Hypercomics
Encyclopedia
Hypercomics refers to a variation of webcomics, coming from the merging of the term "hypertext
" with "comics
." While traditional comics have been posted on the Internet
as drawings scanned into digital media or even drawn entirely on computer, hypercomics take advantage of the properties of their electronic existence to offer an experience that is impossible with traditional print comics.
Hypercomics have been created that add a number of features to a comic/webcomic, including sound, animation, hyperlinks, non-linear breakdowns, reader interaction, and spatial expansion (such as infinite canvas
).
The webcomic Argon Zark!
made use of some of these technique early on its run, in the second half of 1996. Page 46 makes use of animation within the comic (the first example of many in that webcomic). Page 40 and 41 have a clickable button on the page that switches back and forth between the two pages. A few pages earlier, page 38 shows a parodic web direction which the reader can click on, taking him outside the normal page sequence of the comic.
Scott McCloud
argued for the creation of hypercomics (without (?) using that term), in his Reinventing Comics. In particular, he is known for advocating the use of the infinite canvas.
Hypertext
Hypertext is text displayed on a computer or other electronic device with references to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence. Apart from running text, hypertext may contain tables, images and other presentational devices. Hypertext is the...
" with "comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
." While traditional comics have been posted on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
as drawings scanned into digital media or even drawn entirely on computer, hypercomics take advantage of the properties of their electronic existence to offer an experience that is impossible with traditional print comics.
Hypercomics have been created that add a number of features to a comic/webcomic, including sound, animation, hyperlinks, non-linear breakdowns, reader interaction, and spatial expansion (such as infinite canvas
Infinite canvas
The infinite canvas is the idea that the size of a digital comics page is theoretically infinite, and that online comics are therefore not limited by conventional page sizes. An artist could conceivably display a complete comics story of indefinite length on a single "page"...
).
The webcomic Argon Zark!
Argon Zark!
Argon Zark! is a webcomic, created by cartoonist and web site designer Charley Parker. It is arguably the first true Web comic, i.e. the first continuing comic story created specifically to be distributed on the World Wide Web. The strip first appeared in June 1995...
made use of some of these technique early on its run, in the second half of 1996. Page 46 makes use of animation within the comic (the first example of many in that webcomic). Page 40 and 41 have a clickable button on the page that switches back and forth between the two pages. A few pages earlier, page 38 shows a parodic web direction which the reader can click on, taking him outside the normal page sequence of the comic.
Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud is an American cartoonist and theorist on comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium...
argued for the creation of hypercomics (without (?) using that term), in his Reinventing Comics. In particular, he is known for advocating the use of the infinite canvas.
External links
- http://www.e-merl.com
- Hypercomics by Neal Von Flue
- http://www.scottmccloud.com
- "El Profe: Antigravedad" Spanish/English webcomic using animation
- Machinima IslandMachinima IslandMachinima Island was a experimental project created by Inter-Activa which mixed social networks, virtual worlds and Machinima. The project was conceptualised in 2004 and completed 2006...
Machinima Island