Alex Spencer

Time for another #OneWeekOneComic thread, on Darcy Van Poelgeest/Ian Bertram's LITTLE BIRD #1. The usual mix of observations, celebrations and (relatively mild) spoilers follows.pic.twitter.com/SeKI0wwDNj

There are a lot of cool things about this comic, but one thing really stuck out to me: Bertram's layouts. Most of the comic is built on stacked page-width panels, creating a very specific rhythm.pic.twitter.com/btNsY5Dk61

A cool recurring feature of this layout is the narrow sliver panel. The comic finds multiple uses for them: establishing shots and scene transitions, extreme close-ups that create claustrophobia or – the opposite – imply an image that stretches way past the panel's boundaries.pic.twitter.com/YffWlk6qt2

When that rhythm is broken, with multiple panels on a row, it feels meaningful. Note how it creates a more regular, second-to-second beat – pow, pow, pow – rather than the stretched-out moment of a single page-width panel.pic.twitter.com/rQj7Bmd7qt

And once the violence kicks in, it shatters the layout entirely. Panels slope, overlap onto one another, stuff slips into the gutters... It's well-communicated chaos.pic.twitter.com/0zsEQTmupe

Also, maybe it's because I was paying such close attention to the layout, but when we arrive at the prison (where at least one superhero is being held), the windows of the cells couldn't help but remind me of panels on a comics page.pic.twitter.com/xDWw0uRen0

Note how Bertram defaults to wobbly edges on his panels, but switches to straight ruled borders whenever we move inside the walls of New Vatican. It's a great way of reinforcing the contrast on this page turn.pic.twitter.com/EiCWM9ccv1

Some great lettering here from @adityab – speech bubbles that are equal parts scriptural and robotic, perfectly capturing the creepy little dudes they belong to.pic.twitter.com/Eme7sanFPA