Comics Honor

Arts & Crafts

Requirements

1. Write a report on comics, containing their main historical facts, characteristics and characters, explaining why they are considered the Ninth Art.

   Answer: HISTORY: the modern comic was born in 1895 with 'Yellow Kid', by Richard Outcault, in the USA. Milestones: Tintin (1929, Hergé/Belgium), Superman (1938, Action Comics #1), the explosion of Marvel/DC in the 1960s. IN BRAZIL: Maurício de Sousa founded his studio in 1959, with Mônica, Cebolinha and the Turma da Mônica. CHARACTERISTICS: a narrative told in panels (frames) in sequence; the use of speech/thought balloons, captions, onomatopoeias and motion lines; the integration of text and image; the gutter (the space between the panels) where the reader completes the action. Notable CHARACTERS: Mônica, Cebolinha, Superman, Batman, Tintin, Asterix. WHY IT IS THE NINTH ART: the expression was established by the critic Claude Beylie (1964) when classifying the arts — comics are considered the Ninth Art because they combine drawing (visual arts) and literature (text/narrative) in their own autonomous language, with recognized aesthetic and cultural value, capable of telling complex stories by uniting image and word. — The term 'Ninth Art' was coined by the Frenchman Claude Beylie in 1964 — he recognized comics as an autonomous artistic language that combines elements of the previous arts (literature + painting + cinema) in a sequential form unique in the history of world arts.

2. What is a comic strip?

   Answer: A COMIC STRIP (or newspaper strip) is a short comic format composed of 2 to 4 panels in a horizontal sequence, generally published in daily newspapers, magazines or social media. — Charles Schulz drew Snoopy (Peanuts) for 50 consecutive years without repeating a single strip (1950-2000) — a total of 17,897 published strips, an absolute record in the history of comics and perhaps of any continuous individual creative work worldwide.

3. Describe how to develop a script for a comic story, citing and explaining what its main steps and techniques are.

   Answer: Main steps and techniques for developing the script of a comic: 1) PREMISE — the central idea summarized in one sentence (what the story is about and what the conflict is); 2) CHARACTERS — define the protagonist, antagonist and secondary characters with a profile of each (appearance, personality, motivation and objective); 3) SYNOPSIS — a summary of the plot in 1 or 2 paragraphs, with a beginning, middle and end; 4) NARRATIVE STRUCTURE — divide into introduction, development (conflict), climax and resolution; 5) BREAKDOWN/PAGE-BY-PAGE SCRIPT — distribute the story across pages and panels (frames), describing what appears in each panel; 6) DESCRIPTION OF THE PANELS — for each panel indicate the setting, the framing/shot (wide, medium, close), the angle and the action of the characters; 7) DIALOGUE AND TEXT — write the lines (speech/thought balloons), captions/narration and onomatopoeias (sounds); 8) RHYTHM AND TRANSITIONS — control the pace of the narrative through the size and number of panels and the use of the gutter (space between panels) where the reader completes the action; 9) REVISION — reread and adjust coherence, clarity and flow before moving on to the drawing. Key techniques: storyboard/preliminary sketch, shots and camera angles, balance between text and image, and a hook at the end of each page to maintain interest. — Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit, 1940) is considered the father of the theory of sequential art — in his books 'Comics and Sequential Art' (1985) and 'Graphic Storytelling' (1996), he systematized the techniques of scripting and illustration that became a worldwide reference.

4. Put together an image bank showing at least 5 different studies and/or styles of character anatomy. Choose one of them to present a series of different positions drawn by yourself, using male and female characters.

   Answer: A bank of 5 anatomical studies: (1) HEAD — proportion, angles (profile, 3/4, frontal), facial expressions; (2) TORSO — proportions (8 heads = adult height), chest, shoulders, hips; (3) HANDS AND FEET (considered the hardest parts). — Andrew Loomis (1892-1959) is considered the best anatomy instructor for artists — his book 'Figure Drawing for All It's Worth' (1943) teaches the 8-heads-tall method, a standard used by Disney, DC and Marvel to this day worldwide.

