im talking about a specific panel type you just love to see, or even more, DRAW on a comic page. i myself LOVE to draw/read splash pages XD just overly detailed face close ups and explosive action stances! but what do you like to see? greatly exicuted punch line panels? or more the little things like body parts that stick out of the panel for a more dynamic feel? give me your opinion! ;D

Small square. I love to draw small square panels. A long time ago, in an effort to practice sequentials and focus on telling a story instead of doing "splash pages" because every comics pro I ever met and talked up at a con or wherever would say to me to remember that I needed to focus on sequentials, and not do all splash pages ... anyways, a long time ago I sort of lost my way with large full-page shots. Especially covers. I agonize over covers. But give me 6 to 12 to 18 panels on a page and BAM, I got right to work.

Well, I like to read a comic, so splash pages are among my least favourite. I'm not saying they don't have their place but, as a personal preference, I prefer a page which has several panels and actually adds something to either the plot or character development.

And, since that's what I like to read, those are also the kind of panels/pages I tend to write. Funny that.
:)

I like to draw what I'd call "useful progressions," usually tall rectangular frames -- from 2 to 4 of them -- that either show a change in mood or lead up to a joke/funny moment. Splash pages are fun -- and generally easier and faster to draw -- than multi-panel pages (nothing wrong with that!) but the only kinds of splash pages I like are the ones that really "say" something (either a cliffhanger at the end or the climax of a battle or a huge highlight of the issue, etc.)

dueeast
I like to draw what I'd call "useful progressions," usually tall rectangular frames -- from 2 to 4 of them -- that either show a change in mood or lead up to a joke/funny moment.

Same here. I love panels which take advantage of the webcomics format (scrolling screen). I love envisioning tall panels which scroll all the way down like a panning camera, and the meandering text gradually directs your eye and also acts like a real-time narration.

That's why I hated my co-artist when he shrunk the **** out of all our pages. His mentality is if we can fit the entire ****ing page on 1 screen nothing is better than that. We had big silent fights over this.

I don't like splash pages either. Not for reading or drawing. I don't think I've ever made them. I have made full-page panels with a couple smaller inset panels, but those contain text and interest.

Sizes/shapes should be varied. The more types the better. I like panels that are really long or tall, ones with interesting angles (especially showing action), panels that overlap each other (kinda feeling like a photo album), panels that have part of the picture coming out from the edge (an arm, weapon, object), panels that divide up a single scene dynamically, etc. Too much of any of these is not fun, but drawing each of them where appropriate is really fun, and reading them is even more fun. :)

As for content... I think the most fun to draw for me are character interactions, from at least a little bit of distance (rather than a close-up). Kissing, hugging, hitting, touching, etc. I also enjoy drawing complex scenes with something in the foreground.

Showing a close up of a persons face while somethings going on. Be it them picking up a mine that says "front towards enemy" or being strangled by The Punisher, reactions are pricelessly funny.

That's why I hated my co-artist when he shrunk the **** out of all our pages. His mentality is if we can fit the entire ****ing page on 1 screen nothing is better than that. We had big silent fights over this.

Well, the page should scroll in atleast one direction and only one. If you have a page that scrolls both horizontally and vertically, it loses the same appeal since you have to scroll back to scroll in the other direction.

i never knew i would get such good reactions! normaly when i start a thread like this (on other forums) people start either spamming/ignoring or only say like 2 words with no explenation what so ever. But this is all realy helpfull in my epic quest for the ultimate manga! XD (which is NOT aqua les paul, that one is just for fun and practische ;D) im realy appreaciating this guy's!

DAJB
I prefer a page which has several panels and actually adds something to either the plot or character development

but just like some people are saying here, don't splash pages also add to the plot or in some way or another to the character development? becouse i personaly think that splash pages can also bring a great deal of drama as well as action to a comic, but thats just how i see it ;D

The talking heads. Very easy to do.

I may be littled biased on this topic, but I like horizontal (traditional strip) style.
The panels can be pretty simplistic, personally, but closeups and perspective does make it more attractive. If the panels in the strip are turned slightly, overlap, or have characters breaking the fourth wall, it looks even better.

Vertical is okay, but I don't like scrolling down to read the whole thing... kind of annoying.

I have no idea what a "splash page" is, so I can't really say.

Priest_Revan
I have no idea what a "splash page" is, so I can't really say.

A splash page is a scene drawn on an entire page with no panels. Otamie is talking about comics drawn in full page format, not strips. (There is very little variation is panel shape/size/etc. in a comic strip. That's part of what makes it a strip.)

usedbooks

Priest_Revan
I have no idea what a "splash page" is, so I can't really say.

A splash page is a scene drawn on an entire page with no panels. Otamie is talking about comics drawn in full page format, not strips. (There is very little variation is panel shape/size/etc. in a comic strip. That's part of what makes it a strip.)

Oh, I've seen those...

I dont' care for them.

