Infinite Canvas and Flash

[Joe Zabel]

Looking at John Barber's Vicious Souvenirs, 'Out of the Box' (which I think is still being kept under wraps by Brendan Cahill), and Merlyn's new feature at http://www.e-merl.com/flak.htm , a common thread is apparent. All of these comics are using variations on the Infinite Canvas concept, except that instead of scrolling, they're using Flash animation.

Scrolling is, of course, a form of animation; but it is a great disadvantage to a comic because the reader is distracted from the story excessively while they're operating the scroll bar. Perversely, they're forced to use eye-hand coordination in an environment that's supposed to be completely automated!

Flash can eliminate this manual process, so that the scrolling is in effect done automatically when the reader simply clicks on the image.

Of course, that is just a minor feature compared to the incredible variety of options that Flash gives the artist.

For example, in Merlyn's comic, it allows us to zoom in and zoom out on the canvas at selected points from a birdseye view. It also rotates the canvas as needed, so that the radiating bars of the narrative are positioned horizontally for reading.

Given enough computing power, it's quite conceivable to create a Merlyn-style comic that has a 3-dimensional map. For example, it could be a multifaceted sphere that the reader could rotate to see the comics available on the other side.

John Barber's work takes the infinite canvas into the next dimension, navigating from panel to panel in a constantly-changing, multi-directional manner.

One of the key points in the UC definition of comics is that images are juxtaposed. Flash and CD creations in which single panels are displayed on the screen depart from this definition of comics because the images are succeeding, not juxtaposed; the eye has no opportunity to compare the images side-by-side.

John Barber's work actually expands upon this juxtaposition-- in many cases a remnant of earlier panels remains visible, while new panels are shifted into view. Thus new panels are juxtaposed not only with each other but with 'historical' panels.

Merlyn's and Barber's works also demonstrate that this form of animated scrolling is itself a mode of expression. In Merlyn's case, the formalism of the design is contrasted ironically with the over-the-top black humor of the comics. In Barber's New York, the shattering of dimensions creates an unsettling effect, evoking an irrational universe. In Vicious Souvenirs, he uses it more playfully; for example, in one scene the characters play billiards while the circular panels 'roll' in and out of view like billiard balls.

An alternate approach to Flash-enhanced Infinite Canvas is to minimize the intrusiveness of the technique. There's nothing wrong with using Flash as simply the best way to advance a good comic from panel to panel, so that the reader is completely caught up in the narrative. This approach would still require imagination and inventiveness, to avoid a sense of dull repetitiveness.

[Bob Stevenson]

I like the two directions that flash comics are taking at once. On the one hand, it's useful for innovations in presentation of comics. On the other hand, for me, it has been an important tool for speeding up production.

In the past, I penciled and inked by hand, scanned, adjusted the contrast, brightness and lettering in Photoshop and finally optimized the drawing for the web which always meant sacrificing the details to keep the files small. Each step almost always involved several failed attempts and hours of time. Flash's pen interface is taking a while to get used to but slowly, my line is developing. The lettering's easier. The coloring with vectors doesn't offer much range but for me I hope flash can help me get the words, ideas and pictures out faster. For now, the work is not reaching the level I want but my production is much greater. Who knows, perhaps someday, I'll even start playing with presentation. In some small ways I'm doing it already - Flash seems to be a tool that'll let me do it in some big ways down the road.

I'm still not sure the sacrifices in color and line are worth it but for now I'll keep playing.

Bob Stevenson
www.journeyintohistory.com

[catgarza]

barber and merlin have both produced excellent examples of what flash can do. mccloud's upcoming comic will also expand on these possibilities. i just don't know if i can sacrifice the limitless palette of bitmapped images for the sterile nature of vectors.

walt holcombe's new cartoons <a href="http://www.sniffpants.com">The Courship of Sniffy LePants</a> shows the beautiful cartooning possibilities that can be found with flash. the work of <a href="http://www.augenblickstudios.com/">aaron augenblick</a>

[buzzard]

Hmm, I feel the exact opposite about flash interactivity: in print, a reader is in control in turning pages and moving his or her eye across the page, and it's a good thing for that to be true online. It's one of the powerful things about the spatial temporal map, as compared to movies: the reader can at any time zigzag back and forth out of the expected order, to recheck a plot point or to look at some nice art.

