Comic Book Gutter Definition

The invisible messenger if one were to look at a comic they would see empty space between the panels that contain the illustrations and dialogue of the text.

Comic book gutter definition.

This is an obvious observation that has not so obvious implications. It s this kind of interaction between the story and the reader that sets comics apart after all even novels don t force you to interact in the same way. The space between the panels of the comic shaded red in this example. Gutter the space between the panels.

According to scott mccloud the gutter is a significant part of the story telling. Aka borderless panels panels where one or more or even all of the sides of the comic panel are open to show dramatic effect. In the limbo of the gutter human imagination takes two separate images and transforms them into a single idea. In the comic world this space is known as the gutter.

Reader moves from one panel to the next and comes to a conclusion about whats happening. Readers tend to fill in the blanks and imagine what happens between panels a process known as closure. In between the panels human imagination takes two unconnected images and mentally constructs transforms them into a single idea turns them into a continuous reality. Not that i m saying one is better than the other obviously though some gutters offer less interpretation than others.

The gutter is the space between two panels within a comic strip or comic book. Scott mccloud defines the gutter in comics as the space between panels an interstitial space where meaning is made by connecting the contents of one panel to the next. As comic book scholar scott mccloud explains the gutter is used to take two separate images and transform them into a single idea mccloud 1993 p. Comics designed by traci gardner.

At its simplest form the gutter is a blank space that separates two panels.