The Digital Comic Realm
The transition from a paper medium to a digital one often loses something in translation. For me it’s in the tactile sensation of holding or turning the page. Whether it be newspapers, magazines, books or comics, most of us have taken to reading them online for the convenience of being everywhere we happen to be. I’m getting to the point…don’t worry.
Two staple comics that I keep up with online are Penny Arcade, and PVP Online. If you’ve never checked them out please do so. If you’re a gamer in any sense of the word you’ll love Mike and Jerry’s (or Gabe and Tycho as their comic selves are known) comedic insight into the gaming realm in all of its facets. PVP is drawn by Scott Kurtz, is equally funny and runs the gamut for nerd content.
These are both standard translations of your typical comic strip you’d find in your weekly newspaper whether it be online or off. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a devaluation or deflation of either of these strips. I’ll even give Scott major credit for linking to this gem, which initiated this post, in the post beneath his strip. Which I’ll get to eventually, just hear me out.
What I’m getting at is the whole feel of digital comics needs a revival for this electronic age of instantaneous media and information. I love comic books for the way they read. The way your eyes scan each cell which was laid out on the page in a calculated manner to dictate the direction to follow and also give a feel of the story unfolding before you. But with the way tech is now, can’t we do better? Why do we have to limit ourselves to what practically equates to a copy and paste from paper to digital?
To pull directly from the very culmination of my article, there should be a new way to interpret and portray time and space with a digital format. Maybe this is it?
about DIGITAL COMICS by ~Balak01 on deviantART
