I begin this project by going out and trying to speak with people within comic shops, beginning this day in Birmingham. I aimed to ask any questions about indie products by small time artists and what they believe makes a strong comic, whilst I was at this I would also gather photographs of how comics and comic related art is presented, thinking of how effective they look to the consumer.
I began with a shop named nostalgia and comics, part of the forbidden planet international group, they specialize in the older ranges of comics but still know about and sell newer comics
From here I learnt that a strong page consists of a strong flow of images and a balance of action and simplicity, as to not over-complicate the page which is something i have made the error of doing prior to this.
Next up was the oasis indoor market with a managerie of different stores within it and a variety of art around, some hand painted others found media. However i went for a small store called the geek hut, that specializes in trading card games like Yu-Gi-Oh and Poke'mon. I found these people here to be the least helpful of the day as their focus and knowledge was elsewhere, however they did have an unusual opinion on what makes a great comic page. they believe that a great page is consisting of a full page spread or splash image, with smaller panels over it to add to the composition and help the flow of the page.
The last specifically comic based stop on this trip was to probably the most well known of the day, being Forbidden Planet. They specialize in all things 'Nerd' related and each member of staff has a different yet connected knowledge when concerning the media of comics.
From here i received a variety of opinions but the underlying message behind it was that in order to make a great comic page you have to create art work thats fit for purpose and furthers the story, with an emphasis on major plot points. Another key thing they mentioned to me was to try and make the boring stuff interesting as then the reader wont get fatigued reading.
Whilst walking around the city you can see how Comic art has influenced modern society as its vastly more commonly used in advertisements, but the toy ranges are the more interesting development as before the mcu began superhero toys weren't seen all that often yet now they are in every toy shop but even in places that sell other items like film and music, but also in smaller stores in some cases.
I also found a series of films where the covers were directly made to reflect the comic book media, the first of which being a collection of comic book based films, including titiles like Van Helsing, The incredible hulk, Kick Ass and Scott Pilgrim vs the world. Yet also on other films like Shaun of the Dead and Fast and Furious.
But equally the reverse of Deadpool's cover gives a good representation of panels and layout.
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