On Pace and Vocalization in Comics: A brief study on Chris Ware's art in Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth

The way we present a comic — how we style panels and present the artistic elements within them — plays a profound role in its overall narrative "volume"

Recently, I came across these words by comic book artist Chris Ware from Paul Gravett's website*. He is referring to his work, Jimmy Corrigan: Smartest Kid On Earth (Pantheon, 2000):

Mostly, I don’t know what I’m doing, but I guess at some point I realised that the basic tools inherited as a cartoonist just seemed inadequate to express a real sense of what it feels like to be alive, that there’s a sort of a ‘volume level’ always set at ‘ten’ in most comics that reads and feels like shouting or screaming, and has a sort of intensity to me that doesn’t feel ‘real’ in a way a good and carefully considered novel strives to feel. I guess I consciously tried to tone down, or quiet down - or even essentially sterilize - the approach that I was taking so that the surface of the comic strip, or the drawing of it, would have very little effect on the reader at all. I wanted the cartoon to be a transparent structure that one would simply look through, rather than look at… I found that the simpler the picture, the quieter the picture, the better it worked as something that was read, or, more importantly, something that seemed, once one was reading it, to happen before your eyes.

Let's try and break down Ware's words into the key parts.

Firstly, Ware says that most comics have a "volume level" always set at "ten". One might wonder what he means by this at first, but I believe Ware is referring to the overall art style of a comic book, i.e., its colors, panel sizes and styles, the artistic elements within the panel, and even the placement of speech bubbles, as well as the style of its text. For example, let's take a look at two contrasting examples.

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                                  Image 1                                                                       Image 2

Pages taken from Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Pantheon, 2000) by Chris Ware, and Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW), respectively

In the examples above, we can make out the key differences: Image one uses a more saturated color palette with no speech bubbles, uses gentler panel pacing, and simplified panel compositions. This is in contrast to image 2, which uses more vivid colors, dynamic panel styles, and compositions followed by speech bubbles. When we take a step back and compare both pages in terms of "volume", we could easily say that Image 1 is less loud than Image 2. 

Moreover, we tend to feel a sense of calm when looking at Image 1 due to the colors as well as the events happening across the panels, which is less action-oriented. Whereas Image 2 creates a sense of excitement due to the contents of the panel as well as the panel dynamics. This adds to the "noise/volume" as well. Comment below your thoughts and impressions upon comparing the two pages above.

Until now, I’d never thought about the idea of ‘volume’ in comics. Chris Ware's term is interesting, and it is good to consider the "volume" of the comics you create if you are an artist. How "loud" do you want your comic to be? Do you prefer a softer volume or something loud? Choosing the right colour palette, style, and composition is key when determining the "volume" of your narrative in sequential art.

Simplicity and Pacing

Secondly, Ware tells us that his choice of simplicity in his art was to not distract the readers from getting to the depth of his story. Simple art styles often tend to do that, for it doesn't cause the reader to wander off to details that aren't necessary to the narrative. Ware used his simple yet lovely art style to "tone down" his narrative "volume". Art style, therefore, also plays a key role in how "loud" your comic may seem to readers.

Another thing to note is the pace of the storytelling Ware employs. Notice what's happening across the panels in Image 1: the events are slow-moving. Panel one provides us with a setting, and then subsequent panels tell us what the character is doing — slowly and steadily — without dynamic panel transitions. Finally, we see a "closure" of the scene in the last panel. 

The slow pacing of the narration slows the reader down, thereby causing them to be immersed in the story. This is perhaps what Ware meant when he said he wanted the reader to look through the cartoons rather than just look at them. The quietness and simplicity of Ware's drawings, as he mentioned, help in this regard.

...I found that the simpler the picture, the quieter the picture, the better it worked as something that was read, or, more importantly, something that seemed, once one was reading it, to happen before your eyes.

The tone of the storytelling depends on what the author and artist are seeking to imply to the reader. In Image 2, Sonic is a character known for his speed and heroics, so it would make sense to make the art more fast-paced and loud rather than tone it down. 

I suppose the only factor to consider when raising the artistic pace and volume of your comics is that by doing so, readers mostly tend to look at rather than look through the art, as they are eager to know what happens next quickly. Comics like Jimmy Corrigan are made for slower, more immersive reading. 

Final Thoughts

The topic of volume is interesting in comic art, as it determines how well you want your readers to stay within the story rather than move past it quickly. However, this is something that depends entirely upon the artist and writer. When working on action-packed stories like that of Sonic the Hedgehog, fast pace and louder visual-vocalization are central to reader engagement; but, if you are working on a comic like that of Chris Ware's, where the story is more focused on the life of the character named Jimmy, slowing down the pace with lower vocalization in the visuals can make a significant difference in how well the reader perceives the story.

That said, I believe dual vocalization can also exist within specific contexts, but this must be carefully timed and planned out by the artist or writer to avoid confusion, especially if it happens on the same page.

Remember to aim for harmony and beauty in comic writing and illustration, and always keep your readers in mind as you draw and write each page.

Your turn

Have you read Chris Ware's works — or similar ones — before? If you have, I'd love to know what your impressions were when you read such works. What did the art style evoke in you? Did you resonate with the characters and find yourself immersed in the story?

When it comes to vocalization in comics, what do you prefer? And if you are an artist, what pace and "volume" do you work with? Comment down below so we can all inspire each other.

Also, if you think I've misinterpreted anything from Chris's words, please let me know that too!

Until next time, stay creative!

*Special thanks to Paul Gravett for permission to quote from his website. You can explore more of his writing on comics here: paulgravett.com