Comics for film, games, and animation : using comics to construct your transmedia storyworld

289 Pages·2013·4.08 MB·English

by  Weaver

5788 COMICS FOR FILM-PT_189x246 mm 11/09/2012 12:48 Page i
Comics for Film, Games,
and Animation
5788 COMICS FOR FILM-PT_189x246 mm 11/09/2012 12:48 Page ii
5788 COMICS FOR FILM-PT2_189x246 mm 12/09/2012 14:22 Page iii
Comics for Film, Games,
and Animation
Using Comics to Construct Your
Transmedia Storyworld
Tyler Weaver
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First published 2013
by Focal Press
70 Blanchard Road, Suite 402, Burlington, MA 01803
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Focal Press
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Focal Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2013 Tyler Weaver
The right of Tyler Weaver to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new
research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research
methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and
knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or
experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should
be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for
whom they have a professional responsibility.
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and
are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Weaver, Tyler, 1981–
Comics for film, games, and animation: using comics to construct your
transmedia storyworld/Tyler Weaver.
pages cm
Includes index.
1. Narration (Rhetoric) 2. Arts. 3. Popular culture. 4. Comic books, strips,
etc.—History and criticism. I. Title.
NX650.N37W43 2012
741.5′9—dc23 2012017803
ISBN: 978-0-240-82378-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-240-82405-5 (ebk)
Cover art by Blair Campbell
Typeset in Myriad Pro
by Florence Production Ltd, Stoodleigh, Devon, UK
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Contents
List of Figures xii
Introduction 1
Acknowledgments 4
Part 1: Transmedia Storytelling 5
1. What Is Transmedia? 7
So What Is It? 8
Case Study: ABC’s Castle 9
How to Avoid Playing Jenga 11
The Secret Handshake 12
2. Once Upon a Time . . . : What is a Story? 14
Why Do We Tell Stories? 14
The Elements of Story 15
The Future of Storytelling 19
3. A Bucket of LEGOs: Fragmentation and Interplay 21
Shattering the Black Box 21
A Brief History of Fragmentation 22
Thought Balloon: Frank Rose 24
On the Air 25
“Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Hearts of Men?” 26
Playing with LEGO®s 27
Transmedia and Tone Color 28
The Defining Characteristics of Media Forms 29
Playing Nice 30
How Deep Will You Go? 31
4. Into the Rabbit Hole: Depth and Choice 33
Branching Narrative and Non-Linearity 34
Standing on Their Own 36
Passive vs. Absorptive Audiences 37
v
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Contents
Time, Culture, and Story Absorption 38
Community over Consumers 40
The Audience as Creative Collaborator 41
Creativity in the Digital World: Decentralized and
Democratized 42
The Choice is Theirs 44
5. Building Gotham City: The Transmedia Story
Experience 47
Details, Details, Details . . . 47
The Sandbox 48
Thought Balloon: Dr. Christy Dena 48
Go Your Own Way . . . 53
All I Needed to Know . . . 53
The Spinner Rack 54
Part 2: Comics: The Creation and Evolution of
a Medium 55
6. The Elements of Comics Storytelling 57
7. The Funnies, 1933–1938 63
8. “Look! Up in the Sky!” Comics Take Flight, 1938–1941 66
Capturing the Imaginations 66
Golden Age Style: The Page, the Panel, and the Grid 67
The Hero’s Journey/The Mono-Myth 68
The Dark Knight 70
Golden Age Style: The Art 71
Enter: Timely 72
The Good Captain (Marvel) 73
War Drums 73
9. Punching Hitler: The Comics Go to War, 1941–1945 75
1941: The Final Stars Shine 75
Splitting the Difference: Timely and DC at War 76
Golden Age Style: The Captions 78
The End of the War 81
vi
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Contents
10. Adaptation in the Golden Age 83
The Beginnings 83
“Up! Up! and Away!” 85
Signing Off 86
11. Seduction of the Innocent: Comics Under Siege,
1945–1954 87
Golden Age Style: The Covers and Format 88
Action Mystery Adventure 88
Paranoid Western Romantic Horror 91
The Horror . . . 92
The Seduction of the Innocent 93
Golden Age Style: The Stories 95
The Comics Code Authority 96
INTERLUDE
Five Mantras for Writing a Comics Script 99
12. Into the Silver Age, 1956–1961 101
Showcase #4 101
Tarnished Icons 103
Silver Age Style: The Page, the Panel, and the Grid 103
Barely Superman 105
Zebra Costumes and Bat-Purses 106
Thought Balloon: Ron Fortier 107
The Justice League 108
13. Flame On! The Rise of the Marvel Universe 110
The New First Family 110
Silver Age Style: The Art 112
The Linchpins of the Marvel Universe 113
Civil Rights 117
Silver Age Style: The Captions 118
The Tipping Point 122
14. Adaptation in the Silver Age, 1956–1961 124
Bam! Pow! Sock! 124
Jiro Kuwata and The Batman of Japan 125
The End of Bam! Pow! Sock! 126
vii
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Contents
15. The No-Prize Marching Society: The Comics Fans 127
Publishing Addresses 127
The Marvel Fan 128
Nostalgia and Value 129
The New Generation 129
16. “What Do You Have?” The New Generation Arrives 131
Silver Age Style: The Covers and the Formats 131
Underground Comix 132
Silver Age Style: The Stories 133
“No More Camp!” 134
INTERLUDE
Formatting the Comics Script 137
17. The Battle of Generations 140
Bronze Age Style: The Page, the Panel, and
the Grid 140
“The Fourth World” 141
Hard Traveling Heroes 142
“The Batman” Returns 143
Bronze Age Style: The Art 144
Revitalizing the Pulps 146
18. Marvel Phase Two 148
Vampires, Lycanthropes, and Swamp Monsters 148
The Kree-Skrull War 149
Bronze Age Style: Captions 150
Punishment and Claws 151
The X-Men 152
In a Galaxy Far, Far Away 153
19. Adaptation in the Bronze Age 155
The Incredible Hulk 155
Media Mix Comes to American Shores 156
How Action Figures Taught a Generation to Play 156
Super Friends 157
“You’ve Got Me, But Who’s Got You?!” 157
viii
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Contents
20. Original Voices: Comics as Life 159
The Direct Market and Comic Shops 160
A Contract with God 161
Format: The Graphic Novel 162
Maus 163
The Stories We Can Tell 164
21. The Crisis on Infinite Earths: Continuity Conundrum 166
The First Argument—Worst Thing Ever 167
The Second Argument—It Works 167
The Middle Ground 168
Bronze Age Style: The Stories 169
Why Marvel Survived 169
The Generational Battle Ends 171
INTERLUDE
The Art 173
Thought Balloon: Stephanie Buscema 173
22. 1986 175
The Dark Knight Returns 175
The New Universe 176
Watchmen 177
Year One 178
“A Death in the Family” 178
23. Grim ’n’ Gritty Chromium Holograms: The 1990s 180
The Big Three 181
Image 181
Valiant 182
Sidelines 183
24. Legacy: The Hero’s Journey Ends 184
The Hero’s Death 184
The Death and Life of the Man of Steel 185
Breaking The Bat 186
Hal Jordan Goes Nuts 188
The Legacy of the Marvels and Kingdom Come 188
The Death of the Comics Industry 189
ix