful. After all, they are the most
important factor when it comes to comic book success, they are the ones who generate the
income within the industry.
There is a myriad of reviews, overviews, histories, and narrative research conducted in the field
of comics and graphic novels. However, none have researched the simple question, what makes
a successful comic, and what differentiates a successful comic from an unsuccessful. In the
realisation that this topic is an opinionated, there are several forums and blog posts that
suggest “what is” and “how to make” a successful comic. The general consensus from virtual
communities is that, a good narrative comic book and graphic novel must be; distinctive,
attentive to detail, of popular genre, serialized, and must contain a sense of humour. Each
comic narrative has a personality. The artist and writers create different characters in different
situations and scenarios, but it’s the story that is remembered. It’s the moral choices,
experience and lessons that are learned by the protagonists that make a good narrative
remembered and outstanding.
9
Comics: what makes success?
Research, Methodology & Method
To conduct the research for the study, a qualitative approach to analysing the data gathered
was the most suitable method. The method was to conduct a questionnaire through online
forums and orchestrate structured interviews with local comic creators and enthusiasts using
the questionnaire as the basis. These are the people who have been around comics for some
time.
The research for the topic was difficult, as it was an opinion based topic. It was felt best to
directly ask those actively engaged with comics their opinion on the industry and comics as a
whole, asking specific questions in the questionnaire as such to acquire “quality” information
from the participants involved.
In order to obtain comic readers and those involved with comics, an online ethnographical
study was undertaken. There are several online forums in which to engage with users and
conduct ethnography which is important to the research for this paper, but it was found that
there are two that have a large number of active users on a daily basis, these are; The “Comic
Book Resources” forum, and the “Comic Vine” forum. The purpose behind this ethnography is
to become somewhat part of the community and associate with the users in order to gain their
trust, establish a slight friendship status, and through this, entice the users to participate in the
online questionnaire.
An example of the questionnaire can be found in the appendices (fig.1). Admittedly, it was
proving difficult to find readers and creators that were willing to participate and answer the
questionnaire. These were the target demographic for which the questionnaire was aimed.
With the questionnaire online and receiving responses at a slow rate, contact was made with
Dublin City retailers, “Forbidden Planet”, “The Big Bang” and “Dublin City Comics” explaining
what the paper was trying to achieve. Unfortunately, none were interested in participating in
an interview.
10
Comics: what makes success?
Contact was also made with friends who have experience working in comic retailers. Both of
them had agreed to take part in an interview, but had since declined the offer to partake in the
interview up until the deadline of this paper.
To analyse the data of the questionnaire, the main method was to compare each answer to
another and devise a way to recognise similar answers and features. To do this, a method of
comparing answers provided in the table section of the questionnaire (“Questionnaire” listed in
Appendices) against the answers provided in the “boxes” of the questions was adopted. For
example, If a respondent of the questionnaire answered “Very Important” to have an
“Appealing Protagonist” and also referred in the “boxed” section of the questionnaire, that
having a strong leading character was why they read or enjoy comics. That would be compared
against other participant’s answers in similar fashion, so it would be deemed that a strong lead
character is important to the success of comics. Be it character design, dealing with moral
dilemma, relatable or leadership, this is what has to be included to have a successful comic
series, if the factors are there, the readers will make their own emotional attachment.
The questionnaire was conducted within the online communities, “Comic Vine” and “Comic
Book Resources” forums. Both have a large number of active, daily users on each of the
websites. The questionnaire averaged 20 detailed responses over a two month period, from the
date it commenced, Thursday 28th February to when all of the responses were finalised on
Wednesday 11th April. Responses started progressing with time, and there was soon enough
data to construct a practical research paper.
11
Comics: what makes success?
Findings / Results
After weeks of conducting research through online forums and the questionnaire posed to
those actively engaged with comics through those communities, a modest amount of raw data
(in the form of opinions) had been gathered.
While conducting the research and trawling through the data and answers received via the
questionnaire, it was interesting to recognise features that would be expected. But also fathom
