Updated to (1) fix appalling mistakes in spelling and grammar, (2) add a comparison from “I Kill Giants”, and (3) add a link to blambot.com

Lettering is often overlooked in comics and graphic novels.

However, lettering is more than just speech balloons. It’s the sequence of dialogue, the emphasis of certain words over others, and a visual representation of a character’s thoughts and emotions. When done skilfully, lettering becomes an integral component of the page, working with other elements to move a reader through one panel and into the next. A letterer holds a lot of power and responsibility—and improper lettering can bring a story to a complete halt.

“Lettering is more than just speech balloons”

Consider the following panel from Seeking Refuge. When I first read this panel, I was a bit baffled. Were all three people speaking at the same time? Was there some sort of interaction? Or were they speaking in sequence?

My interpretation (which may be completely different from what the writer and illustrator intended) is that there are two sets of interactions happening:

The first occurs between the teacher and the boy sitting in the middle of the panel.

The second occurs between the girls seated on the right side of the panel.

As illustrated and lettered, however, it seems the teacher is giving Herbert Brown a detention before the student says the word “HUN” (context if needed: a term referring to Germans and used by British propaganda during WWI and WWII).  Surely that order is meant to be reversed—shouldn’t the detention be the consequence of the utterance?

The second interaction in this panel (between the two girls) occurs concurrently with the first interaction. However, by using the same size font, the creators suggest the two girls are speaking at the same volume as the teacher. My own experiences in elementary-to-middle grade academia suggests there would be a lot more whispering (and possibly giggling) involved. Could this have been suggested by using a much smaller font within the same size balloon? That would have provided a visual cue that the girls were speaking in softer, quieter voices…and created a much more dramatic contrast to the ugliness created by the horrid Mr. Herbert Brown.

“It’s easy to miss, because it’s so subtle.”

Compare the previous panel to this one from I Kill Giants.  This scene is also set in a classroom, and again there are two sets of interactions happening. The first interaction occurs between Mr. Cooper and the class (the students are off-panel). The second interaction occurs when the teacher interrupts Mr. Cooper.  The lettering in this panel not only shows the sequence of dialogue, but visually illustrates the teacher interrupting her guest speaker.  In addition, the placement of her two joined-speech balloons on top of his single balloon both parallels and adds emphasis to the placement of her hand on his shoulder.

It’s easy to miss, because it’s so subtle.  But appreciate it, because it’s brilliant.

(For more discussion on comics grammar, check out www.blambot.com/articles_grammar.shtml)