For a comic to be considered “good” by readers and critics, it has to satisfy three basic criteria. The comic has to look good, it has to read well, and the story being told needs to make sense. However, there are creators who have figured out how to hide a bad comic with clever tricks that allow the creator to not meet the basics and still receive praise for their work.
Today’s Op-Ed will look at a perfect example of this trickery in practice so you know why a highly acclaimed comic makes you say “Yuck!” after reading it. Let’s talk about Wonder Woman #1 by DC Comics, writer Tom King, and artist Daniel Sampere.
In Wonder Woman #1, a rogue Amazon kills nineteen men in a pool hall, instigating countrywide backlash against all Amazons and eventually placing Wonder Woman on the nation’s Most Wanted list.
Click here to read the full breakdown and review of the issue to get all the details: https://www.weirdsciencedccomics.com/2023/09/wonder-woman-1-review.html
When you deconstruct the layers of the comic, it doesn’t pass the minimum bar to be considered a “good” comic because it only meets two of the three criteria.
But before we point out where Wonder Woman #1 falls short but still manages to hide itself as a “good” comic, here are the three areas prone to trickery by creators that make hiding possible.
Trick #1 – Above-Average Visuals
The art in Wonder Woman #1 looks great. Daniel Sampere is an acclaimed artist for a reason. He gave his all to this issue. The figure work, action, and dramatic panels are positively magnetic.
It helps to have Tomeu Morey execute brilliant colors that make Sampere’s work that much better. And therein lies the trick.
Wonder Woman #1’s art isn’t just good. It’s well above the quality of almost every DC Comic on the shelf that came out this week. (I should know. I read them all).
Trick #2 – Above-Average Scripting
This point is trickier than the average reader realizes because it’s not something you see unless you’ve done it yourself. The “story” and the “script” are not the same thing.
The script is the recipe for how the story is presented on the page. It’s the guide that explains what’s in each panel, who’s saying what words, where scenes start and finish, and the visual cues the writer wants the artist to incorporate. Think of it as a blueprint for fleshing out the pieces and assembling a comic.
I’ll give credit to Tom King on this point. He’s one of the best scripters around. Maybe not the best, but certainly in the top five at the Big 2. That means he’s a master at creating scripts that flow well and have a precise, clean construction.
Trick #3 – Above-Average Story
Since “script” and “story” are two different things, it makes sense to give you the other side of the same coin. The story is the message the creator wants to communicate to a reader. In its simplest form, a story is a journey with one or more conflicts.
The best stories can be simple or layered, long or short, or just an amusing timewaster. Whatever message the creator wants to deliver, in whatever tone, circumstances, or length, a story works when a reader can relate to what’s happening in new and surprising ways.
When a creator can surprise a reader with new ideas or fresh perspectives that a reader hadn’t thought of before but still “gets it,” that’s the holy grail of storytelling. A story will always win the day when it feels new and makes sense at the same time.
Compensating Through Imbalance
If you’ve ever heard the saying “Two out of three ain’t bad,” well, that saying doesn’t apply in the case of comics. All three basics – art, script, story – have to be in working order for a comic to pass the sniff test.
However, creators can fool a portion of the reading population with the tricks above by overdoing two to cover for the third.
If the scripting is weak, you can sneak a comic by with killer art and a killer story concept.
If the art is weak, make sure the script and story ideas are too good to ignore. For any indie creators out there reading this, if you can’t afford to hire a top-notch artist, you have a much better chance at acclaim if your script and story are amazing.
This brings us back to Wonder Woman #1 by Tom King, Daniel Sampere, and DC Comics. King, whether he consciously knows it or not, is a terrible storyteller. His story concepts have almost become a trope of deconstruction without the corresponding reconstruction to undo the damage he does to characters, and his themes almost always coalesce around constant misery.
How does Tom King keep earning so many fans and critical praise with terrible stories? He imbalances his comic with the best artists around and masterful scripting.
How to Hide A Bad Comic
A good comic requires three components – good art, a good script, and a good story. If a creator falls short in any of the three, it’s a sure bet the comic is either forgettable or even downright awful.
However, a creative team can disguise a bad comic as a good comic by overcompensating on one or more of the other two components.
Don’t be fooled by killer visuals when the story stinks. Don’t be distracted by a brilliant idea that reads as smoothly as a country highway riddled with potholes. And don’t accept a terrible story concept because the writer knows how to properly pace a scene.
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