what aspects, key to the comic books and graphic novel medium, had perceived to be most
important in creating a successful comic series.
For the questionnaire, refer to the accompanying image (Fig.1) for a list of questions that
participants were asked to answer, which included a range of 12 questions and a table to
complete at the end of the form. As stated in the previous section of this paper, another
method had to be constructed in order to fully analyse the data and compare answers to each
other. To start with the questionnaire, responses were scarce at the beginning of collecting the
data, but as time progressed and engagement with the online comic community continued,
responses began to increase.
Superheroes and Characters
Regarding question 2 & 3 (Fig1.1), who the participants favourite superhero is, the purpose was
to separate superhero characters with regular comic book characters, minus the super powers
etc. The idea behind this method was to detach characters, of which would not possibly be real
or based on real people/figures in life, with characters that could possibly be realistic and
engage with practical/realistic scenarios and life choices. The responses were quite different to
what was expected, with one response being, “Superheroes are generic and overrated, the
[Regular] characters are our working day, normal people”. Approximately 90% of the total
respondents included their reasons for liking their favourite character, most liked the fact that
they had a superpower that was something unlike anything in real life, like someone they could
look up to for leadership, a protector in society, as one respondent replied in regards to
Spiderman, “I love the powers he possesses, and his role within social boundaries, almost like "protect
12
Comics: what makes success?
and serve"”. Another response in regards Batman, “He constantly wants to help the public or the
people in need”. And again in respect of Iron man, he is “strong and dependable”. All responses
to the question “Why is he / she your favourite superhero?” lean toward a leadership quality in
superheroes, someone for society to look up to for protection and to go without fear. But, as a
point the author sees, there is a tough exterior in superheroes that pronounces a strong and
dignified character, someone you should never see cry, so to say. There is also the person
within the superhero. As one response read, “The main characteristic of him [Spider-man] is
that he is Peter Parker, he is not Spider-man, Spider-man is just a suit. He is just an average
person with responsibilities like anyone of us.”
The term “Relatable” crops up frequently in the answers regarding why a character is a
respondents favourite, which leads to the question relating to “normal” characters (Fig1.2) (in
the case of normal, it is implied that the character has no superhuman quality... And doesn’t
necessarily dress in a cape and tights e.g. your “Average Joe”), much more varied responses
were given by participants. Responses would include the personalities that these characters
held, such as empathy, loyalty, calm and wise etc. Roughly 80% of the responses of the total
number that answered describe the personality traits of their chosen favourite character. This
would lead you to believe that the personality traits of their chosen and described favourite
character were that of a depiction of themselves, based on respondents’ preference to describe
characters personality traits. In a way, this is how they see themselves as perceived by others
(or wants to be perceived this way by others, or indeed wants to possess these personality
traits themselves).
The How/What/Why of Comic books
Questions about the comic book medium were also asked (Fig1.3), including; why do you read
comics? What emotions do you feel while reading your favourite comic? What distinguishes a
“good” comic book, from “bad” comic books? These questions got the most detailed feedback,
and the opinions given by the respondents with various outlooks on the industry gave a good
idea into what readers think about comics in the current climate. With the possibility of arriving
to a definitive structure to what makes a successful comic book. The bedrock of the questions
13
Comics: what makes success?
was to always ask, “Why?”, as to drill down to what respondents truly think about their chosen
medium.
The question posed to readers, “Why do you read comics?”, delves straight to the point. Comic
book readers share a lot of similar views as to why they began to read comics in the first place.
One comment saying, “Their more interesting than TV”, which is a massive compliment for the
comic book industry. The opinions shared by participants came in the form of “Entertainment”
and “Design”. Both of these topics were most prominent over others, one response being, “For
a mixture of artwork and entertainment that you simply don’t get from any other media”. This
author asks; is this not to be expected from a medium so heavily based of art and design? Yes,
because there is an extreme amount of intricate detail and skill possessed by the designer, a lot
of time, money and effort on their part go into the creation of a comic. But also, no, because
not only do comics offer a colourful design each page that is turned, comics are now so diverse
