It’s nothing new, you have probably thought about it, read about it or even had heated debates on this topic. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my working relationship with Frank is we come at making a comic from different viewpoints. I think very visually. I see scenes and snippets of story through a panel that materialises in my mind, but, it can be aimless and meandering and lose a vital part of what makes a comic readable. Cohesive storytelling - this is the strength that Frank Martin brings to the table.
In the middle of creating issue #2 of Immortal Coil, it felt like a lightbulb moment. Frank and I were already collaborating on A Thousand Cuts and had done a Swamp Thing short. Both of us being New Yorkers we share a similar demand to get things done. All of this made it a “no brainer” to ask Frank to come on board and bring that missing cohesiveness into the madness I had started.
Without the art, a comic doesn’t exist. At the same time, without a story then it’s just a bunch of pages with art on them, though perhaps visually appealing, is it telling a story?
There have been exceptions to this rule and graphic novels that have broken the mold. One great example is “Flood” by Eric Drooker. This was very inspiring to me when I was younger and exploring the edges of what a graphic novel could be.
And many of us might even recall the wordless GI Joe issue, which for me at a young age, was mind blowing. Nothing felt missing in that issue, but no letters does not mean there is no story. It is just an example of how the art and script worked so beautifully together.
Most comic artists must look at a page before sending to the letterer to see if the story comes through. Yet again, we could talk about the colorist and the letterer ad infinitum as well as the unsung work of great editors. Making comics is a team effort if we’re to be honest. The colors and the lettering is just as much of the creative cohesiveness and possibly the bridge between line artist and the writer.
So what’s my verdict? In comics, one doesn’t exist without the other. Art and story must be balanced together so that the reader is lost in the flow. I feel lucky to be making comics with a storyteller who has helped me look deeper into the power of sequential art. I think it’s made me a better artist and there’s a consistent back and forth that pushes us both to bring out the best in each other individually.
What are your thoughts?
Immortal Coil #3 is still live on Kickstarter for 4 more days! And for something fun and for anyone who physically backs Immortal Coil on Kickstarter you can be entered into an end of campaign drawing to win this 9x12 Mixed media piece by myself of “The Batman Who Laughs”.
If you are interested in checking this latest issue, visit the link below:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gvonstoddard/immortal-coil-1-3-reunion
Since I came into Immortal Coil in the middle of the first arc, I had to approach the story much differently than I would something I created from scratch. In many respects, Gerald had the story already completed. He knew what he wanted to have happen in the plot. The problem was there was just too much of it. So in a way, I didn’t so much write Immortal Coil as I did curate it.
It helps to think of the series as a stew. Gerald had a lot of ingredients, all of them were great. Explosive moments of drama and grandeur on a godly scale. Unfortunately, you can’t just dump every ingredient you have into a pot. Just because something is great on its own, doesn’t mean it will be great in the big picture when combined with others.
So Gerald and I had to sift through all the amazing characters and scenes he had visions for. It was like putting a puzzle together with some pieces, unfortunately, being left out. All to create the best story possible in just five issues. The result is a horror-filled, action epic fueled by generational trauma and enormous egos. The two of us have been simmering this stew for a while, so we hope you enjoy it.
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