The "Mise-en-page" of Tokyo Ghost #2

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.

Peering into the Colourful World of Tokyo Ghost

            In chapter eight of Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud claims that some believe "colors can have profound physical and emotional effects on people" (185). It can easily be seen how this principle is applied to comics, even more so a comic as modern and intelligent as Tokyo Ghost, written by Rick Remender with art by Sean Murphy and colouring done by Matt Hollingsworth. Although I haven't been in contact with any of these three as of the date I'm writing this, I can wholly say that Hollingsworth's work speaks volumes for itself as the contrasting colours of Tokyo Ghost are some of the first things that grabbed (and held) my attention while reading his comic.

            From its opening page, a status quo is set for the book's use of colour. A group of homeless people converge by an open fire, illuminated in warm orange light. This is one of the few simple or relaxed scenes in the entire book, and it's contrasted by the murky blue-green sewers of a wasted futuristic Los Angeles. This slice of humanity amidst an otherwise cold and technologically-obsessed society is highlighted through Hollingsworth's use of colour, and readers will quickly find that the orange/blue colour scheme is kept up throughout the remainder of the issue.

            A turn of the page reveals a two-page spread so awesome that the only reason I'll refrain from showing the whole thing here is the risk of spoiling a possible subject for my annotated comics page. The page contains our two main heroes, Led and Debbie, nabbing a criminal while zooming through the city streets on a kickass motorcycle that looks like it was ripped straight from of the pages of Akira. What makes this spread so enticing, other than the miraculous detail on Led's motorcycle and the surrounding environment, is the repeated use of colour first seen on the previous page. Our heroes are displayed in bright orange, almost glowing amidst the the grimy and dingy bluish-grey city. In Mise-en-Page: A Vocabulary for Page Layouts, Jesse Cohn states that colour contrasts, among other things, are used by artists to "steer the eye from one point to the next" (52). This is exemplified here, as readers are immediately drawn to the two characters and their motorcycle before eventually letting their eyes wander to the outer edges of the page and the smaller details held within them. Colour is especially important in a page as detailed as this one, as the lines of the main subject could easily be lost in the chaos of the page as a whole in black-and-white.

            One last thing I'll comment on is the top half of page 16, which shows a massive explosion erupting from within a racetrack. The fire is, appropriately, bright orange as it spills out into the moonlit city bathed in blue and black. It's impressive how Hollingsworth maintains the colour scheme throughout these three very different scenes while keeping it thematically sound. In this case, the chaos of the previous scene can be thought of as "exploding" out into the quiet streets surrounding it as the action escalates. The contrast between the orange and blue is more bold and apparent in the page than in the previous pages, signifying the rising action of the plot.

            I hope it goes without saying, but I thoroughly recommend Tokyo Ghost and can't wait to grab the second issue when it's released next week.

Written By: Andrew Masse

Works Cited:

Cohn, Jesse. "Mise-en-Page: A Vocabulary of Page Layouts." Teaching the Graphic Novel. Ed.   Stephen E. Tabachnick. New York: Modern Language Association, 2009. 

McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. Ed. Mark Martin.

            HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. Print.