The Shape of Poetry Comics, Part I

Building a feeling in nine panels

It’s time to geek out on comics structure.

How do words and pictures combine to create more than the sum of their parts? How does a sequence of panels suggest a story, a feeling, a world?

One of the simplest, most effective comic structures is the four panel strip:

This 2x2 grid works well for quick jokes and brief ideas—or Words of Wonder.

But what happens if we expand to a 3x3 grid?

Nine panels. A single page. Not too many words.

I often begin with an image from real life captured in my sketchbook.

One summer morning I watched a hot air balloon launch at my city’s river festival. I’ve only been on a hot air balloon once, and I was so young I barely remember it. But the sight still ignites my imagination. This day I noticed how odd the balloons look lying on the ground before they are inflated.

Maybe there’s a metaphor there?

Comics are an ideal medium for showing time passing. The world changes from panel to panel, however slightly.

These changes are often mundane. Unmentionable. In poetry, however, the commonplace is the root of the transcendent.

After a long day in the studio I went out to mow the grass. My front yard was full of flowers. And not the desirable kind. Lawn care: not even poets can escape it.

Instead of grabbing a bottle of weed killer, I took out my sketchbook.

Dandelions sprouting. Ripples forming in puddles. Reflections shimmering in and out of view.

What do these subjects actually look like? How can I draw them in a clear, simple way?

When I combine my words with a sequence of images from nature, interesting things start to happen. A rhythm forms. A feeling builds. A poem is created.

A nine panel comic emphasizes small shifts of perspective. Patterns, colors, and lines repeat. Words and images interact in unexpected ways.

These techniques create sensations and evoke feelings. When all goes well, the page comes together in a final moment of insight.

Sometimes I try way too hard to make a poetry comic happen. When I find I’m forcing the words or pictures, it’s time to take a rest.

One of my favorite simple pleasures is a backyard nap under a tree. I close my eyes. I shake loose my active mind. My subconscious takes over.

“Let nothing cross your mind.” Impossible, maybe. But worth trying.

The best poetry comics are like a sunrise: brief but spectacular.

And if you miss it, don’t worry. There’s another one to look forward to tomorrow.

---

These comics appear in my book THE ART OF LIVING: REFLECTIONS ON MINDFULNESS AND THE OVEREXAMINED LIFE.