A New-Age Comic
Room of Swords is a digital comic written and illustrated by a Seattle-based couple called Toonimated. The comic is presented vertically, a format often found in Korean comics called “manhwa”. This is unique to digital media because instead of flipping page to page to see the next set of panels, readers simply scroll down. Webtoon, the website and app that this comic is found on, also allows artists to include music that plays while the reader scrolls through each chapter, sometimes changing songs after a certain panel. What makes Room of Swords an innovative form of media is, in addition to the previously mentioned attributes, the occasional use of animation throughout the first season.
When diving deep into a panel of a comic, the reader sees several tools used by the artist to give the idea of motion. Sometimes the outline of a character or object is blurred, sometimes the character/object is given action lines to show the direction of their movement, and almost always they are accompanied by sound effects. These are done to closely imitate real life and draw the reader deeper into the story, just like how description is used in prose. The implementation of small bits of animation can be considered as the next step towards imitating real life. Characters’ hair moves in the wind, mouths open and close while talking, action lines wiggle and float to further replicate the idea of movement. A great example from childhood are the flip-o-ramas from Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants, where the reader quickly flips a page back and forth to make a two frame animation. The digital format takes out the need for the reader to make the action themselves (and also removes the risk of tearing pages). In Room of Swords, flame erupts, characters blink, and little exclamation marks hover near characters’ heads to show surprise. The comic uses these few-frame animations to breathe new life into the digital comic format.
When looking at Japanese comics (manga) and cartoons (anime), the cartoons are often seen as an end goal. Getting an anime adaptation for a manga typically means that more viewers will interact with it and then drive the sales of the merchandise (and comic) up. This is because the animation and voice acting breathes life into the characters that isn’t as prominent when reading the source material. Room of Swords doesn’t have the voice acting component, but the animation humanizes each character and builds a closer relationship between them and the reader.
Speaking of reaching the reader, the format is made to be easily accessed by a reader in the current day and age. This comic is meant to be accessed by phone, a new medium which has become a constant in our daily life. Readers can interact with the comic from anywhere. Gone are the days of having bins full of each issue displaying the spectacular actions of super heroes. Gone are the days of buying every chapter in skinny little books from comic stores. Comics on Webtoon are free — with an option to pay if one wants to read ahead — and are accessed entirely from a mobile device.
Microtransactions themselves are something found very commonly in the digital age. Their infamy comes from video games, especially games found on cell phones. There is a term found in massively multiplayer online role playing games called “pay-to-win”, where players will abuse items paid for not with in-game currency, but real world dollars. This bled into other formats, such as the “Fast Pass” offered by Webtoon where readers can read an extra three chapters ahead. Room of Swords utilizes this new age transaction to allow readers access to even more content for only a few dollars, yet another way this comic exemplifies digital media.
Back on the topic of format, the vertical scrolling method is something found only in comics online or comic strips in newspapers. Panels and dialogue bleed into each other, sometimes spreading out into a beautiful piece of art that takes up more than the whole phone screen. This helps establish a continuity not found in previous comic styles. Sometimes, reading a comic can be like reading a storyboard for a short video. The reader knows the action and what’s happening in each shot, but the images themselves are static and disjointed. The transitions have to happen in the mind of the reader. Great examples of this can be found in Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man, which implements several framing elements and transitions often found in cinema.
Another element of video that movies and cartoons have that comics don’t is music. Sound effects from comics are famous (thwack, ka-pow), but music is sadly absent. Webtoons, including Room of Swords, sometimes use music that is supposed to be played while reading the chapter. Music, when used correctly, heightens the experience of the viewer. A classic example is the use of music in horror and thriller movies: shrill violins, crescendos, discordant sounds, and a brief moment of silence before the monster jumps out and nabs the terrified victim. Star Wars: A New Hope, for example, opens up with one of the most recognizable themes in cinema history, with brass blasting in the viewer’s face and hyping them up for the grand adventure about to take place. The authors of Room of Swords use music in a very similar way that entices the reader to dive further into the story. Music carries emotion with every note, and adding it to comics does not change that fact. Music and comics can exist together easily because of the medium provided with the digital age. It, just like the animation, draws the reader into the story, guiding the emotions down the path the author and illustrator takes them down.
Room of Swords takes the reader further into the story by implementing aspects of media not previously found in non-digital comics. It is due to their electronic nature that they can feature the enhancing effects of animation and music. That is why it is one of the best examples of digital media in this day and age. It carries forward, evolving a previously loved medium into a more complete format while still staying true to its core: a comic.