5. Explain and give hand-drawn examples of the following items:
   • Pre-production, production, and post-production.
   • Composition: page design, panel, scene, narrative appropriateness.
   • Graphic text elements: captions, speech balloons, onomatopoeias, "lettering", typography.
   • Finishing art: traditional, special treatments, mixed techniques.

   Answer: 1) Pre-production, production and post-production: PRE-PRODUCTION gathers the script, research of visual references and layout (sketch of the arrangement) of the pages; PRODUCTION is the execution of the drawing — pencil sketch, inking in India ink, coloring and lettering; POST-PRODUCTION takes care of revision, preparation for printing and dissemination of the work. 2) Composition (page design, panel, scene, narrative fit): page design organizes the panels (frames) and the reading rhythm; the panel is each scene delimited by a frame; the scene is what happens inside the panel (framing, angle, shots); narrative fit ensures that the size and arrangement of the panels reinforce the rhythm of the story — large panels for important moments, small ones for quick actions. 3) Graphic text elements: captions are the narrator's text boxes; balloons contain the speech and thoughts of the characters (with variations in shape for a shout, whisper, thought); onomatopoeias graphically represent the sounds (BANG, CRASH); 'lettering' is the application of the text in the balloons and captions; typology is the choice of fonts and letter style, hand-drawn or digital. 4) Inking (traditional, special treatments, mixed techniques): traditional inking uses India ink, dip pen and brush over the pencil; special treatments include hatching, textures, screen tones and light and shadow effects; mixed techniques combine different media — traditional line with painting, collage or digital finishing. — Onomatopoeias are fundamental in comics — in Japanese there are more than 1,000 onomatopoeias for distinct sounds (manga), while Portuguese uses about 50; their visual choice conveys the intensity, direction and emotion of the represented sound.

6. Create a character who will be one of the 12 disciples and write a story of at least 30 panels about their missionary journey.

   Answer: Create a young version of a disciple (suggestions: Peter, John, Andrew, James, Matthew, Philip). DESIGN: clothing of the period (tunics, sandals), features that reflect the biblical personality (Peter impulsive, John affectionate, Matthew organized). — The Acts of the Apostles is the primary source for the lives of the disciples after Pentecost — Peter preached in Jerusalem, Rome; Thomas traditionally went to India; John was exiled on Patmos; James was the first martyr (Acts 12:2); Judas Iscariot was replaced by Matthias.

7. Put together a comic telling the story of the Turma do Nosso Amiguinho, containing the author, characters and other relevant information.

   Answer: TURMA DO NOSSO AMIGUINHO: a Christian children's magazine from CASA PUBLICADORA BRASILEIRA (CPB), published since 1958, aimed at Adventist children aged 4-12. Main AUTHORS over the decades: Egil Wensell (founder), then the CPB's editorial teams. — The Nosso Amiguinho magazine is the oldest Christian children's title in Latin America still in circulation — since 1958 it has brought stories with a biblical message adapted to the child's mind, being read by more than 3 generations of Adventists throughout Brazil.

8. Draw a comic strip about a funny incident that happened in your Club or unit.

   Answer: Create a comic strip with 3-4 panels narrating a REAL comic situation from the club: e.g., someone tied the wrong knot and the equipment fell; painted their face during a nighttime activity without realizing it; burned the food on the campfire; got lost on the trail. — Healthy Christian humor follows Proverbs 17:22 ('a merry heart does good like a medicine') and Ecclesiastes 3:4 ('a time to laugh') — Christian humor builds community bonds without mocking people (Prov 26:18-19); ideal for strengthening Adventist fellowship in the club.

9. Create a color cover in A3 size in comic-book style for the missionary book of the year.

   Answer: The MISSIONARY BOOK OF THE YEAR is an Adventist evangelistic book distributed free of charge in a global campaign, chosen annually by the General Conference. Recent examples: 'Living with Hope', 'Total Health', 'In Search of Hope'. — The Missionary Book of the Year (also called the 'Book of the Year' or 'Sharing Book') is part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's 'Total Member Involvement' strategy — it has distributed more than 50 million copies globally since 2010, being the largest evangelical literary campaign in the world.