Words + Pictures where Time = Space

Perception at TEDx, 18th May 2013

Hosted by The Lit and Phil.

This talk was given by Paul Thompson at TEDx at the The Lit & Phil,
in Newcastle upon Tyne on May 18th 2013.

The theme was Perception, and the talk attempted to address this in three ways:

Firstly, by demonstrating how the layout of the page and panels could control the perception of time on the page, displaying cause and effect simultaneously.

Secondly, how minimalism and abstraction can create a sense of both empathy and otherness.

Finally, by using examples specifically about outsiders, aliens, ghosts, characters with altered bodies,
altered perceptions of their realities or comics set in worlds the reader is not intended to fully understand.
Primarily these are Weird Tales, Ghost Stories or comics involving some level of body horror. Or, more importantly, Calvin and Hobbes

Introduction – Anatomy Lesson

The Shape of a Story – lecture by Kurt Vonnegut
Three Act Storytelling explanation – blogpost by Tim Stout
Calvin and Hobbes – Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat by Bill Watterson
The Big Triangle is in Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud

Empathy and Otherness

Comics with Various Levels of Realistic Rendering

OmniVistaScope by Paul Von Scott
Slaine, written by Pat Mills, art by Simon Bisley
Orbital, written by Sylvain Runberg art by Serge Pelle
Hellboy, by Mike Mignola
Judge Dredd, The Howler artwork by Mick McMahon

Comics with Abstract Art, Language and Otherness

Tales of the Beanworld, by Larry Marder
A.L.I.E.E.E.N. by Lewis Trondheim
Owly, by Andy Runton

Comics using a Clear Line style to achieve Empathy

At the Mountains of Madness, by H.P.Lovecraft and I.N.J.Culbard
Tintin, by Herge
Love and Rockets, by Jaime Hernandez
The Rainbow Orchid, by Garen Ewing

Some other Good examples of Noir/Horror

The Green Manor, by Fabien Vehlmann
The Lovecraft Anthology – The Haunter in the Dark, written by Dan Lockwood, art by Shane Ivan Oackley

Time and Space in Comics

Comics about Outsiders and Perception

I Kill Giants, written by Joe Kelly, art by J.M.Ken Nijmura
Joe the Barbarian, written by Grant Morrison, art by Sean Murphy
His Face All Red, by Emily Carroll
Underwater Welder, by Jeff Lamire
The Arrival, by Shaun Tan

Comics about being Not Human

Duncan the Wonder Dog, by Adam Hines
Swamp Thing – Anatomy Lesson, written by Alan Moore, art by Steve Bissette and John Totleben
Zombo, written by Al Ewing, art by Henry Flint
We3, written by Grant Morrison, art and Frank Quitely
All Star Superman, written by Grant Morrison, art and Frank Quitely