Motion comic
A motion comic (or animated comic) is a form of animation combining elements of print comic books and animation. Individual panels are expanded into a full shot while sound effects, voice acting, and animation are added to the original artwork. Text boxes, speech bubbles and the onomatopoeia are typically removed to feature more of the original artwork being animated. Motion comics are often released as short serials covering a story arc of a long running series or animating a single release of a graphic novel. Single release issues of a story arc are converted into ten- to twenty-minute-long episodes depending on content.
History
The concept was fully outlined in the mid-1960s by science fiction author Philip K. Dick in his novel The Zap Gun, an expansion of his novella Project Plowshare, which was written in 1964 and first published as a serial in the November 1965 and January 1966 issues of Worlds of Tomorrow magazine. In Dick's novel, weapons designers of the future are mediums, who create their new designs in trance states. The weapon designs are extracted telepathically from a motion comic book, The Blue Cephalopod Man from Titan, created by mad Italian artist Oral Giacomini. Dick describes both the storyline and the animated panels of this comic book in detail.
In the mid 1960s, Marvel Comics Animation used the technique for the television show The Marvel Super Heroes. Actual artwork from the originally published comic books was augmented by voices, music, and a small amount of animation. The term "motion comic" did not exist yet.
In 1982, the comic strip Jane was made into a TV series by BBC. It featured brief sequences of a stylized approach to comic panels, partly done with animation, partly with actors in a drawn environment via chroma key.[1]
In 2005, Lions Gate released an animated version of the Saw: Rebirth comic, one of the first examples of an animated comic created to tie into a film franchise. The first major motion comics released, which is also the first use of the term "motion comic", were released by
Examples from other companies include Peanuts Motion Comics, Zits Motion Comics, the Dead Space prequel comics and the "Lucy" element of the ABC News documentary Earth 2100.[7]
Another example would be a four-part motion comic based on the Uncharted video game series as a prequel called Eye of Indra, released for the PlayStation Network.
Illustrated films
A sibling format to motion comics called
Although aesthetically similar to motion comics, Pizzolo identifies illustrated film influences as including
According to ComicsAlliance, Pizzolo stated "the difference between an illustrated film and a motion comic is kind of the difference between a movie that was shot in 3D versus a movie that was shot in 2D but got a 3D post-conversion. We're not repurposing an existing comic book here, we're building something unique from scratch".[11]
The 75-minute Godkiller feature was released theatrically in 11 cities before it was distributed on DVD and cable VOD.[12][13]
Other illustrated films from Halo-8 include Ben Templesmith's original project Black Sky and an adaptation of Tim Seeley's Hack/Slash,[14][15][16] but those projects are currently in development limbo.
Reception
Reception to motion comics has been mixed.
ComicsWorthReading.com asked:
When you add camera tricks and a soundtrack to a comic, is it still a comic? Or just a poor excuse for a cartoon, done on the cheap? Are they reaching a new audience, attracted by a new format in more modern sales outlets (that come to them)? Will those hypothetical new readers eventually wind up buying traditional-format comics? Could this be just another way to try and make more money from the same, previously existing content?[18]
Artist John Cassaday described his experience with the motion comic adaptation of Astonishing X-Men:
I'd seen some motion comic animation, and the quality varied. When Marvel approached me, I was initially hesitant, but after looking at some test footage and hearing how committed they were, I knew what direction they were wanting to go".[19]
Comparison to visual novels
The visual novel, a form of interactive fiction largely created in Japan (and also constituting the majority of PC games sold in the country), makes similar usage of animated transitions between still graphic images for narrative purposes. Visual novels, which have been released since the 1980s, also make use of background music and voice talents in order to help drive the narrative.
Unlike most Western motion comics:
- Visual novels only occasionally make use of motion in-scene (i.e., a body part moving inside an otherwise-static scene).
- Visual novels, while making use of voice talents, also provide dialogue through dialogue boxes - usually superimposed on the bottom of the screen.
- Visual novel characters are usually depicted through graphic sprites superimposed upon a generic background; more detailed character designs and backgrounds are typically reserved for key scenes and events in the narrative.
- The majority of visual novels are original properties and are adapted for, rather than adaptations of, manga or anime.
- Visual novels can either be little more than interactive films or much more interactive adventure games, with the dialog boxes containing controls for interaction with the game.
- Visual novels are also typically written from the first-person narrative.
- Most visual novels have multiple endings.
The visual novel franchise Danganronpa uses motion manga as a gameplay element at the climax of each chapter, with a brief reoccurrence in the Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School anime.
List of motion comics projects
- Watchmen: Motion Comic (2008)
- Astonishing X-Men (2009)
- Batgirl: Year One (2009)
- Superman: Red Son (2009)
- Spider-Woman (2009)
- Jonah Hex (2010)
- Black Panther (2010)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer(2010)
References
- ^ "Lost Gems: Jane (1982-1984) - The Medium is Not Enough". the-medium-is-not-enough.com. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "Watchmen Motion Comic". Watchmenmotioncomic.com. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
- ^ Howell, Peter (March 3, 2009). "Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
- Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
- ^ "Inception: multichannel marketing that works like a dream". econsultancy.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ "YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
- ^ Marshall, Rick (June 2, 2009). "Comic Creators Play Big Role In Tonight's 'Earth 2100' Special". MTV. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
- ^ THEoDEAD. "MAY SPOTLIGHT: Halo-8 PLUS An Interview With Founder Matt Pizzolo! Archived 2010-05-07 at the Wayback Machine". Bloody Disgusting. May 4, 2010.
- ^ Anders, Jason. "The Making of Godkiller". Fulle Circle Magazine. November 24, 2009.
- ^ Thill, Scott. "Post-Apocalyptic Comic Godkiller Emerges as 'Illustrated Film'". Wired. October 6, 2009.
- ^ Khouri, Andy. "New 'Black Sky' Teaser Brings Ben Templesmith's Illustrations to Film [Video]," ComicsAlliance (Dec. 2, 2010). Archived at the WayBack Machine.
- ^ Moore, Debi. "Details on the Godkiller Theatrical Tour and VOD Home Invasion". Dread Central. May 17, 2010.
- ^ THEoDEAD. "Halo-8 Announces Theatrical Tour For 'Godkiller' Including IMAX! Archived 2010-05-19 at the Wayback Machine". Dread Central. May 17, 2010.
- ^ Newsarama. "TEMPLESMITH/ PIZZOLO: Black Sky, God Killer & More @ C2E2". Newsarama, April 19, 2010.
- ^ Marshall, Rick. "Hack/Slash To Get The Illustrated Film Treatment". MTV Splash Page. September 10, 2010.
- ^ The Beat. "Nice Art: Ben Templesmith's BLACK SKY teaser Archived 2010-12-08 at the Wayback Machine". Comics Beat. December 2, 2010.
- ^ Albrecht, Chris (July 30, 2008). "The Rise of Motion Comics Online". NewTeeVee.com. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
- ^ Draper Carlson, Johanna; Carlson, K.C. "What's the Point of a Motion Comic". ComicsWorthReading.com. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
- ComicBookResources.com. Retrieved April 6, 2010.