Japanese comic strips use 4 panels and follow traditional eastern story structure of setup, development, twist, and resolution. Intentional or not, it seems like Waterson's strips fit into that structure.
My big takeaway from this video is that even in its simplest strips, Calvin and Hobbes truly was a cut above your average newspaper comic in terms of sheer craft.
It’s in my view, especially with Calvin and Hobbes, that the set-up is the most important part of a comic strip, since a great set-up leads into an even greater pay-off. There’s a Calvin and Hobbes strip that’s, idk, six or so panels long, but as seen in this vid, it’s only the last two panels that act as confrontation and resolution, respectively. It harkens back to simple joke structure: set-up (no matter how long or drawn out), build up/confrontation, and then finally pay-off/resolution. Btw, that strip is about Calvin telling a story where he “role reverses” humans and deer (where the deer hunt humans) for a class presentation of some sort.
It’s a shame comic strips aren’t as popular as they used to be. Good thing syndication is still a practice being used today for comics. I’m considering making a syndicated comic strip, but we’ll have to see what tricks I have up my sleeve…
I do a four panel comic on my website. I never really considered how the set-up and conflict were depicted within the three-act structure. Now I'd like to see a follow-up for Sunday strips.
Yes. Sunday comics have more panels to play with but unless it's an action comic like Prince Valiant or Spider-Man (I think the Phantom even runs a separate story on Sundays from their weekday offerings) they're usually contained to the one day.
Ok, I said I wouldn't comment anymore as I work my way through your chanel, but... The 4 panel strip actually follows the 3 act structure of a movie, which is more than a 3 act structure (some even describing it as 4 acts... though I don't completely agree with that), as movies follow (roughly) a 1/2/1 structure to their 3 acts. As in act 2 is usually twice the length of act 1 and 3 and is split in to 2 parts, and calvin & hobbes highlights it very well. Act 2a if you like, panel 2, is a progression of the opening, the set-up) while heightening the tension of the set up or dilema, reaching the peak in the middle as you head in to act 2b, the confrontation resulting from the opening set-up and its increased tension... ready for act 3 the resolution of everything before it... Jeez... this channel is a master class in comics... :D
Thank for this! Been lovin’ your chanel. I think it is very effective to take ‘small scale’ examples to explain these kind of ‘big scale’ things and this was a great take on it. I would be great to take this version of three act structure analysis and apply it to another common comic book phenomenon, namely short story lines. Like the three issue stroylines the (used to) make. Some early nightwing stuff comes to mind. If you have three issues to tell your story it would make sense to follow the same structure, but what happens when it’s four, five, or I don’t know, twelve issues. Also it is interesting to see that Waterson stretches the ACT ONE bit, while if you read some stuff on screenplay (Syd Field anyone) it basically says that ACT ONE is actually usually the shortest part (if I’m remembering correctly). Anyway, keep it up!
Haha, I looked it up and in a way, we're both wrong ;) At least here (in his foundations of screenwriting book) it says Act One page 0-30, Act Two page 30-90 and Act Three page 90-120. So actually Act Two is the longest one in that theory. It's obviously not an exact science. How did McCloud put it? "An inexact science at best"?
Yeah Act Two is typically the longest -- Field talked about having a mid-point to break it up into kind of four acts, actually. I wrote a piece about it on the mid-tier level at patreon.com/strippanelnaked this week if you want a primer on the whole thing. You might do three issues with each issue being an act, but each of those issues also ideally has it's own three act structure within to be somewhat compelling as a single issue. Comics are a tough balancing act where you need satisfying individual instalments as well as the overall arc, which is where subplots can come in very handy! - Hass
2:11 The repeated nature of visuals is actually important trick in comedy. By presenting several pieces of similar information, and then changing it the most at the end - you draw attention to that last part, this accentuates the punchline. That, for example, is why the infamous Ctrl Alt Del "Loss" strip is unintentionally funny - it presents us with three similar panels and a different final one ("punchline"), creating humor. Similar techniques are often used in comic books, you will often see where a visual gag will be represented by a string of similar (or even copy-pasted) panels followed by a final punchline panel that is visually distinct.
Yeah! I talked about it in the 4 Kids Walk into a Bank episode, I think? The way you can use repetition for comedy, and play around with light adjustments to hit certain beats. - Hass
@4:33, I'd love a look at one of the "pun" gags from Pearls Before Swine. It's usually about 6 panels of confrontation before a single resolution. The joke is in the convolution required to hit the punchline.
I talked on the patreon.com/strippanelnaked page this week about a fun primer on the three act structure and the five pillars of it, which also discusses the four act structure as much as Syd Field put it forward! - Hass
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Japanese comic strips use 4 panels and follow traditional eastern story structure of setup, development, twist, and resolution. Intentional or not, it seems like Waterson's strips fit into that structure.
My big takeaway from this video is that even in its simplest strips, Calvin and Hobbes truly was a cut above your average newspaper comic in terms of sheer craft.
Haha, absolutely!
- Hass
Calvin and Hobbes is my favorite!! Garfeild was a close second! I grew up on the graphic novel compilations of those strips!!
@@StripPanelNakedI'm curious what are the best books on drawing backgrounds
Minor note, 2:52 it isn't the character Dilbert offering the solution but instead Wally.
Gah!!!
