Soooo I just wrapped up the first chapter of my comic MagicalMashup! (developer side, I literally just started posting pages last month) and on the last page of chapter one I couldn’t help but notice just how verbose it was. Junah, protagonist, is on a call with her three parents and there are chat bubbles crowding most of the page. Not only is it a wordy panel, but I also worry about readers being able to tell who is talking @.@. Each character has a unique way of speaking, but I’m not sure that’s enough to tell who’s saying what for bubbles that have shorter responses. I was going to go back and rework it (which would entail adding another 2-3 pages of chewing the fat that I don’t want to burn any more time on) but I have a time schedule to keep so I’m going to leave it.
For now…
Anyhow, I wanted to know how you all tackle the issue of word bubbles for characters off panel, or panels with lots of wording, as fellow comic creators (or connoisseurs of the comic art form)? Do you add/prefer color to tell who’s talking so never worry about this? Do you prefer/like little symbol to indicate a specific character is speaking? I’m curious to hear ya’lls thoughts and approaches to this. Examples welcomed!
TLDR: What approaches do ya’ll take (or prefer) when it comes to differentiating word bubbles between multiple characters speaking when some are off panel or crowding into one panel?
Live do and learn, you’ll get better. – Lady T.
