More than a few interesting posts that discuss the lettering side of comics of late.
At Comics Alliance, Chris Sims demonstrates the horrible, amateurish lettering style, that puts balloons right over the characters’ faces in the bajillion selling TWILIGHT: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL.
This is kind of odd, since publisher Yen Press has many very knowledgeable comics folk on staff – including Kurt Hassler — so we’re guessing the comic production went through the book side where, according to many horror stories we’ve heard, the production staffs know diddly and squat about lettering.
Whoever lettered this thing put a stupidly gigantic word balloon on top of a character’s face, despite the fact that there’s a huge open spot just slightly to the left of where it sits now. And considering that the background looks on close examination like it might be a photograph of a hallway that’s been run through a few filters, I think it’s safe to say that it could’ve used a little covering up. Instead, the problem was solved with a transparency, which at best makes Mike here look like some kind of cyborg, and at worst makes it look like we’re reading his dialogue through a glass of water.
On the more cerebral side, Joe McCulloch looks at the death of the thought balloons as a comics storytelling device. So kooky and out of style are they in contemporary commercial comics that no less than Stephen King himself had to be gently told by an editor that they weren’t used any more.
We’re with Jog on this — this is more a fashion thing than a total deficiency of the medium. We’re dead certain that some day child killing and limb removal will be seen as quaint and now verboten story tics, as well. Jog points out that manga like Death Note have no problem making thought balloons vital and contemporary:
This is from Tsugumi Ohba’s & Takeshi Obata’s Death Note, a jillion-selling series that’s been translated into every tongue from here to Mars and has no doubt set up permanent residency at your local mega chain bookstore, much like the works of one Stephen King. It’s a thriller, and here’s a famous sequence where two characters try to out-think one another while playing tennis; the rigor of their thinking is matched by the physicality of their game. This is half a page of many. Their thoughts float without borders. Free.
Finally, as a lagniappe, the great letterer Todd Klein explains the history of the breath mark otherwise known as the little lines that show exhalation in lettering.
To get an idea of where they came from, let’s begin with the very first Batman story in DETECTIVE COMICS 27, in 1939. In the first panel, Batman is punching a villain, and in addition to the lettered sound effect, notice the lines radiating out from the impact. This is part of comics’ visual grammar. In the panel below, longer and closer together radiating lines around the two figures add visual interest to an otherwise boring image. It’s not too far a leap from these lines which spread out from a central point, call them “burst lines” and the outward spreading lines of breath marks, as a way of adding interest and emphasis.
cool–i LIKE it!
“Might be”? That’s being awfully generous. There is no way that background is not a photograph.
“This is kind of odd, since publisher Yen Press, has many very knowledgeable comics folk on staff – including Kurt Hassler — so we guessing the comic production went through the book side where, according to many horror stories we’ve heard, the production staffs know diddly and squat about lettering.”
For what it’s worth, Kurt Hassler was recently interviewed on the Anime News Network podcast http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2010-03-04
He was questioned about the TWILIGHT lettering, I think mainly about the seemingly uninspired font choice and not about text placement, but still…
In just that one panel of Twilight:
* Too much white space between the text block and the balloon edge. (This could be a result of the letterer taking cues from translated manga, which sometimes has to leave white space when a word balloon is part of the original artwork. Or the publisher anticipated the need for larger balloons. But if on a separate production layer, this could easily be changed.)
* The transparency of the word balloons makes the typeface illegible. A larger type size, perhaps sans serif, would have been a better choice.
* Word balloons, transparent or otherwise, should only overlap characters for special effect.
* Mike’s dialog appears to run on. Three balloon segments might have improved the dialog. (The dialog is a bit stilted, but this is an adaptation and can’t be critiqued.)
* The balloon tail is not standard issue. A smaller pointed tail merged with the balloon would have been better.
* The artist should always anticipate the placement of word balloons. With production layers, this is easy to do.
So what do we call this style, of cartooning on top of filtered or screened photographs? (Both Jack Kirby and John Byrne have used this technique.) Pseudo-photo-graphics?
A large host of problems with just that one Twightlight panel alone. And I see SO much space that could be used to clear the character’s head.
Mr. Adair–>
In manga, text is typically given ample space in the balloon to avoid the look of clutter. However, it is also used for dramatic effect. A very large word balloon for containing a single word often gives the impression of a “muted exclamation.” One could say that the balloon represents the emotional impact or importance of the text, while the size of the text itself represents the decibel at which it is spoken.
The size of the word balloons in Twilight aren’t bad, it’s just that their placement makes them extra jarring. A more grating issue for me is that the text within the balloons aren’t always properly centered. But these are the kinds of things only seasoned comic readers notice. A look at the Amazon or BN reader reviews show almost universal praise for the visuals.
I’m afraid that Yen Press would likely keep the lettering style the same for the rest of the releases, just for consistency’s sake.
“So what do we call this style, of cartooning on top of filtered or screened photographs? (Both Jack Kirby and John Byrne have used this technique.) Pseudo-photo-graphics?”
Crap. We call it crap.
As the old adage goes, “You never really notice the good lettering until you see the really BAD lettering.”
The problem with the Twilight lettering, beyond how horrific it is, is the fact that it proves that most publishers see lettering as a necessary evil as opposed to something that should work in tandem with the artwork. I’ve heard that statement before: “How hard could it be?” enough times to know that lettering isn’t considered an artform or even a craft any more. These days it’s considered typesetting. Anyone can do it, so why not get it cheap? Just slap the words down, it doesn’t really matter.