It’s in my view, especially with Calvin and Hobbes, that the set-up is the most important part of a comic strip, since a great set-up leads into an even greater pay-off. There’s a Calvin and Hobbes strip that’s, idk, six or so panels long, but as seen in this vid, it’s only the last two panels that act as confrontation and resolution, respectively. It harkens back to simple joke structure: set-up (no matter how long or drawn out), build up/confrontation, and then finally pay-off/resolution.
Btw, that strip is about Calvin telling a story where he “role reverses” humans and deer (where the deer hunt humans) for a class presentation of some sort.
It’s a shame comic strips aren’t as popular as they used to be. Good thing syndication is still a practice being used today for comics. I’m considering making a syndicated comic strip, but we’ll have to see what tricks I have up my sleeve…
Big Nate is a pretty good example of the 4 act structure.
I do a four panel comic on my website. I never really considered how the set-up and conflict were depicted within the three-act structure. Now I'd like to see a follow-up for Sunday strips.
As in, for longer strips?
- Hass
Yes. Sunday comics have more panels to play with but unless it's an action comic like Prince Valiant or Spider-Man (I think the Phantom even runs a separate story on Sundays from their weekday offerings) they're usually contained to the one day.
Ok, I said I wouldn't comment anymore as I work my way through your chanel, but...
The 4 panel strip actually follows the 3 act structure of a movie, which is more than a 3 act structure (some even describing it as 4 acts... though I don't completely agree with that), as movies follow (roughly) a 1/2/1 structure to their 3 acts. As in act 2 is usually twice the length of act 1 and 3 and is split in to 2 parts, and calvin & hobbes highlights it very well. Act 2a if you like, panel 2, is a progression of the opening, the set-up) while heightening the tension of the set up or dilema, reaching the peak in the middle as you head in to act 2b, the confrontation resulting from the opening set-up and its increased tension... ready for act 3 the resolution of everything before it...
Jeez... this channel is a master class in comics... :D
Thank for this! Been lovin’ your chanel.
I think it is very effective to take ‘small scale’ examples to explain these kind of ‘big scale’ things and this was a great take on it. I would be great to take this version of three act structure analysis and apply it to another common comic book phenomenon, namely short story lines. Like the three issue stroylines the (used to) make. Some early nightwing stuff comes to mind.
If you have three issues to tell your story it would make sense to follow the same structure, but what happens when it’s four, five, or I don’t know, twelve issues.
Also it is interesting to see that Waterson stretches the ACT ONE bit, while if you read some stuff on screenplay (Syd Field anyone) it basically says that ACT ONE is actually usually the shortest part (if I’m remembering correctly).
Anyway, keep it up!
Haha, I looked it up and in a way, we're both wrong ;) At least here (in his foundations of screenwriting book) it says Act One page 0-30, Act Two page 30-90 and Act Three page 90-120. So actually Act Two is the longest one in that theory. It's obviously not an exact science. How did McCloud put it? "An inexact science at best"?
Yeah Act Two is typically the longest -- Field talked about having a mid-point to break it up into kind of four acts, actually. I wrote a piece about it on the mid-tier level at patreon.com/strippanelnaked this week if you want a primer on the whole thing.
You might do three issues with each issue being an act, but each of those issues also ideally has it's own three act structure within to be somewhat compelling as a single issue. Comics are a tough balancing act where you need satisfying individual instalments as well as the overall arc, which is where subplots can come in very handy!
- Hass
Thanks man! Yeah I hear you about that balancing act haha. I saw the Patreon, will subscribe asap!
Awesome, thanks
Great as always
Thank you :)
- Hass
You talk about beats in a lot of your video do you have a video discussing what are beats ?
Thanks super helpful!!!
Excellent examples and I love the way they are explained.
Thanks! Glad it worked!
- Hass
three act structure really is everywhere
how to convey a message through panel shapes....like something other than a rectangle...maybe trapezium
2:11 The repeated nature of visuals is actually important trick in comedy. By presenting several pieces of similar information, and then changing it the most at the end - you draw attention to that last part, this accentuates the punchline. That, for example, is why the infamous Ctrl Alt Del "Loss" strip is unintentionally funny - it presents us with three similar panels and a different final one ("punchline"), creating humor.
Similar techniques are often used in comic books, you will often see where a visual gag will be represented by a string of similar (or even copy-pasted) panels followed by a final punchline panel that is visually distinct.
Yeah! I talked about it in the 4 Kids Walk into a Bank episode, I think? The way you can use repetition for comedy, and play around with light adjustments to hit certain beats.
- Hass
Oh, I believe I didn't watch that one yet. I'll check it out!
Between 2:50-2:59 of the video, he called "Wally": Dilbert. Found an error.
Wonderful
Hmmm what about 5 panels? :-D
I’m still waiting for the pipe joke analysis 👀
I like the serious and theory like approach to this topic
Many thanks from france !
@4:33, I'd love a look at one of the "pun" gags from Pearls Before Swine. It's usually about 6 panels of confrontation before a single resolution. The joke is in the convolution required to hit the punchline.
Do you have any good examples?
- Hass
Could you do a similar video on the four act writing structure??Would be greatly appreciated
I talked on the patreon.com/strippanelnaked page this week about a fun primer on the three act structure and the five pillars of it, which also discusses the four act structure as much as Syd Field put it forward!
- Hass
Magnifique!
great work!
0:20 What comic is this from?
I think that's a Mister Miracle comic he went over in an earlier video.
Yup Mister Miracle.
- Hass
That thumbnail is #relatable
BICH please