Time travel is a common trope in comic books, but the medium’s relationship with time runs much deeper than just sending heroes to the past or future. Comics have a unique ability to manipulate, bend, and even break the flow of time, using nothing more than ink on a page. This mastery of temporal storytelling is a fundamental part of what makes sequential art so compelling, yet it often goes unnoticed by the casual reader. From the rhythmic beat of panel layouts to the psychological weight of a single splash page, comic creators are masters of time, and their techniques are as varied as they are ingenious.
In this deep dive, we’ll explore the hidden language of time in comics, breaking down how artists and writers use the tools of their trade to control the reader’s experience. We’ll look at the foundational theories of legends like Will Eisner, the modern cognitive science behind visual language, and the practical techniques used in some of the most iconic comics ever created. Get ready to see your favorite stories in a whole new light, as we unravel the art of time in comics. ”’
The Two Clocks of Comic Book Time
To understand how comics manipulate time, we first need to recognize that every comic operates on two different clocks simultaneously. As explained by the legendary Will Eisner in his seminal work Comics and Sequential Art, there is the time of the story and the time of the reader [4]. The story’s time is the fictional duration of events within the narrative, while the reader’s time is the real-world time it takes to read and process the comic. The magic of sequential art lies in the interplay between these two temporal dimensions.
This duality allows creators to play with our perception of time. A single moment can be stretched across multiple panels, forcing the reader to linger on its significance. Conversely, years can be compressed into a single page, giving a sense of epic scale and sweeping change. This is a level of temporal control that is unique to comics, and it’s a powerful tool for emotional and narrative impact.
The Visual Language of Time: More Than Just Pictures
Modern research has taken Eisner’s foundational ideas even further, suggesting that comics are, in fact, a complete visual language. According to researcher Neil Cohn, sequential images are structured in a way that mirrors spoken language, with its own grammar and syntax [3]. This “visual language” has a profound impact on how we perceive time in comics.
“Like spoken and signed languages, visual narratives use a lexicon of systematic patterns stored in memory, strategies for combining these patterns into meaningful units, and a hierarchic grammar governing the combination of sequential images into coherent expressions.” – Neil Cohn, The Visual Language of Comics [3]
This means that our brains are actively processing the sequence of panels, not just as a series of pictures, but as a structured narrative. The arrangement of panels, the transitions between them, and the visual cues within each image all contribute to our understanding of the story’s temporal flow. This is why we can intuitively understand the passage of time in a comic, even without explicit captions or dialogue. It’s a language we’ve learned to read, often without even realizing it.
The Creator’s Toolkit: Techniques for Manipulating Time
Now that we have a foundational understanding of how time works in comics, let’s look at the specific techniques that creators use to control the narrative clock. These are the tools that allow them to create moments of heart-pounding tension, quiet reflection, and everything in between.
Panel Shape and Size: The Rhythm of the Page
One of the most fundamental tools for controlling time is the panel itself. The shape and size of the panels on a page can create a distinct rhythm, much like the meter of a poem or the beat of a song. Will Eisner was a pioneer in exploring this concept, and his insights are as relevant today as they were decades ago [4].
A series of uniform, square panels can create a steady, metronomic beat, giving a sense of deliberate, measured action. In contrast, a long, horizontal panel can bring the reader to a pause, creating a moment of stillness or emphasizing a panoramic view. Tall, narrow panels, on the other hand, can accelerate the pace, creating a sense of rapid, almost frantic, action.
Caption: Different panel layout techniques and their effects on reading flow and pacing. Credit: Visual Language Lab
This is not just a matter of aesthetics; it’s a form of psychological manipulation. By varying the shape and size of the panels, the artist can guide the reader’s eye and control the speed at which they process the story. This is a powerful tool for creating emotional resonance, building suspense, and ensuring that the story’s key moments land with maximum impact. For more on the psychological impact of visual choices, check out our article on the psychology and science of comic book color.
Pacing and Flow: Conducting the Reader’s Eye
Beyond the shape of the panels, the way they are arranged on the page—the flow—and the speed at which they are meant to be read—the pacing—are crucial to temporal storytelling. As writer Kelly Bender explains, flow is the path the reader’s eye takes through the page, while pacing is the speed of that journey [1]. A well-crafted comic page is like a piece of music, with its own tempo and rhythm, all designed to evoke a specific emotional response.
