Use of Large White Spaces Between Panels

[JRHoch]

I've come across a number of comics where they have considerable white space between panels. Being more familiar with Western comics, at first I thought this was annoying and a waste of space, but now I'm wondering if it serves a different purpose: to slow the reader down and keep the audience from just scrolling too fast. Sort of a built in pacing method. Thoughts?

[AniStaciaArt]

Space between panels has always been supposed to mean time passing. If events happen simultaneously you put them in the same panel (or overlap if you're fancy). It's just a visual cue for a medium where time is relative.

[HGohwell]

It is meant for pacing and for time passing. The problem is lots of comics misuse is and you're scrolling for hours just between two panels in a fight scene when there should be action and the panels should be closer for flow just because they've seen scrolling comics do the white space and copy without thinking about why they do it and that's when it gets annoying.

[skicoak]

I had read somewhere that it developed on sites that tracked reader's time on a episode ....so it padded that stat.

Take it with a grain of salt though, never seen it repeated.

[JRHoch]

I've seen comics where every panel, in the same scene, has large spacing.

[JRHoch]

Interesting. I've seen so many bad uses of this I was wondering if it was a cultural thing!

[ble]

This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.

[AniStaciaArt]

I have seen misuses. Usually from people who see it, think it's a cool technique, but dont study how or why. Theres a scene in my comic where theres a long bit of white space, but it's meant to be a big awkward pause. If the panel spacing isnt flowing correctly for the story than it's being used incorrectly.

[nixxusnibelheim]

I heard of that as well. I read it somewhere (maybe on this forum) when I was looking about how long a webtoon update should be.

And one of the reply said, the longer the better because webtoon can track the engagement base on multiple factors, the retention being one, I guess it's easier to track that kind of stat if the update is longer.
And if the update doesn't have a lot of panels, you can space them out so you can hit the "imaginary" mark.

Don't know if it's true but it kinda make sense.

[Wumbl]

It's just another one of the panelling basics. Space between your panels has all kinds of uses.

It can be used to make a scene feel more slow-paced, or to create a sense of unease (like if you're building something up).
Also, it can make the panels feel more claustrophobic if they're far apart? I have been using panel distance quite a lot myself to play with pacing for horror for example. The more vivid and intense scenes are closer together and even overlapping. The more calm but uneasy parts have some distance and gaps.

Another use is to emphasise the meaning of dialogue - if you want your dialogue to stand out you can leave a space blank and put your word balloons in there or something. You can leave a lot of space around a small illustration to make a metaphor for isolation or anxiety or something like that. You can make your page cluttered (but still coherent) with panels to make it seem erratic or chaotic.

Panelling is pretty complicated! Sometimes people apply these techniques seemingly at random due to lack of understanding, but most creators are able to come up with a lot of great storytelling with it.

[Rodimus13]

On webtoon they recommend it as a way to build tension or to help show a change in scene/time

[graveweaver]

Its like you said, just meant to slow the reader down. It also creates real pauses for the reader that mimick any pause the character would have while speaking. I think this is why webtoons just seem overall more slow and quaint, because the format makes it slower.

I think people who mimick the style often do it wrong, since theyre copying the featured creators on webtoons. I see a lot of people genuinely using it to make their 15 panel chapter seem super long, but thats a misuse of the format and it should be used to create breath between dialogue and scene transitions.

[scythe]

I use a wide space between panels for standard pacing, then a long space for scene transitions, and tight spaces to emphasise action. Panel pacing is one of the benefits the mobile format has over traditional comics.

[Tanako]

HAHAHAH god I lost it . you right unfortunately. lol when I run into those I just close the browser and move on to the next best thing. haha!