You Know My Methods

(via kellysue)

mattfractionblog:

bendiswordsforpictures:

The visual linguistics of a comic book page

Inside Science recently wrote about the study by UCSD’s Neil Cohn, Navigating Comics, which looks at the underlying structure of the comics language:

People who read the English written word scan text from left to right. Once our eyes hit the end of the page, we stop. Then ding!, like an old-time typewriter, our eyes shift downward and snap back to the left to start reading the next line. This is known as a “Z-path,” as our eyes whip about like the end of Zorro’s sword.

But that linear track gets derailed in comics with complex layouts and Cohn wanted to know if experienced readers had strategies to follow along.

Cohn rustled up 145 participants at the 2004 Comic-Con International, a comic book convention held in San Diego. Participants had varying experience with reading comics, ranging from “never” to “often.”

Each participant was given a booklet containing 12 pages of blank panels. Each page was independent of the rest and used different design techniques.

Read More →

I met Neil Cohn outside of the old Comic Relief; Rory Root introduced us. Neil had literally just come from getting his monograph EARLY WRITINGS ON VISUAL LANGUAGE back from the printer. He gave Rory and I a copy each — we spoke on the street for a few minutes and I walked away with a head full of stars. That book, along with Ben Saunders’, Charles Hatfield’s Kirby book, and a few others I’m sure I could think up if I paused to stop typing long enough, are must have, must read, must learns if you’re a comics-obsessed, form-and-function-obsessed, process-obsessed maniac like me. That he’s continued to explore the way we read comics — and writes about it on his blog — delights me to no end. He has no reason to remember the meeting, but it was one of those chance street encounters that changed my life.

Thanks, Neil. And, once again — thanks, Rory.

(EDIT: the essay referred to in the link above is here)

(via kellysue)

nawsike:

they say u are what u eat, but i dont remember eating a fuckin legend

(via buckycaps)

maniacalhawk:

Best Han Solo cosplay ever…hands down.

(via dianariggslegs)

pourraspberryjamonthefurniture:

I don’t even watch Hannibal and I’m concerned about Will Graham

(via prestidigital)

urbancatfitters:

“shit it’s 2 a.m.” i say every day at 2 a.m. as if i am surprised

(via prestidigital)

raptorific:

I’M SO ANGRY

SOME 16TH CENTURY ASSHOLE WROTE “GOD B W YE” IN A LETTER AS AN ABBREVIATION FOR “GOD BE WITH YE”

AND IT APPEARED AS “GODBWYE”

WHICH WAS THEN READ AS “GOODBYE”

AND THAT’S WHY WE SAY “GOODBYE”

BECAUSE OF 16TH CENTURY CHAT SPEAK

(via prestidigital)

givemeajobplease:

This was a man, dressed as a plant, making pigeon noises at people walking by. I said hello, asked if it was okay to take his picture, and then asked why he was dressed as a plant. He said, “I’m just working through some stuff. Thank you for asking. No ones asked yet.”

(via prestidigital)

scifigrl47:

OH MY GOD

viqueen:

I tried to scroll past this. I really did.

(via prestidigital)