In defense of the thought balloon
Q&A from a recent interview with artist, John Byrne:
Writers don’t really use captions or thought balloons anymore. Comic books look a little bit like finished storyboards with movie dialogues. Do you think that the new generation of writers have a tendency to find their style in movies instead of building a particular comic book “school of writing�
I started working away from captions and thought balloons some 20 years ago. I dropped captions largely because I discovered many of the fans don’t read them! I dropped or reduced in number thought balloons largely because they are a bit of a cheat—we rarely “hear” the characters thoughts in movies, or even in novels. The experiment has been largely successful, for me. I was not really aware of other writers following that path.
The thought balloon is one of the much maligned idioms of comics. I think we should cherish this little bastard child of the medium. The trend away from thought balloons is probably linked with comics trend towards film. I think it’s fair to say that we do, in fact, ‘hear’ characters’ thoughts very often in literature. In fact, most of my favourite novels dwell inside the head(s) of one character or another, with relatively little action.
I’m currently reading the Hate compilation, Buddy Does Seattle, where Peter Bagge provides some great comedic and character insight with his thought balloons. Personally, I have no patience left for comics that wish they were movies (or any other medium for that matter). Put simply, I’d rather watch a movie.
UPDATE: Purely coincidentally, the role of the thought balloon is getting a lot of attention elsewhere as well.
Comments (6 comments)
Well said.
As you know, I did everything I could think of to make my comics look and feel less like comics in the past - it’s something I’m still grappling with. But I’m making a conscious effort to embrace the unique possibilities of the medium.
Thought balloons, however… I’m not sure we’re ready for each other. They certainly have their place, but none of the stories in my head (to date) have wanted them. I have a similar issue with Sound Effects, which, in comics, are arguably MORE of a necessity to evoke a sense of place and mood. I use them grudgingly, but I’ve begun to realize that comics without any sort of sound cues turn into a more bleak and ’serious’ read.
It’s time to bring back the fun!
Yop! Yop! Yop!
Karl / February 23rd, 2005, 12:12 pm / #
coming from an artist whose faces all look the same… lol
Pills, P. / February 23rd, 2005, 1:51 pm / #
Regarding the faces, that’s a fair point, Penis.
Also, I think thought balloons have their time and place and when John Byrne was working on X-Men twenty years ago, writers were recklessly abusing them.
I remember having this guilty feeling like I *had* to slog through all the bullshit in the captions and thought-balloons, when, really it was already evident in the story or completely superfluous information.
matt / February 23rd, 2005, 3:24 pm / #
Discarding thought baloons entirely is a dangerous premise if you ask me. Too much art nowadays seems to rely on implication and subtext. To me that’s just pretentious euro-ponce, it’s an easy out for those who can’t actually come up with a decent story. And for those who use it intentionally, every time you rely on the reader to interpret the story, you run the greater risk of them getting it wrong and missing the point. This is not to say every single thing needs to be spelled out in text (after all in comics that’s what the art is for) but if you’re going to take your readers on a journey it’s nice to give them a sign-post once in a while.
Lyon / February 23rd, 2005, 3:35 pm / #
How is inferring how a character feels by using interaction with other characters, spatial relationships, dialogue, visual cues and or symbols, ecetera an “easy way out”?
Personally, I’ve always had a preference for the “show don’t tell “school of cartooning. I’m influenced as much the classic comic strips from the teens to the fifties as I’m a by film, and those cartoonists rarely used thought balloons at all, but they had no shortage of dialogue.
Readers might miss the point of a story if you don’t use ‘implication and subtext’ well, not because you used it all. It’s funny that you used the example ’sign-post’, because a sign-post is defined as “An indication, sign, or guide.” Many aspects of comic story telling could provide a guide to the reader if that’s what you think we’re in danger of losing.
Alan / February 24th, 2005, 7:26 am / #
You guys make compelling arguments both for and against. Hmm… color me undecided. I think there will always be a place for them. Whether or not it’s executed effectively and artistically without sacrificing story is up to the individual artist. Part of the allure of the medium is the omniscient reader’s POV, a glimpse into the solipsism of fantastical characters. I’ve seen it done well, as well as being overused. However, being a more sophisticated reader in my older age, I think Alan’s minimalist approach might hold some appeal as well. LOL @ Lyon “euro-ponce”
Pills, P. / February 24th, 2005, 1:08 pm / #
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