and varied that they also offer a unique storytelling and narrative experience, as one
respondent commented, “I think comic books are the best medium for storytelling”. Another
respondent sums up my point thusly, “You can take your time reading them [Comics], there is a
sequence, unlike movies where you see it and it’s done, you can go back over the page and
catch up on or understand something you may have missed, this is unique only to comics”.
The question “What distinguishes a “Good” Comic book, from a “Bad” Comic book?”, got a lot
of generous and detailed feedback. Respondents had given this question the most overtly
detailed comments, and with this question being the heart of this paper, was very much
appreciated. “Narrative”, “Artwork”, “Memorable”, “Protagonist”, these are the most
reoccurring themes when it comes to what makes a “Good” comic book. There were numerous
counts (approximately 71% of the 20 responses) for storytelling and writing. In a nutshell, is it
these four boxes that need to be ticked in order for an artist to make money? Maybe not make
a fortune, but to the opinions of these participants, definitely must be included when it comes
to being categorised as “Good”. “Good, for me, is having a strong narrative and a memorable
character, something that inspires you”, as one respondent recalls. “Plot and artwork, if the
plot is stale and frequently used then no one is going to want to read it as its not expected to
14
Comics: what makes success?
surprise you in anyway”, this comment sums up the point of narrative in comics. This would
urge all artists and writers to constantly think of new scenarios and un-thought storytelling, or
risk the possibility of falling into a stale category, ultimately risking being lost in a haze of the
modern generation of comics.
Another topic that cropped up was “Attention span”. “What I would consider a good comic
book, is one that can hold your attention the entire time”. I would imagine that this is a writer’s
purpose, that golden rule whilst they are in the middle of a script. Most comics are made up of
short stories, roughly 20 pages worth of a story, climaxing and moving on to the next short
installment. It may be tedious for readers, who expect this formula, to read the same story for
the entire length of a comic book. It shows no versatility on the part of the writer, no creative
spark, and would possibly bore readers. These alone, are a series of attributes that would lead
one to believe that it is bad comic book. As one respondent replies, “If the writing is poor, I will
not read [A comic]”.
These questions, in combination with the table at the end of the questionnaire (Fig1.4), are
used to compare what users have responded. These are deemed to be some of the most
important aspects of “Successful” comic books. Some of the most prevalent topics in the
questionnaire are;
15
Comics: what makes success?
Superheroes - despite their huge impact in the comics industry (The top 5 best selling
superhero comics of March 2012, sold approximately 697,672 units between them), and
multimillion dollar movie spinoffs; 28% of the respondents said superheroes are Not really
Important, 39% said that they were impartial to the topic and that they did not care for
superheroes, and 28% said that superheroes are important to comics.
Protagonist – the topic of protagonist here means; a strong impact throughout, memorable
character, and all-round appealing. 57% agreed that this is in some way an important factor
within a comic book. What was not expected was that this graph did not correspond to the
answers given by respondents in the “boxed” section of the answers. A much higher percentage
of those in favour of an appealing protagonist was expected.
16
Comics: what makes success?
Memorable – implies the overall features within the comic; Characters, Story, Writing, Style.
With 72% of respondents agreeing that it is in some way an important factor to a comic.
Artwork – As expected with a medium that is based solely on artwork, 71% of participants
agreed that the artwork in a comic is an important factor. It would be surprising if the
percentage was in anyway less than it already was.
17
Comics: what makes success?
Creative – 68% of responses were in favour of a creative aspect in a comic, which could mean
anything from the use of layout, text bubbles and typography, to the how to story progresses.
Perhaps the author uses a different technique to convey the comic.
18
Comics: what makes success?
Discussion
Is it that simply having a generic comic book superhero with outrageous superhuman powers
and qualities are enough to dub a comic “successful”? In this authors opinion, probably not.
There is an understanding that there is a whole other level to these comics that the
respondents of this questionnaire have not mentioned. In regards responses that mentioned
relatability, readers don’t relate to realistic human qualities and nobody can become
superhuman, this doesn’t mean that readers shouldn’t, in theory like those comics, perhaps
they simply find them “cool”. It is possible that, to readers, the back story of superheroes is as
important as the superhero themselves. With regards the above findings about superheroes, it
seems that readers find the connection with the mortal level of the superhero, their human
