Sequart Organization » David Balan

Identifying the Complete Story: Diablo #1

David Balan — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:00:35 +0000

Diablo #1 " title="Identifying the Complete Story: Diablo #1 " style="float:left;" />In my last article, I discussed how Watchmen #2 was successful as an individual comic book issue by satisfying the reader with a complete chunk of story. In essence, though part of a series, Watchmen… [more]

Pacing and Punch in Watchmen #2

David Balan — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:00:14 +0000

Watchmen #2" title="Pacing and Punch in Watchmen #2" style="float:left;" />Watchmen is commonly thought of as one of the greatest graphic novels of our time, but it’s actually a reprint collection. The work originally came out as 12 separate issues, although they were all planned… [more]

A Man of the Times

David Balan — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:00:48 +0000

In the year 1942, America was embroiled in global conflict – she had entered World War II. There was a remarkable upsurge of patriotism in the populace, running rampant through the whole culture. Seeking to… [more]

The Art of the Hook

David Balan — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:00:37 +0000

Why read comics? We certainly have no lack of alternative material. In fact, we are inundated with it! There are enough web blogs and magazines to fill our entire lives with reading material. Why should we choose comics, and… [more]

Storytelling from 1978 — The Rule of Action

David Balan — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:00:34 +0000

Detective Comics #475 and #476 — “The Laughing Fish” and “Sign of the Joker” — are considered some of the most essential Batman reading of all time. And for good reasons! These tales inspired the look… [more]

Respect Your Audience: The New 52 and Calvin and Hobbes

David Balan — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:00:23 +0000

Calvin and Hobbes" title="Respect Your Audience: The New 52 and Calvin and Hobbes" style="float:left;" />DC’s New 52 initiative has sparked a lot of recent controversy over the presentation of women and female characters. Having debated and discussed until I was proverbially hoarse, a single question still remains unanswered in… [more]

The Right Number – Rules, Structure, and Rhythm

David Balan — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:00:24 +0000

Earlier this month, I had a look at Scott McCloud’s The Right Number, an experimental web-comic with a unique format based on digital technology. The zooming format and the forward reading convention were both novel… [more]

Put Your Money Where Your Panel Is: On Action Comics #1

David Balan — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:00:28 +0000

Action Comics #1" title="Put Your Money Where Your Panel Is: On Action Comics #1" style="float:left;" />Action Comics #1 is a simple story with a simple premise – introduce the character Superman, make the readers care about him, and put him in a dangerous test to set up for the next… [more]

The Right Number – A New Reading Convention

David Balan — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:00:33 +0000

Scott McCloud’s The Right Number is a compact, experimental web-comic. It is also one of the most successful web-comics ever produced. This is primarily due to it questioning something that most creators take for granted… [more]

Reading Direction and the Story Experience

David Balan — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:00:32 +0000

Comics are a strange thing. When you look at a comic page, if you’ve beheld a few of them before, you usually get right into reading it. Panel one first, then panel two, and so… [more]

How to be a Super-Hero in Five Minutes Flat

David Balan — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:00:32 +0000

J. Michael Straczynski and Esad Ribic’s Silver Surfer: Requiem is one of the best comics I have read in recent memory. As a warning, the following article contains a great deal of spoilers for the book,… [more]

Another Reality: The Spatial Imperative, Part 2

David Balan — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:00:28 +0000

Two weeks ago, I discussed the importance of space in storytelling, and the power of two-point perspective. I left you all with the notion that two-point perspective, while powerful, was not really the whole story —… [more]

Another Reality: The Spatial Imperative, Part 1

David Balan — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:00:53 +0000

Ah, the dreaded cliché super-hero page – well drawn, beautifully rendered, and completely incomprehensible. The example below is a piece of uncolored art originating from Astonishing X-Men #26, with artist Simone Bianchi and writer Warren Ellis. There… [more]

All for One, One for All — The Super-Hero Story

David Balan — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:00:02 +0000

I had originally planned to write this article at a later date, but after reading Cody Walker and Julian Darius’s columns this past week, I couldn’t resist the temptation to jump ahead. I’ve been brewing… [more]

It Takes Two – Text & Image in Comics

David Balan — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:00:23 +0000

So, comics as an art form! A truly legitimate art form, unique and self-actualized, with debacles and triumphs all its own. Not the bastard child of film and literature, and not just for kids, male adolescents, or… [more]