TheNightOut
hm question about the page breaks. How do we convey timelapse with the pagebreak that'll set it apart from a normal "this page is now filled so onto the next page"?
There shouldn't be such a thing as a "this page is filled" page break.
Make use of the page breaks. Structure your scenes so that every page is its own "unit," let every page break be a logical break or transition in the action as well.
Using the thumbnails I showed as an example, here is how I utilised the page breaks on the first few pages:
(The page numbering starts with the brownish page, that's page 1.)
The last panel on page 2 has a character asking a question. *page break* We have to wait for the answer. In the first panel of page 3, the character still doesn't answer, we have to wait until panel 2 before he answers. This wait would seem much shorter had this sequence been on a single page.
The last panel on page 3 has the character reacting to the previous panel, and the fact that it's an open panel (no box around it) and the fact that there's not only a page break after it, but a page-spread break (meaning, in a physical book, the reader would have to physically turn the page at this point, not just move their eyes), makes that moment linger much longer, even though the panel itself is quite small.
The page break between pages 4 and 5 is a scene change, nice and simple.
After page 5, there's another page-spread break where the reader has to turn the page, and suddenly there's a large establishing shot of a new location, implying some time passed. (The page-turn break can be used to set up mini-cliffhangers, which make the reader really want to turn the page and keep going; in webcomics viewed one page at a time, any page can have these.)
See how none of the page breaks was just me running out of space on the page? Each page break had some significance. Some are used better than others, but I didn't let any of them fight against my scenes. Instead, I did my best to make those extra breaks work
for my story by enhancing suspense or showing the passage of time / change in location/mood.
Some comics do take page breaks for granted and just put down panels until the page runs out, but those comics also tend to have terrible pacing and are dull to read!
Also, panel sizes are a mix of in-story time flow and importance/impact, so don't feel like you have to make a "long" scene have a big panel, or have an "instant" be a small panel. Go with your gut feeling. Does a panel deserve to be big? Make it big. Is it just a minor reaction/transition? Make it small.
Read lots of comics, and you'll develop a sense for it, I think. More importantly, read lots of different kinds of comics, not just the kind you're most interested in. The more you learn about, the greater your tool set will be!
Also, if all of this feels overwhelming: Don't worry, and just read a lot of comics and think about how and why they're laid out the way they are. Play with layouts for stories of your own. With time, most of this stuff will become like instinct for you. When I thumbnail my pages, I don't consciously think about page breaks and such, my brain goes straight to "this bunch of actions would make a good page, but this bunch should be two opposite pages, this thing should be a big panel" and so on xP
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