Thierry Groensteen's theory
of "spatio-topia" has held my interest throughout the semester,
especially with regards to what Groensteen refers to as
"mise-en-page" or "page layout." The different ways that
comics artists manipulate the "distribution of spaces" and "occupation
of places" on a page-by-page basis to create meaning are simply fascinating
to me. To this day, creators continue to innovate as they find new ways to use paneling and other methods of manipulating space to communicate their narrative or get across some kind of idea or emotion to the reader. This fact is more evident than ever in Issue
#2 of Tokyo Ghost, written by Rick
Remender with art by Sean Murphy and colouring by Matt Hollingsworth, which
features numerous examples of creative use of page layout.
The first instance
we'll examine comes from page 7 of the issue. After a meeting with their
employer, Debbie and Led descend down from the enormous shopping mall into the
city streets and eventually the sewers through which they will make their
escape out of Los Angeles. The makeup of the page is quite ambiguous, with only
the top panel distinct as its own entity. The rest of the page is marked by the
scene pictured above. What appears to be
a burn mark tears across the page, separating the high-class people of the
surface from the impoverished commoners living underground. Although the mark
draws a clear line between the two scenes, they remain connected through the
path our two heroes take to get from one to another. It is also worth noting
that the marking tears through not only the panels, but the gutter as well.
This drastic image could easily imply a change in more than just scenery.
The second striking use
of page layout comes on page 9. Led, after being "woken up" from his
tech-induced mental slumber, experiences a shock to the senses that is displayed
through a burst of panels varying in shape and size. The panels show scenes
from different points in Led's life and are imposed over a close-up of his pained
and deranged face. This image combined with the layout of the panels paint an
effective portrait of Led's current mental state. The reader can almost feel
the emotions exploding from within him, and may even have a difficult time
taking in all of the information presented to them. The "fhraaaa--!"
present in the speech bubble indicated that Led is having a similarly difficult
time.
The final page worth
noting is one that I already touched on in my paper, so I'll keep it brief. The
usage of colour, paneling and page layout on page 12 to tell Led's backstory
is simply exquisite. The choice to let the images do the taking while providing
supplementary information via text along the sides of the page comes across
strong. It's thanks to the smart layout that readers are able to digest the
story the way they want, and ultimately read into the narration at whatever
pace they feel fit.
Written By: Andrew Masse
Works Cited:
Groensteen, Thierry. The System of Comics. Tr. Bart Beaty,
Nick Nguyen. The University Press of
Mississippi, 2007.
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