Is decompression in comics wrong?
Comic Reviews for week ending 7/17/2022
Good morning, my friend,
In last week’s newsletter, I promised to add a few tasty morsels of thought about that dreaded “D” word - Decompression. So, is decompression in comics wrong? No, IF it’s done the right way. Today, we’ll define decompression in comics, and explain when it can work by following one simple rule.
For all the chatter around the word “decompression”, not many people take the time to clearly define its purpose in comic writing. Put simply, decompression means allowing a story to play out without holding to a rigidly predetermined number of pages or issues.
For example, a writer may have a series of scripts that tell a story using a basic three-act structure. Instead of telling each act in a single issue, the writer spreads the story over six or more issues because the character- and world-building are necessary to give the main plot the most impact. In other words, more meat on the bone makes for a tastier meal.
As with any approach to writing, there are right ways and wrong ways to follow decompression. The right way starts by following one, simple rule - Extra scenes must be additive to an already-established main plot.
Let’s take a hypothetical story example to illustrate the rule:
Spider-Man hears about a bank robbery in progress. He swings into action and finds a robber with a bomb strapped to his chest. The bomber demands all of the bank’s money, or he’ll blow up the bank and everyone in it.
Suddenly, the focus shifts to a little girl eating ice cream in the park on a warm summer day. The girl strolls happily along the path when she stops short and drops her ice cream cone on the ground. The girl collapses in convulsions. A kindly passerby sees the girl in distress and calls for an ambulance.
Later, the girl lies unconscious in a hospital bed while the doctor delivers the dire news of the girl’s need for expensive brain surgery to her distraught father.
The scene suddenly shifts back to Spider-Man’s battle with the bank bomber, and…
Did you guess what’s about to happen next? The story will eventually reveal the bank bomber to be the little girl’s father, driven to a desperate act to get money and save his little girl. This is a proper albeit simplified example of decompression because the scene centering on the little girl isn’t technically necessary. Once Spider-Man captures the bank bomber, the bomber’s motivation behind the robbery could have been revealed in one or two sentences of dialog. However, adding the little girl’s scene provides a richer explanation for the motivation to the bank bomber’s actions and creates an emotional hook that makes the bomber’s role as a father relatable.
Again, the little girl’s scene was technically unnecessary to the main plot (Spider-Man stopping a bank bomber), but the scene ties directly to the main plot and adds a fuller/richer motivation to the villain, creating an emotional hook for the reader. As a comic writer, you can add as many extra scenes as makes sense, but the main plot must be established first, and the extra scenes must be clearly additive to the main plot.
Unfortunately, there are too many examples in the Big 2 of comics of writers doing decompression the wrong way. Whole issues are dedicated to chit-chat that helps readers to get to know one or more characters without tying the scenes to the plot or informing the motivation behind that characters’ present/future actions. Remember - if the scene doesn’t have a direct bearing on the plot, it’s not decompression. It’s a waste of the readers’ time.
In summary, decompression isn’t a bad thing in comics as long as writers follow the golden rule - Extra scenes must be additive to an already-established main plot.
What do you think about decompression in comics? Do you hate the concept? Do you have favorite examples of comic stories that took their time, making the story better for it? Add your thoughts in the comments down below, and let’s see who has the best answer.
Now, let’s review the week in reviews.
POTIONS INC. #2 – Review
THE LIVING CORPSE: RELICS #5 – Review
BÊLIT & VALERIA #3 – Review
DRAGON WHISPERER (VOL.2) #2 – Review
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG FOREVER #3 – Review
MAN GOAT & THE BUNNYMAN: GREEN EGGS AND BLAM! #1 – Review
VAN HELSING: FROM THE DEPTHS – Review
THE ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. REANIMATOR: NECRONOMICON RISING #1 - Review
BETTIE PAGE: THE ALIEN AGENDA #5 – Review
IMMORTAL RED SONJA #4 – Review
VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #3 – Review
ROZ & THE BIG MAN #1 – Indie Review
SNAKE #1 – Indie Review
Nottingham #9 (Mad Cave Studios)
Monstrous: Book of the Dead #2 (Source Point Press)
Robyn Hood: The Children of Dr. Moreau (Zenescope Entertainment)
Belle: Return of Scylla (Zenescope Entertainment)
Armorclads #5 (Valiant Entertainment)
Little Red Ronin #1 (Source Point Press)
Nook #2 (Source Point Press)
Yuki vs. Panda #9 (Source Point Press)
Life Zero #6 (Ablaze Publishing)
Jennifer Blood (Vol. 2) #10 (Dynamite Comics)
Nyx #8 (Dynamite Comics)
Samurai Sonja #2 (Dynamite Comics)
Eleutheromania (Indie Submission)
Sun on the Ceiling #1 (Indie Submission)
That’s the shortlist for now. We’ll add more titles and adjust as time and resources allow.
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