Panels and Colour Use in Civil War

 The fifth issue of Civil War draws out the final battle between Captain America and Iron Man as both superheroes come to realize why they are actually in battle and who is to blame for their imbalance. In this issue, we see a variety of meaning making through visual and design elements.

A constant theme throughout this comic is the way the panel layout varies quite frequently from page to page. You will most likely never see a traditional panel layout in this comic because the space needed for the visual elements to be communicated, often does not fit in a traditional square panel. There is often a shift between large panels and smaller panels, and horizontal panels to vertical panels. Since this comic specifically places emphasis on the battle, many details are used to showcase the battle. I noticed that the images on the battlefield were often placed in horizontal panels or larger panels. This is done to place emphasis on who is fighting, while also drawing out the intensity. Groensteen discusses the role that larger panels play as being integral to the comic’s storyline. My reading of the use of horizontal panels allowed me to understand that placing the images in horizontal panels allowed a clearer depiction of the battle. Especially in the image below, we see many battlefield scenes up close. These horizontal panels also play the role of a “snapshot” as there is a significant shift between each battle image. Using horizontal panels to depict the battle was a very interesting choice on the part of the artist. The horizontal panels makes it easier to read the battle from left to right, closely analyzing attack and impact more specifically than if it were placed in a square panel.

There is a very unique use of colour attributed to this comic. The colour scheme used in this comic reflects the tone and storyline quite well. Many of the colours in this comic are somber and dark, which reflects the theme and context of the comic itself.  A lot of blues and purples are used throughout the comic to evoke the idea of darkness and turmoil. Despite the colours of the various characters, there are not many other colours used. As we can see from the image below, the dark colours not only function appropriately in the setting, but also evoke a sense of fear and unsettlement upon the reader that has yet to know what is going on.

By: Kirthana Sasitharan