1. A Comic
book tale
Visual Language &
Communication
Teacher: Sara del Río

2. Main Elements of a
Comic Book
1.The Panel. This is the basic unit of a comic book page, consisting of a single
illustration. It's most often contained within a square or rectangular frame, although
circular and irregularly-shaped panels are also possible.
2.The Gutter. This is the space on a comic book page that is outside the panels. The
gutter doesn't contain any other graphic elements.
However, objects or speech balloons within the panels can stick out to some degree.
3.Balloons. It is the element what contains the text. These come in two basic kinds:
Speech balloons: are (usually) round, and contain the text of what a particular character
is saying.
Thought balloons: depict what a character is thinking, and are conventionally drawn
with lumpy edges, like clouds.
4.Splash Balloons. These special balloons have jagged edges, and enclose important or
dramatic text, such as the title of a comic on a Splash Page, the first page of the story.

3. Speech balloon
Gutter
Balloon
Panel
Frank Miller, Sin City Daniel Clowes, Ghost World

4. Splash Balloon
Thought balloon
Quino, Mafalda

5. The Text-Related Parts of a Comic Book
Page:
1.Title. the name of the comic on the front cover. Given the nature of comics,
the title is nearly always large, colorful, and especially ornate.
Jim Davies, Gardfield
2.Credits. the credits promote the "stars" of the comic: scriptwriter & comic
artist.
Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes

6. 3.Lettering. This refers to most of the text in a comic book.
4.Captions. Lettering not in a speech or thought balloon is usually in a
caption, in a separate frame.
CAPTION
Sonia Pulido

7. 5.Sound Effects. Any writing meant to convey a noise or sound is called a
sound effect. Sound effects are shaped to suggest the kind of sound – loud or
soft, harsh or mellow.
http://www.artsletters.com

8. Some Original Comic because
of its Structure
Frank Miller, Sin city, 1991

9. Sonia Pulido, Duelo de
caracoles, 2010

10. Jeffrey Brown, Gato
saliendo de una bolsa,
2008

11. Jiro Taniguchi, The
Lonely Gourmet, 2010

12. Some Original Comic because
of its Plot
We´ll see some example of comics in which the author tells stories
about his own life to show aspects of his own culture.
Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis, 2000

13. Harvey Pekar,
American
Splendor, 1976

14. Laura Pacheco, Let´s Pacheco, 2011