The Visual Storytelling of Esad Ribic

There is something calming about Esad Ribic’s art. Whenever I am reading a book with his art it takes on a mood that draws me in, lowers my heart rate and settles me into the story.

This is a very unusual phenomenon for a comic and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why it happened, but I am beginning to think it is as much to do with his pacing and visual ques as it is his soft tones. As a child, I experienced a similar feeling upon hearing the incantation “once upon a time”, so I suspect the storytelling is the key here.

Take the image above taken from Secret Wars #2. It is a typical scene establishment, and at first glance not particularly unusual in comics.

Panel 1 Exterior of castle > Panel 2 long shot of Strange at desk> Panel 3 Detail of Strange’s studies > Panel 4 Side glance towards visitor > Panel 5 reveal of visiting Thor

The thing that shines through is the pacing and the skill involved, let’s take a look at the panels in detail.



Panel 1 Exterior of castle

Establishing shots are scene setters. They convey a sense of place and situation. The minimum requirement here would be a long angle view of the castle, and often they are followed with medium distance views of the location with the wider scene.

Instead we have a shot from an askew angle looking down upon the scene. This is our second view of the castle in this issue, and cleverly Esad chooses the same angle but with a closer and more specifically focused shot. He is making use of our memory of the earlier scene to sneakily jump us straight into a medium shot. The colouring is darker with emphasis on the framing of the branches, while the inset panel carefully obscures the main hall and its more tranquil surroundings.



If the angle isn’t making us feel uneasy with a sense of foreboding, then the shading and the spooky branches certainly are.

The focus of the image is the light emerging from a doorway leading our eye down and towards the action, which conveniently allows us to create our own even closer medium shot, giving us a sense of slow zoom into the action.

And so Esad has effortlessly set the tone, situation, and a double sense of movement, all in one Panel.

Panel 2 Long shot of Strange at desk

The establishing panel has already done a good job of locating us in the world, but now Esad continues his sense of movement by showing us the entrance to Strange’s office. We get the sense that if we had zoomed into the previous panel and moved through the illuminated doorway we would be greeted with this view. Helping with these sense of place is the matching of the yellow flames which contrast with the more stark lighting of the entrance itself. this draws us towards the colour that we unconsciously match from the establishing panel.



By choosing this angle we also get a sense of grandeur from the architecture, clearly Strange’s office reflects both his importance in this world and his position in our story. We know where we are and we have a sense of why we are here.

Panel 3 Detail of Strange’s studies

The close-up immediately shows us what Strange is looking at. The plans of the lifeboat serve to bring us within his mind. He is contemplating the arrival of this vessel. Again the choice of colour mirrors the doorway and the flames, making it clear this is of specific import. Although the image is not referred to on this page we know that the scene we are being shown is all about this vessel.



This is a pacing element, the conversation is only just beginning and is currently focused on past scenes but we are already clear on where we are going and why.

Panel 4 Side glance towards visitor

We are already into conversation but the angle is a close up of Strange. The illumination of his face is all from the unseen screen. We see his serious expression and by showing his eye moving towards his visitor and not his whole head it again helps us note that the object in his hand is taking up most of his attention. It helps us recognise that the current dialogue is not the main reason for the scene.

Panel 5 Panel 5 reveal of visiting Thor

The medium, over the shoulder shot of the old Thor arriving allows us to see the scene from Strange’s perspective. The motion of the visitor is reflecting our journey into this very scene, but we have been privileged as the reader. We have been one step ahead of the Thor. Despite our simmilar journey we get to stand with Strange. We also know exactly why he is here while the Thor believes he is here to round off his day.

More subtly, the pose of the Thor as he steps up to Strange’s level makes sure we know the relative status of those present, and the moment chosen suggests a bent knee.

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Such effortless visual cues help the reader stay focused within the story. The reader always has a sense of where and why they are here. It adds to an immersive feeling. A feeling that we are in the hands of a capable storyteller.