Except when it makes, what could probably be a big selling comic, look like an amateur desktop-published mini comic.
I personally don’t find anything too wrong with the balloon placement over the character’s head. I mean, it’s odd, but if one is reading the story and the emphasis is on the dialogue, not their facial expressions, then it makes sense.
Whatever, other things in comics annoy me more, and like the genres themselves, diversity is a very nice thing. Pros should find other things to bitch about than personal preference.
It’s pretty hideous.
My 13-year-old daughter devoured it in one breathless sitting. No mention of lettering.
I have taken letterpress classes, and would consider handsetting the type. Aside from EC Comics, very few publishers have used mechanical type, and very few have used it artistically.
Does the Twilight manga include production design notes? Most publishers are adept at using various typefaces for text, and I am a bit surprised at Hachette’s choice. It’s not as bad as the small-press, laser-printed, print-on-demand, vanity press paperbacks set in MS Word Times Roman. As comics… yeah, it takes you out of the story, and that is a sin worthy of Torquemada. I doubt there are many prima donnas in the Hachette design staff, and I’m certain they are skilled professionals who’s greatest success is doing a job which almost no one will notice. However… did no one think to read Todd Klein’s DC guide, or Comicraft’s compact guide to comicbook lettering? Or at least consult with the Yen staff or Chip Kidd or any of the Eisner nominees?
Word balloons are tricky… they must be read as text, but at a larger size. They generally act like headlines, thus requiring title faces, but must be reduced in size to achieve visual harmony with the artwork and the story. Also, the text size must be larger for legibility, but not so large that it implies energy or emotion.
Does manga use mechanical fonts, or “hand lettered” fonts? Do the readers notice or care? Is it a concious decision by the studio or publisher? Do certain genres or audiences demand certain typefaces?
Mr. Jones, thank you for the explanation. Were manga lettering conventions used correctly in this book? (I guess we should wait for the Japanese edition to compare.)
If Hachette owns the European rights, I suspect the word balloon placement will stay. I also suspect that the larger balloons are a result of the “Finnish surplus”, which requires more space than other languages. (Defined by Don Rosa.) Even then, lettering can be manipulated to minimize that extra space. (I bet you never noticed it in a Rosa duck story, have you?)
Don’t most cartoonists learn to design the panel with the lettering fields in mind? The balloon should be treated as a compositional element. The artist clearly didn’t give it a second thought. And what’s up with the transparency within the balloon? Shouldn’t it be opaque?
Mr. Adair–>
>Does manga use mechanical fonts, or “hand lettered” fonts?
In professionally released manga, yes, there is almost always only one universally used mechanical font (outside of sound effects, of course). That’s due to the use of kanji. It’s time-consuming to write by hand.
>Were manga lettering conventions used correctly in this book?
I’m not suggesting that the lettering was done correctly or incorrectly according to manga conventions, nor would I impose those conventions on it. Just that, as someone used to reading manga, it doesn’t look like it’s wasting too much space.
However, the Times New Roman font itself looks weak and insubstantial as a dialogue font. It lacks body, and doesn’t “fill in” well. That may further add to your impression that there is a lot of white space.
Mr. Martin–>
>The balloon should be treated as a compositional element.
That’s one of the first things I observed about Twilight since the first preview images came out… it didn’t look like consideration was given to the text until after the artwork was completed. The professional artists on this board are infinitely more qualified than I to give you an answer, but in all the instances where I’ve been privileged to witness work in progress, be it manga or comics, the balloons are an integral part of the process, included even at the thumbnailing stage.
In my experience as a comics editor, and with lettering 95% digital these days, artists barely take balloons into account. Rare was the penciller I’ve worked with who even roughed out vague balloon placements. It’s the sign of an artist not a cartoonist.
I hope they are teaching them better in school now.
I love that McCullough piece! As a proud wielder of thought balloons for SMASH, it saddens me to think of it as a dying art form in comics.
I understand that, for more adult-oriented books, putting the thoughts in boxes is seen as “cooler” than projecting them onto a puffy cloud. Makes sense. But certainly for younger audiences, there’s no finer way to get inside the character’s head, and there are few comic elements more distinctive than the shapes of those balloons.
The balloons could have been an afterthought.
Wasn’t this produced “Marvel Method”, with Stephenie Meyer having final say on the book?
It is possible that balloons were not finalized until Ms. Meyer’s approval, and perhaps the production was rushed to meet deadlines.
The white space… that was in reference to space between the balloon edge and the text block, the margins, so to speak. If kerned professionally, text blocks are harmonious and not full of empty space.
Wow, Torsten, you are such a knowledgeable guy. Are you really that desparate for attention/recognition? What a windbag….
>with lettering 95% digital these days, artists barely take balloons into account.
One of the most surprising things about manga is that, even now, most mangaka still use a manual cut-and-paste method for lettering. They have a printer specially for making the text, which they cut and taped or rubber-glued onto the art board, which would then be scanned or photocopied to create the final manuscript for the publisher. Seems like a pointless amount of extra work to me, but they have their reasons…
I don’t know, Blackeye. I’m finding the discussion quite interesting. I haven’t read Twilight, but I am a bit of a process nerd, and I don’t think Torsten’s questions are disrespectful, or even particularly out of line.
Not that he needs me to defend him, of course. Just saying that, even though the discussion might not be to your liking, others might be enjoying it…
Maybe if they paid letterers a little more they’d get better work? Nah.
Besides, it doesn’t matter what the reader wants or what others think the lettering should be like.
As long as the client is happy with the final product the work is a success.