Bill Watterson

Bill Watterson

I am sure many of you have heard of This Artist, and if you haven't then I urge you to find out; because this comic artist is one of the best out there, and has gotten very good ratings on all of his reviews, and is the youngest strip writer to receive the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award. For those of you that are not entirely familiar with This writer; Bill Watterson is the genius behind Calvin and Hobbes, which is a comic strip about a six year old and his imaginary stuffed tiger friend. The two go on many wild adventures including dinosaurs, space aliens, giant bugs, or even just the backyard stream. It is widely accepted by the comic community that when you read one of these comics you will become completely engrossed in it. If you want to learn more about this artist then here is a link to a biography about Bill Watterson;  http://www.biography.com/people/bill-watterson-9525322#calvin-and-hobbes , Enjoy!

How to: show growth of objects in a comic according to Frank Miller

Frank Miller has a very distinct way of showing growth in a comic, and though the technique itself may not seem extra ordinary, the way he executes the technique is something entirely different. Let's take a look at how he does it:
In these next pictures, Miller is trying to show that a bio-mechanical robot is growing uncontrollably, look at how he draws it;

These separate pictures are on two different pages of the comic, with the bottom picture being the right page. However these pictures are showing the same concept; the computer at its human- made state.

And these two are after the computer figures out how to grow, the bottom picture again, being the right hand page.
Notice how the first two are smooth, organized, and controlled, and the second two are disorganized, chaotic, formless, and almost parasitic. Because of this radical difference, the reader is lead to assume that the computer has indeed grown out of control, and also creates a sense of panic or tension in the comic itself. This is a fine example of how Frank Miller does growth, He has a large picture of the object in its prior state, and then later on, after more exposition/rising action, has another large picture of the same object, but in its expanded form. Now whether or not you decide to use this technique or not, just remember that it is there, and that it works.