alias. The way the reader could see it as, the human character being them (the reader), and the
superhero alias being the person they strive to become in the future, more powerful, more
successful etc. They relate to the human from a psychological standpoint, feeling the same,
emotionally and physically. Taking from peoples desires to always be the best you can in life,
relating to them on a subconscious level.
Objective 1:
The primary goal was to uncover, “what makes a “good” comic book and a “bad” comic book?”
in conjunction with the primary objective, to draw comparison between good narrative
structure and bad narrative structure, was partly answered by respondents. To sum up a good
narrative, via respondents, a good narrative should contain “a realistic protagonist”, who faces
“real life challenges” and must be creative according to the questionnaire, 75% of the
responses favoured a creative comic. This was the highest statistic from the questionnaire.
Readers want memorability, to come away from a comic and remember the events that took
place. Which could stem from the narrative aspect, for example, a typical comic reader may not
remember that your comic layout was spectacular, but more likely remember it because they
could relate closely to the personal or life altering decisions made by the protagonist. Which
again, circles around to the aspect of “relatability”, in which roughly 82% of responses
mentioned relating to the narrative or main character.
19
Comics: what makes success?
Objective 2:
Regarding the objectives of this paper, in specific the second objective, “What provokes the
reader to bide with a successful comic book?” There has been a lot of light shed by the
numerous responses. Overall, readers like a memorable comic with a great narrative,
outstanding visuals and a lovable protagonist. This would suggest that these elements should
be included by an artist, in order to have a good standing when it comes to sales of their comic,
and possibly recognition of great work. But, would these elements grant it access to a comic
book hall of fame? It’s hard to tell. But I’m certain there are more factors in play to gain a
“successful” status than that of the content of a comic. Sales, recognition, ad campaigns, not to
mention years of experience and industry knowledge probably all have a supporting role in
allocating success to a series of comic books. Although there may seem to be many other
reasons as to how a comic may become a success, the questionnaire and responses received by
the readers themselves, made this objective plausible in understanding what aspects of comics
engross readers to a comic book. This is where the strengths of this paper are really shown.
Objective 3:
The questions posed to readers where designed with the objectives in mind, including the third
objective, “Examine the relationship between graphical/ visual style and literature used in
comic books”. This relationship was discussed by the respondents to the questions, particularly
the question, “What distinguishes a “Good Comic book from a “Bad” Comic book?”.
Respondents referred to the narrative plot and the art work of a comic book unprompted by
the question, which reinforces the claim that narrative content in a comic and the art work go
hand in hand to ultimately create a successful comic. But you may think, “Isn’t that the point of
a comic book...? To create an engrossing narrative with beautiful works of art” Yes is it, and
unfortunately this objective hasn’t discovered anything new in the comic book medium, but
considerably enforces the necessity to possess both narrative and art work in comic books.
20
Comics: what makes success?
Conclusion
The findings may not have definitively answered my initial question, “What makes a comic book
successful?” there are numerous reasons for achieving a successful comic book. But what the
paper unearthed, were the opinions of genuine readers and fans of the comic book and graphic
novel medium. The people who appreciate the time and effort that goes into creating a series
of comics. The detailed comments to the questionnaire showed that fans are passionate about
comic books, along with their favourite comic and characters. Just like with T.V, Film, and
Games, everybody has their favourite something, and for a reason. Be it attachment, escape
from reality, into a fictional world where you can lose yourself into thinking that this can be
happening outside your front door.
It was unfortunate to get such a modest amount of responses, and it would have been more
ideal to have acquired more responses. The research didn’t uncover a path to a successful
comic, but it did suggest crucial elements that artists may include in comic books, such as
“Narrative”, “Protagonist”, “Artwork”, “Relatable” and “Memorable”. We know now, through
fans and readers responses to the questionnaire, that there are certainly several topical aspects
that should be focused and honed in on by artists. But with the argument of this paper,
although not proving that with these elements included, a comic will be successful, it certainly
advocated their inclusion within a comic if it is to stand any chance in the comic book industry.
21
Comics: what makes success?
Bibliography

