thegutter

toc =The Gutter= From Earth and Sky

According to Scott McCloud, the space between the panels in a comic book is what comic enthusiast call the gutter. The idea of observing parts of an idea but perceiving the whole is what McCloud calls closure. This is the space in between each panel. It allows the reader to imagine what happened between two panels based on their past experience and common knowledge. Certain panel transition types make the sequence between panels more obvious to the readers. Other times the reader must use their imagination more so and tie the panels together.

The following transition types are listed by McCloud in his book Understanding Comics. He notes that the prevelance of these types of transitions is dependant on the society of the comics, Manga having more diversity in transition use for example. North American comics have generally used action-to-action, subject-to-subject and scene-to-scene transitions traditionally, though this has changed recently as comics have been evolving.


 * 1. Moment-to-Moment**
 * Requires little closure as the sequence between the panels are very obvious.
 * This panel transition usually requires more panels to show one subject over a short period of time.


 * 2. Action-to-Action**
 * Transitions that feature a single subject in distinct action-to-action progressions.
 * The artists usually want to show the "cause" and the "effect."

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 * 3. Subject-to-Subject**
 * Requires the reader to interpret the sequence by connecting the panels of the same idea.


 * 4. Scene-to-Scene**
 * Transport the readers across significant distances of time and space.


 * 5. Aspect-to-Aspect**
 * Bypasses time for the most part and sets a wandering eye on different aspects of a place, idea or mood
 * The artists try to evoke the atmosphere of happiness, sadness, and intension in the situation.

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 * 6. Non-Sequitur**
 * Offers no logical relationship between panels.

McCloud, Scott. __Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art.__ New York: Harper Collins, 1993. O'Brian, Paul and J. Robinson Wheeler. __Earth and Sky.__ online at <[|http://www.ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/competition2004/glulx/eas3/Comic feelie/]>