Creators can control pacing in several ways. A page with many small panels will feel faster and more frantic than a page with a few large ones. Similarly, a panel with a lot of dialogue will slow the reader down, while a silent panel will be processed much more quickly. This balance between text and art is a constant negotiation, with the writer and artist working together to create the desired effect.
Caption: Example of how panel size and arrangement affects emotional pacing in sequential storytelling. Credit: Faith Erin Hicks
This is where the concept of the “lazy reader” comes into play. If the dialogue is dull or the art is repetitive, the reader will start to skim, and the carefully constructed pacing will be lost. To avoid this, creators must ensure that every panel is engaging, both visually and narratively. This is why you’ll rarely see two identical panels in a professionally made comic; even in a simple conversation scene, the artist will vary the angles and character expressions to keep the reader engaged.
Compression and Decompression: The Elasticity of Narrative Time
Beyond the rhythm of the page, comics can also stretch and shrink narrative time itself. This is the difference between compression and decompression, two fundamental techniques for controlling the reader’s experience of time. As Stephan Franck, creator of the Silver graphic novel series, explains, these techniques are essential for hitting the right narrative beats [2].
Decompression is the art of slowing down a moment, breaking it into its component parts to build suspense or emphasize its emotional weight. Think of a tense standoff, where each character’s glance, each subtle shift in posture, is given its own panel. This forces the reader to experience the moment in slow motion, heightening the tension and making the eventual release all the more impactful. Alan Moore is a master of this technique, and his work on Watchmen is a masterclass in decompressed storytelling.
Compression, on the other hand, is about moving the story forward in leaps and bounds. This is often used for montages, flashbacks, or to quickly establish a character’s skills. A single page might show a hero’s entire training regimen, from clumsy beginner to seasoned warrior. Or, as in the famous example from Watchmen, Doctor Manhattan’s entire involvement in the Vietnam War is conveyed in a single, powerful image. This is a form of narrative shorthand, and it’s essential for keeping the story moving and focusing on the moments that truly matter.
Caption: Demonstration of how panel frequency and size control the rhythm and flow of narrative time. Credit: Inked Dreams Comics
By mastering the interplay between compression and decompression, comic creators can create a narrative that is both efficient and emotionally resonant. They can linger on the moments that matter most, while still covering vast stretches of time and space. It’s a delicate balancing act, but when done right, it’s one of the most powerful tools in the comic creator’s arsenal.
The Unseen Art of Temporal Storytelling
From the rhythmic pulse of panel layouts to the elastic nature of narrative time, comics have a unique and powerful relationship with the fourth dimension. It’s a language that is both intuitive and deeply complex, a dance between the creator’s intent and the reader’s perception. By mastering the techniques of pacing, flow, compression, and decompression, comic artists and writers can create stories that are not just read, but felt. They can make our hearts race, our breath catch, and our minds expand, all with the simple act of arranging images on a page.
So the next time you pick up a comic, take a moment to look beyond the capes and cowls, beyond the epic battles and cosmic threats. Pay attention to the silent language of the page, the subtle cues that are shaping your experience of time. You might just find a new appreciation for the incredible artistry and craftsmanship that goes into every panel, and a deeper understanding of why comics are one of the most powerful storytelling mediums on the planet. The art of time in comics is a testament to the medium’s sophistication, a reminder that even after a century of evolution, there are still new secrets to be discovered in the space between the panels.
References
[1] Bender, Kelly. “Comic Book Pacing and Flow.” Medium, 17 Aug. 2021, medium.com/@KellyBender17/comic-book-pacing-and-flow-c98f70e6007d.
[2] Franck, Stephan. “13 Visual Storytelling Tips For Comics.” 13th Dimension, 20 June 2018, 13thdimension.com/13-visual-storytelling-tips-for-comics/.
[3] Cohn, Neil. The Visual Language of Comics: Introduction to the Structure and Cognition of Sequential Images. Bloomsbury Academic, 2013.
[4] Eisner, Will. Comics and Sequential Art: Principles and Practices from the Legendary Cartoonist. W. W. Norton & Company, 2008.
