Reading Response to Understanding Comics, ch. 3 & 4

In chapter 3 we learn about sequences and panel-to-panel transitions. The first is moment-to-moment requires very little closure. The second transitions are those featuring a single subject in distinct action-to-action progressions. The third takes us from subject-to-subject while staying within a scene or idea; must note degree of reader involvement to render these transitions meaningful. The fourth involves deductive reasoning in reading comics such as in these scene-to-scene transitions, which transport us across significant distances of time and space. The fifth type of transition is called aspect-to-aspect which bypasses time for the most part and sets a wandering eye on different aspects of a place, idea, or mood. The last is called the non-sequitur which offers no logical relationship between panels whatsoever. The chapter then begins to elaborate on what comic artists use what transition techniques, how often, and how they combine and alternate between them. Chapter four discusses time frames and how intervening moments create the illusion of time and moment. It also talks about sound and the order/placement in which panels get placed. It also covers Japanese style panels and and how time and space are on the same plane. The ability to achieve closure when looking at a panel or series of panels is crucial in reading comics as well as watching movies, taking photographs, all media, etc.