MALIN X@JonMalin
ONE THING ARTISTS AND MODERN EDITORS NEVER NOTICED ABOUT WALLY WOOD’S 22 PANELS.
Grab a chair. Malin gonna school ya…
Ah yes, the PRECIOUS “22 panels that always work.” The act of simply mentioning or posting this image is a call to other artists saying “I know my shit!” It’s the single most talked about “conversation composition for dummies” in the history of the comics industry, for artists.
But you missed something: The art of the ACTUAL “conversation.” In this case, between Wood and the reader.
That’s right, baby—The positions of the muthafuckin’ word balloons!
Almost every one of them is top-lined (a couple use bottom-lined).
The ones that technically aren’t top-lined are still up top, or have no border to attach to. All are out of the way.
Regarding the two that use the full ellipse and are deeper in the panel:
#11 doesn’t really benefit the panel composition, only in “changing it up.” Also, two tails for two balloons that could have a connector (to keep a pause) or be merged—this is bad.
#12’s balloon is actually poorly positioned over the non-speaker’s head, almost a tangent in the shadow, leaving all that big, beautiful negative space above the speaker’s head where the balloon should be...it’s goddamn embarrassing.
…and it NEVER works.
“Pro tip:” Make sure your letterer top-lines your balloons, N-word! Not always, but MOSTLY.