I occasionally use splash pages, but I try to limit them to 1-2 a chapter. I think if they're used any more than that, they lose their impact anyway, which is kind of the whole point of a splash page.

The entire last issue of The Death of Superman was in splash pages. I thought it was pretty stupid all around.

Splash pages don't have to LACK panels. Many manga or action comics use entire splash pages with several insert panels to show a massive fight scene with several scenes happening at once. We3 did this... and if you guys haven't read that short series yet (it's been collected) then you're missing out.

Traditionally, splash pages are used as either chapter openers, chapter closers, or massive exterior/set up shots when you want the flow and pacing to come to a halt so the reader can take in a massive amount of details at once. Anyone who's good at layout or drawing will make the reader soak up every minor detail in a splash page because that's what they're pretty much designed for.

well...from what I have read in this thread thus far, I guess my comic sucks because I do tend to use a great number of splash pages. Using splash pages as has been stated earlier add to slowing the story which depending on the kind of story you are telling either works or it doesn't. I really don't have an opinion either way, because if you have a great story and art then to me its a winner.

Awfully myopic question, seems to me.

I don't have a favorite kind of panel. Since comics is a storytelling medium, my favorite type of panel is the one that conveys the emotion and action (or lack of action) intended for a scene. I hate the type of panel that fails to do that.

I employ completely different panel forms for each of my 3 projects. I love working with all 3 approaches. The free panel form of Terran Sandz works great for an action/adventure, throwback-style book, but would suck for Broken Things . It just depends on the book.

Funny topic.

Later,
Chip

marine
Showing a close up of a persons face while somethings going on. Be it them picking up a mine that says "front towards enemy" or being strangled by The Punisher, reactions are pricelessly funny.

The close-up panels in Penis are some of the funniest, best stuff in there. Seriously; those are always my faves. Marine uses them brilliantly for comic effect. I think it comes from having a good appreciation of the techniques in cinema.

-I'm not joking BTW, I like how he does it.

With my own panels, I LOVE doing a splash panel or two, and I love seeing it in comics by people here at DD. But like SK says: use them wisely ;)

What I also like to do is have panels that go all over the place! ... As long as they're perfectly readable and the order is obvious. I LOVE making different alignments and shapes for the panels. It's such fun and the results look cool. :)
I love it when other people have cool stuff happening with their panels too!

Oo, another big fave it break-out panels. I LOVE those; reading and making.

angry_black_guy
Splash pages don't have to LACK panels. Many manga or action comics use entire splash pages with several insert panels to show a massive fight scene with several scenes happening at once. We3 did this... and if you guys haven't read that short series yet (it's been collected) then you're missing out.

Traditionally, splash pages are used as either chapter openers, chapter closers, or massive exterior/set up shots when you want the flow and pacing to come to a halt so the reader can take in a massive amount of details at once. Anyone who's good at layout or drawing will make the reader soak up every minor detail in a splash page because that's what they're pretty much designed for.

i could not agree more with you! :)

I love those low, wide rectangular panels - the ones that cross the entire page - that establish setting, or show the character(s) against the background. You can stuff so much detail into panels like that, and they can achieve so much (foreshadowing, space for actions, close-ups on expressions AND background at the same time, etc., etc.).

My stance on splash-pages is... meh. When they're good, and put in the right place, pace-wise, they're great - but when they're bad (i.e overused or simply badly done) they've very, very bad.

I prefer a mixture of "movie format" horizontal rectangles with tall, skinny vertical rectangles.

I don't care for splash pages. Unless something stupendously H-U-G-E and detailed is being depicted, I think splashes only serve one purpose---introductory page to the story.

Most artists have overused splashes badly in recent years, which has contributed to the decline and fall of print comics. The fewer panels, the less story conveyed to the reader.

I love to do one liner pages for the comic like my chapter dividers. But only in small doses, a comic needs a story.

for some reason I like the long vertical panels or panels that 'fade' into another panel.

I also like panels with a 'minimalist' style with lots of empty space yet still 'moves' the story along.

I find it easier on my eyes and keeps the story more 'focus'. When a comic page doesnt give me a 'breather' then I have to close the book for a pause. Thats just me

Not to plug myself, but then you'd LOVE Mercs X__x I get alot of flak about not doing alot of complex backgrounds lol. But action oriented.

But I know what you mean, Cet, and I know that Gantz made me that way. Damn you OKU! Sersiouly, despite it's fantastic art, Gantz quite often does not have abackground and it's often characters on white. The worst is the chapter that introduces Masajano Hojo, I swear if there are 50 panels in that chapter then 5 have backgrounds.

I love the combination of a large panel with insets (generally not a splash page, although they work in this fashion as well). The insets are usually a reaction to whatever is going on in the large panel. Lately I've taken to using circular panels for the insets, which I rather enjoy the look of.

Panel that interacts with the mood of the story, stretches according to the scene and action is the kind of panel that attracts me most.