There is nothing stopping people from putting a good user interface into flash, but let's face it, in practice, we're lucky to even get a back button. For example, Doodleflak suffers from both making you do the 'hunt for the control surfaces' as well as performing unnecessary extra rotation returning things to the "start state" that mess with my sense of progress. This is not to pick on Merlyn; most computer programmers and web designers have no clue what they're doing when designing user interfaces either. As an experiment it's fine.

But "getting rid of this manual process" seems to me entirely the wrong idea. Scrollbars were invented to be this continuous, analog experience, so you don't have to scroll a line or a page at a time. All the automation goes in the other direction, seemingly, automating it and making it incredibly painful to actually navigate to a particular place.

[Joe Zabel]

For more responses to this thread, check out http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimate ... 8&t=000791

[Merlin]

I've responded to this thread over on the comiccon board in quite a bit of detail, but I just wanted to pick up on one point here:

For example, Doodleflak suffers from both making you do the 'hunt for the control surfaces' as well as performing unnecessary extra rotation returning things to the "start state" that mess with my sense of progress. .

I'm happy to concede the decision I made not to include a back-button didn't work for everyone but believe me, I did think about it and it was a deliberate decision. I wanted something where all the navigation was built into the physical structure of the story itself and I decided adding any kind of extra navigation devices would dilute that. I can see that some people are put off by hunting for elements of interaction but I think really this is just part of the reading process that's necessary with any hyperfictional narrative.

And about messing with your sense of progress - Good. That was the intent.

This is not to pick on Merlyn; most computer programmers and web designers have no clue what they're doing when designing user interfaces either. As an experiment it's fine.

I'm glad you're not picking on me. Can't help taking this as a bit of an insult, though, since I've always considered myself to have quite a good clue as to what I'm doing when it comes to interface design. Most people who pay me to do it, or teach it, seem to agree.

[Guest]

i was wondering if there are already any comics online using the "drag" function. Those using Photoshop (or another adobe program) will know this one: you push the space bar, then drag the page in the direction you want!

This makes for a "classic" reader experience while retaining the advantages of the infinite canvas!

no scrolling problems, no searching for "hot spots", wherever you are on the web page, you decide which way you go, and at YOUR pace. Especially this last element is very disturbing: you tend to scroll at the pace of your computer, which makes the reading experience very "mechanical".

Also, you can easily and quickly slide the (infinite) canvas so as to see the images side by side. On a big monitor (like mine) (1600x1200) you can slowly slide the page while reading, much as you would do with your eyes on a "real" (paper) comic.

Hope someone knows a flash plugin that can do stuff like this, or perhaps someone has already seen it?

[ragtag]

Merlyn did one of those, dragging with a hand (or some arrows in this case), the link is...

http://www.e-merl.com/comtet.htm

It's cool. Though I think one of the disadvantages of this method, is that it's not very good for moving things a long distance (like when reading an online comic following a trail), but fine for shifting things to the side (like you do in Photoshop). Though, I was planing on using this technique for my next comic.

I guess an alternative option would be holding down the left or middle mouse button, and drag to accellerate in that direction (like in The Sims and probably lots of other games). You have it for scrolling in Internet Explorer, but it doesn't work because it's either going too slow or too fast, just bad implementation of a good idea from MS side.

Ragnar

[InkAddict]

Yeah, you're right, it still is a little bumpy, though in a bigger window (and i'm talking about the window on the infinite canvas, which is rather small in the one Merlyn did), and with aster Flash it could become something! I'm glad u could help me (i'll keep this page in mind if i ever start anything like it )