The Living Comic - Ode to Tailsteak (part 1)
Let's talk Infinite Canvas. If you've heard anything about comics theory, especially relating to webcomics, you've probably run across this term. In a general sense, it refers to the idea that digitally-published comics, unlike their printed brethren, are completely free from any kinds of borders or enforced structure. While the creators of comic books are fundamentally restricted by the size of the printed page, and newspaper cartoonists by an even more rigid "strip" layout, creators working on the computer can let their art expand itself to whatever dimensions and layouts are necessary.
This, at least, was Scott McCloud's original theory, when he first coined the term back in 2000. Since then, artists have been constantly experimenting, and finding the practical limits of the theoretical infinite. We've discovered, for instance, that comics which extend beyond the width of the average computer window are in general more annoying than they're worth, because today's computers are not built with the ability to scroll sideways at a useful speed. On the other hand, we've also discovered lots of interesting new ways to move your eye from one panel to the next. Aiere, as Websnark is fond of pointing out, uses a "lightning path" in the background of Queen of Wands, taking advantage of the fact that she won't have to move her story onto another page until she wants to, and using that power to make her pages as long as she wants them.
Now, let's talk Tailsteak for a bit. You very likely haven't heard of him, even if you read webcomics avidly. He used to write a strip called 1/0, which I'm going to have to save for discussion in a separate post. He ended that comic, though, and now he's got a site named simply "tailsteak.tk." And it's amazing.
Tailsteak.tk isn't a webcomic. It's several different webcomics at once, blended with a healthy dose of journal comic, the odd sketchbook excerpt, and a few running themes. Updates are pretty random, on the average of once or twice a week, and whether the update is an installment in one of the multiple running storylines or a "20 questions with a coin" drawing challenge is pretty much up for grabs.
(Click on the picture to see the full strip)
More interesting than the diversity of offerings, however, are the things that Tailsteak very quietly does with the infinite canvas. Consider the above strip from the "Band" storyline. First and most obviously, look at the shape and the length of it--it's incredibly large, extending downward far beyond what could be done on paper. Now, however, pay close attention to the graphics in between the pictures. See the different colors and shapes? See the lines like speech bubbles connecting the various elements of the bar to people and instruments?
This is music, and one of the finest visual representations of music I have ever seen. Not only do you get the feeling that, with the proper training, you could convert this display back into sound, the display itself gives you a feel for the character and mood of the music itself. This is not necessarily obvious from a single example, but compare the visualization of "Nathan's Girlfriend" to the songs we see in "Montage." These graphics are made by someone with a unique understanding of both music and color, and how they interact. To see what I mean, look at this visualization:
(Click on the picture to see the full strip)
You can basically figure out what kind of music they're listening to, simply from those two lines of graphics. And the fact that you can do that is amazing. Tailsteak has, essentially, invented a wholly new mode of communicating, and while its scope may be limited, the artistic effect is beyond Clever--this is Brilliant.
This, at least, was Scott McCloud's original theory, when he first coined the term back in 2000. Since then, artists have been constantly experimenting, and finding the practical limits of the theoretical infinite. We've discovered, for instance, that comics which extend beyond the width of the average computer window are in general more annoying than they're worth, because today's computers are not built with the ability to scroll sideways at a useful speed. On the other hand, we've also discovered lots of interesting new ways to move your eye from one panel to the next. Aiere, as Websnark is fond of pointing out, uses a "lightning path" in the background of Queen of Wands, taking advantage of the fact that she won't have to move her story onto another page until she wants to, and using that power to make her pages as long as she wants them.
Now, let's talk Tailsteak for a bit. You very likely haven't heard of him, even if you read webcomics avidly. He used to write a strip called 1/0, which I'm going to have to save for discussion in a separate post. He ended that comic, though, and now he's got a site named simply "tailsteak.tk." And it's amazing.
Tailsteak.tk isn't a webcomic. It's several different webcomics at once, blended with a healthy dose of journal comic, the odd sketchbook excerpt, and a few running themes. Updates are pretty random, on the average of once or twice a week, and whether the update is an installment in one of the multiple running storylines or a "20 questions with a coin" drawing challenge is pretty much up for grabs.
(Click on the picture to see the full strip)
More interesting than the diversity of offerings, however, are the things that Tailsteak very quietly does with the infinite canvas. Consider the above strip from the "Band" storyline. First and most obviously, look at the shape and the length of it--it's incredibly large, extending downward far beyond what could be done on paper. Now, however, pay close attention to the graphics in between the pictures. See the different colors and shapes? See the lines like speech bubbles connecting the various elements of the bar to people and instruments?
This is music, and one of the finest visual representations of music I have ever seen. Not only do you get the feeling that, with the proper training, you could convert this display back into sound, the display itself gives you a feel for the character and mood of the music itself. This is not necessarily obvious from a single example, but compare the visualization of "Nathan's Girlfriend" to the songs we see in "Montage." These graphics are made by someone with a unique understanding of both music and color, and how they interact. To see what I mean, look at this visualization:
(Click on the picture to see the full strip)
You can basically figure out what kind of music they're listening to, simply from those two lines of graphics. And the fact that you can do that is amazing. Tailsteak has, essentially, invented a wholly new mode of communicating, and while its scope may be limited, the artistic effect is beyond Clever--this is Brilliant.