Movies and comics make different use of time and space in their representations, and while movies are realistic records of reality, comics are images that reflect the imagination of the artist, revealing unique aesthetic features without a direct connection to reality.
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between cinematic and comic representation in the traditional sense is the presence or absence of movement. Cinema is an art form that reproduces the movement of objects, or time, that photography lacks. Through the succession of frames, cinema tries to convey the movements and changes that occur in reality, and this movement is an important factor in immersing the viewer in the movie. Comics, on the other hand, know only one dimension: space. This is because comics are still pictures arranged spatially in an intended order. If time exists in comics, it is created after the fact by the reader in the process of reading. The reader creates movement in their imagination from still images, and the effect lines drawn around figures and objects to imply speed further encourage the reader’s imagination. This creates a unique experience where the reader actively creates time in the story.
Manga overcomes the absence of physical time with the flexibility of space. Unlike frames, which are the borders of a movie screen, panels in comics can vary in size and shape. This freedom allows comics to open up a wide range of interpretations for the reader and gives them flexibility in the way they tell their stories. Comics also have the freedom to include not only pictures within a panel, but also speech bubbles and other verbal and non-verbal information that reveal the psychology of the characters or the situation at hand. This allows a variety of information to interact and combine with the reader’s imagination, rather than simply relying on visual images. And it makes a difference in how long readers spend reading. Rather than reading every square on a page one after the other, sometimes the size or location of a square makes the reader selective. In a movie, however, the speed at which the images are projected is constant, forcing the pace of viewing.
Movies and comics also contrast in the nature of their images. Whereas a movie is a filmed image, a comic is a hand-crafted image. Based on the photographic principle of light passing through a lens and being deposited on film, the process of producing images in movies is technologically automated. In this process, movies tend to be more objective and realistic records of reality, which is why it’s hard to detect the director’s stamp in a movie image. The director’s intentions may be revealed through filming techniques or editing, but because it is fundamentally a record of reality, its subjectivity is limited. Comics, on the other hand, naturally reveal the artist’s personal interpretation of the world through the process of hand-crafting. This manifests itself in the style and touch of the drawings, which, combined with the narrative of the comic, conveys a unique mood and message. This is why comic images are ‘signed images’.
The difference between filmed and hand-drawn images defines the relationship between movies and comics to reality. A movie is inherently a factual record of things because of the causal relationship between the real object and the image. The process of documenting a film is subject to constraints, such as the circumstances of the location and the conditions under which it was shot. As a result, movies often use various technical means to overcome the limitations of reality. In recent years, however, they are increasingly aided by digital special effects, which involve compositing images on a computer or utilizing graphic images. These developments have expanded the expressive possibilities of cinema, making it possible to create objects and places that don’t exist, just like in comics. Nevertheless, movies still have a tendency to maintain a connection to reality.
In the case of comics, the process of conception to execution is not mediated by reality. Therefore, comic images are images whose creation is completely under the control of the artist. The artist’s intentions can be thoroughly reflected, and this is what gives comics their strength in transcending reality or expressing a unique imagination. This is what fuels the comic imagination. Since we are not directly confronted with reality, we can be guided by the artist’s imagination to a comic reality. Comics are a direct expression of the artist’s personality and creativity, and readers are easily drawn into this unique world of imagination.
