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CHRISTIAN NA
WEB OF SPIDER-MAN
ABSTRACTHigh-school student Peter Parker is bitten by a
radioactive spider from which he acquires spider-like powers. When his uncle is murdered, Parker is inspired to use his powers to protect mankind and fight for justice. Marvel’s Spider-
Man comics have been influential in U.S. culture since the early 1960s. Their popularity is no question, as evident in the successful film
adaptations and video games – even the Broadway musical – about Spider-Man that
have been made in recent years. Spider-Man is a fantastic comic that has made its mark on history and popular culture then and now.
THEME/FOCUSThe two themes of this comic were evil and surprise. Evil, really, is a common theme of most comics. Without evil, there seems less
urgency in the plot of the comic. After all, it is evil that inspires Spider-Man to use his powers for good. The second theme of surprise occurs several times within the plot. Spider-Man, Black
Cat and Gambit don’t realize that they are in the same building at the same time, and they surprise each other when they encounter each other. At the end of the comic, F.A.C.A.D.E. is taken over, and we are surprised because we didn’t expect it to happen. The surprise in the
issue keeps us engaged throughout and hanging at the end.
The principle of an establishing shot is
great for giving audiences a feel for
where the story they’re reading is
about to take place.
This shot is operative in
depicting the setting of the
comic – the entire story takes place
inside the building that Spider-Man is
looking at.
The scene to scene jump helps us
understand what is going on in an
efficient way – we don’t have to see the progression between
two frames.
In the left frame, we see the Black Cat standing and
thinking (upper right frame) in a
crowded room. The scene to
scene jump in the bottom right frame gives us a
“meanwhile...” point of
view.
Subject to subject jumps are transitions that change out point of view in the same scene, allowing the cartoonist to direct
our attention.
The left frame depicts the Black Cat speaking with a man. Then,
the right frame offers a
scene to scene jump on the right, where the
man speaks to the couple standing in
the background of the left
frame.
Action to action jumps help us see every
action as it happens, which allows for a very detailed plot.
Though the layout for these three slides isn’t quite like the side-by-side layout in the text example, they still show the Black Cat as she fights silencers, with every movement, adding detail to the
fight scene.
Aspect to aspect jumps illustrate
different aspects of the setting at the
same moment in time, so that we get to look around at where the scene is taking place.
These slides allow us to look at two things
at the same time. Here, we see the
characters and what floor they’re on.
Choice of frame: worm’s eye view
makes objects in a frame look large, and gives them grandeur.
It can also characterize objects, like in the example of
F.A.C.A.D.E.
This frame offers a view that is from low
to the ground, in order to illustrate
the robot F.A.C.A.D.E. as
extremely large and powerful.
Choice of image: stances/expressio
ns and emotions/attitude
s help us determine
information about all characters in a
frame.
Though not every
character is speaking
here, we can tell there is tension in the frame, because of
their stances and
expressions.
Choice of flow helps us read from frame to frame in the correct
order. We follow the left-to-right, up-to-down
The layout on this page might be confusing, but because we stick to the rules of flow, we know
which slides to read and when.
Visual distinction in character design is
extremely important in helping us recognize
characters.
The characters in this scene are so distinct
from each other, making them very recognizable
and discernable, especially because each
is an iconic Marvel character.
The basic emotions help characterize the cast of your cartoon, while
helping illustrate their reactions to what’s going on.
Mr. Jameson sees F.A.C.A.D.E. for the first time and is stunned by the power and size of
the robot.
Body language is another way to
characterize the characters in your
cartoon, which helps us
understand their emotions and why they act the way
they do.
Dr. Haney is
suspicious in this
frame. His crossed
arms and leaning posture
help depict his
emotions, which are developed just a bit
later in the plot.
Word-specific slides depend largely on
the text accompanying the picture to help tell
the story.
The Black Cat, in civilian form Felicia Hardy, looks stunning in this frame. However, she is
only standing still, so the panel serves no purpose
without the text beneath it, making it work-specific.
Duo-specific slides illustrate stories with words and pictures at the
same time. It’s a combination that
strongly reiterates itself, to clarify the
plot.
This slide tells the same story in both
image and text: they’re in love!
Intersecting combinations tell a story by revealing
bits of what is going on through both the image and the text.
The only way to know exactly what’s going on is by the
mix of both!
We know the Black Cat is
looking at/for something, but
the text bubbles (her thoughts)
clarify what it is that’s making her look up.
The montage lets the words serve the
same purpose as the picture.
“POOM” is text, but it’s just as much a part of the picture as Spider-
Man himself.
The center of the page draws attention, and
therefore assigns
importance.
Gambit is smack center – all focus is on him!
Symmetry is everything. It
helps us recognize ourselves and the
things that are like and unlike us in everything we
see.
This silencer is clearly not
human – but he possesses the symmetrical
characteristics that help us
recognize him as a living
thing.
CONCLUSION
This project explored the ways in which the “Web of Spider-Man” comic number 113 reflected the ideas and principles
described in McCLoud’s Making Comics. With a detailed analysis of each concept,
and how it appears in real-life comic books, it is easy to learn the ways of
effective comic book writing, as well as cartoon artistry in general.
THE END
Christian NaMass CommunicationsDr. Corso15 April 2016
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