Superman logo on front page:
http://www.superman-picture.com/images/superad.gif

Comic book movie statistics (January 2012) courtesy of: boxofficemojo.com.
http://boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=comicbookadaptation.htm

Freedman, A. (2011), Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Narrative: A Review. Literature Compass, 8: 28–46.
doi: 10.1111/j.1741-4113.2010.00764.x

Henry John Pratt. (2009). Narrative in Comics. Available: http://graphos.pomona.edu/GN/wpcontent/uploads/pratt-narr-comix.pdf. Last accessed 25th January 2012.

Peterson, R. (2010). Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels: A History of Graphic Narrative. UK. Praeger. 274

Robin Varnum, Christina T. Gibbons. (2007). The Language of Comics: Word and Image. University Press
of Mississippi. 222

Scott McCloud. (1993). Understanding Comics. HarperCollins. 224

Top 5 best selling superhero comics statistic (March 2012) – Diamond publishing index.
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/22625.html
22
Comics: what makes success?
References
1. McCloud. Understanding Comic, p. 3.
2. Varnum & Gibbons. The Language of Comics, Back Cover.
3. Pratt. Narrative in Comics, p. 107.
4. Pratt. Narrative in Comics, p. 116.
References/Quotations used in the “Findings/Results” and “Discussion” sections, where taken
from responses/comments and discussions from the online questionnaire.
23
Comics: what makes success?
Glossary

Art Spiegelman: 1945- present. American. Artist and advocate of the comic book medium, acclaimed for
his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic memoir, Maus, which is a biography of his fathers’ life during WWII, with
Germans as cats, and the Jewish as mice.

Action Comics: An American comic book series that introduced Superman for the first time in April, 1938.

Comic Con: the most popular of all comic book conventions, takes place in America. The convention spans
all forms of the comic, graphic novels, comic books and comic strips, with a chance for fans to meet the
artists.

Golden Age: The period in history that refers to the beginning of the industry of comics, roughly the early
1900’s to the 1940’s, but commonly refers to 1940 as the beginning of popular comics.

Robert C Harvey: 1937- present. American. An author, critic and cartoonist, has written a number of books
on the history of the comic medium. His work focuses on the comic strip.

Will Eisner: 1917-2005. American. Artist and cartoonist, is credited with the development of the comic book
medium and establishing the graphic novel as a recognised form of literature.

Hall of Fame: Established for any field of endeavour to honour individuals who have made significant
impact and achievement within their field.
24
Comics: what makes success?
Appendices
Fig1.1 - Questionnaire used as part of research
25
Comics: what makes success?
Fig1.2
26
Comics: what makes success?
Fig1.3
27
Comics: what makes success?
Fig1.4
28
Comics: what makes success?
(Fig.2) - Sample Data from questionnaire.
3. Why is He/She your favourite superhero?
-“My reasons being is that he is one of the strongest and most recognizable superheroes in the world
who doesn't even actually have superpowers like the likes of spider man, superman, the green lantern
etc. he is also a very likable character from being Bruce Wayne to his alter ego of batman, he is
constantly wanting to help the public or the people in need in Gotham city.”
-“Difficult question as there are many characters I love. Always have been attracted to the character, I
like the reasons for him becoming the way he is. I enjoy the humorous side to him, he is a womanizer,
a heavy drink and very full of himself as Tony Stark but as Ironman he is relentless. He is a person that
can be strong and dependable but is completely flawed at the same time. It makes for an intriguing
character that makes unlikely decisions.”
-“I love the powers he possesses, and his role within social boundaries, almost like "protect and serve".
The costume design is fragrant and suits the character; I would imagine this has been something that
the artist would have spent a lot of time on. The fact that he is based in New York makes it even better.
P.S I love New York.”
-“Superheroes are over-rated and generic... I find more interesting characters are our working day,
normal people pushed to the limits.”
-“I love his powers, super-speed has always appealed me and the variations in what Flash can do with it
are awesome. Plus, I just think that Flash is a likeable character, personality wise (I prefer Wally West
over Barry Allen, but both are enjoyable). Oh, and I like the Flash's roster of villains. Flash has the second
best rogue's gallery of any hero (the first being Batman).”
-“imperfect but good hearted”
-“Because of how he is an interesting character with an interesting back story.”
-“Since his first appearance, Peter seemed to be a person intended to suffer, that his power brings
death to anyone near to him, for that reason he knows more than anyone that "With a great power,
also must come a Great responsibility", that created in him a guilt complex, he feels responsible
for anyone near to him, even those that hate him, he would save them, even if he dies trying.
Most of his comics follow this pattern of conduct, for that reason, I think that he is one of the most
consistent character that have ever existed, and the most human character that there is. Also the
main characteristic on him is that he is Peter Parker, he is not Spider-man, Spider-man is just a
suit. He is just an average person with responsibilities like anyone of us.”
29