Gifs

So from the title I’m sure you can guess that this week I want to talk about comics that use gifs. There seems to be some debate within the comic world on whether adding animations within one panel no longer makes it a comic. 

I want to leave this open for discussion but I will say that I think there is room for gifs in comics without turning it into a full blown animation.

My opinion is, if the gutters (space in-between each panel) still hold meaning and is where most of the time passes within the comic, a little animation doesn’t hurt, and often it can help! Many of the comics I have found that incorporate gifs have been extremely interesting and can be more fun to read.

For example Zac Gorman is a relatively well-known artist and comic creator and many of his comics incorporate subtle gifs and animations.

I think the way Gorman implements these animations help to enhance his comics and add interest. You can see that most of the gifs he creates are of elements of the background or environment, not on the characters. I think this is important to help keep his worked grounded in comics.

Another talented comic artist that uses gifs is Jen Lee. She is the artist for a comic named Thunderpaw. Now Lee’s work uses gifs more extensively than Gorman’s, but I think this comic is still a good example of how slight animations don’t push it out of the realm of comics.

Lee’s work definitely push the boundaries and more and some could argue that too much time is passing within one panel, but overall, across the entire comic I don’t think she breaks this rule too often.

Personally, I think that adding gifs to web comics can add a ton of interest and elevates comics to a whole new level. I think that art has always grown and changed with the advancements in technology, and I think that gifs in web comics is a really great example of that happening yet again! 

Let me know what you think in the comments!

These images are a copyright © of Zac Gorman and Jen Lee. No infringement intended.