Deadly Class - How Graphic Design Can Inform Page Layout

The page composition, the rows and panels arrangement are maybe the most important tools for a comic-book artist. And when it comes to coming up with inventive compositions, Wes Craig, Deadly Class’ artist, is one of the biggest talents of the industry. Watch me deconstruct one of his pages and figure out its extraordinary underlying structure.
⚡️ Get my new artbook here!
🔥 Support us on Patreon! / elsacharretier
🐤 My Twitter : / e_charretier
📷 My Instagram: / elsacharretier
Directed & edited by Pierrick Colinet
French translation by Arnaud Kikoo
Musics by ELFL, « Sunstorm »
Logo by Tom Muller

[@EliSchwab]

"The Grid" said in Tron voice... This is amazing!!

[@artmoloch777]

Your channel is criminally underrated.

[@edmonddantesque2041]

I didn't know Wes Craig. Now I want to read every comic book he made.Thank you for your vidéo

[@winstongambro341]

I'd love an Eduardo Risso page analyzed! I'd also vote for Chris Samnee, Stuart Immonen or Tim Sale

[@AaronFelizmenio]

I second this!

[@jawsquid]

What a great list! Would love to see any of those guys, all favorites.

[@ariewashere121]

I love his channel so much. I appreciate all of your research Elsa and your incredible insight. I feel like I’m getting a better understanding of storytelling and comic making. Thank you! I look forward to season two!

[@mattl5046]

This episode was wonderful and Wes Craig’s design sense is great! Thank you!

[@spacetrains30]

I can't think of a more informative and well presented KZbin Channel on any topic . That is for your videos.

[@shaundoiron3153]

Everything you point out blows my mind. The skill and design sense these artists have is unreal. Thank you for your great analysis, keep bringing us more!

[@mrvic9395]

Love your videos and you 80s hip-hop vibe

[@middlemarv]

I would love it if you did a video on Steve Dillons layouts. I know you talk alot about negative space in comics but I would really love to see your take on Dillon who really filled his panel backgrounds. I also just want to say thank you. I really identify with your story and how you got into comics. I too am a creative person and want to have some fun in the comic medium. I really appreciate you taking the time to go over these things. Keep on, keeping on.

[@iamkurogane]

Wow! I love Wes Craig’s panel layouts but holy moly this sheds a new light on everything I’ve read. Thanks so much Elsa!

[@ZacLovelace]

What a wealth of wisdom! Would love to see you break down some Kirby.

[@boomjch]

Wes Craig is a genius. Great video!

[@danieljamesbarton]

One thing I noticed about comic layout is the similarities to the later Mondrian paintings of just primary colors....

[@sarahferris7892]

I'm so glad that these are back, thanks for your awesome content, this was excellent!

[@devinagonistes]

Thanks for another great video! I love how you break down the way artists direct the eye. I would enjoy seeing you look at a page by Sloane Leong, particularly from Prism Stalker. Thanks again!

[@Xen_28]

I was so happy when I saw the notification for a new video! Second season lets gooooo. I love your analysis, this channel has taught me so much!

[@thisisbradleyt]

Another amazing case study

[@RemyWilde]

Fantastic breakdown. Didn't disappoint. Glad to have the videos back :)

[@TiagoPalma]

Great episode! Figuring out the page layout and finding what suits the story best, yet making it visually interesting, is always a challenge!! David Aja's work is beautiful that way too. Both in the Hawkeye series as well as his The Seeds book.

[@tonydelgado8145]

Great necklace!

[@munkholt]

I'd love to hear Elsa chat to the Kayfabe Cartoonists.

[@MarioGaGabriel]

Thank you very much for your videos! They are very useful :)

[@juanalbarran75]

Great video, amazing chain

[@brunodomingosazevedo]

This is absolutely amazing, all your videos are, but this is one of the best i see off the topic and gonna realy help me on my studies, i would love see somenthing of Eduardo Risso analized by you, i'm realy liking moonshine. (sorry if the english is bad)

[@ElsaCharretierChannel]

You're English is great and as a fellow non-native, you'll never hear me complain ;) I'm a huge Risso fan and I've been thinking about a video about him for a while. I'll get there eventually!

[@brunodomingosazevedo]

@@ElsaCharretierChannel Thanks=) great to know, can't wait.

[@saadniazi]

very enjoyable listen!

[@hunterdelaneycomics]

It would be awesome to see some Darwyn and maybe even Katsuhiro Otomo or Naoki Urasawa! But hey, that’s just me!

[@ElsaCharretierChannel]

I had started an Akira Case Study but never got around to finishing it! Will do, at some point :)

[@hunterdelaneycomics]

@@ElsaCharretierChannel yay! That also goes without saying, your channel has been such an invaluable resource as a creator! So thank you to you and pierrick for this channel!

[@achimernest7656]

Very interesting analysis. I learned a lot as always. Keep this format for other comics book. Thanks for your hard work.

[@kikecherta4392]

Please, take a look at the art of Albert Monteys in Universe! or Slaughterhouse 5. The way he plays with color, layout and page flow is just amazing.

[@ElsaCharretierChannel]

I LOVE this book! I'm planning to do something about it in the near future.

[@heydudevader1311]

Go lefty!!!!!

[@mikebennewitz]

Great stuff!

[@AIFMusician]

Brilliant.

[@phelipegoncalves9355]

Congratulations on the video! My suggestion is: Frank Miller's art from Wolverine miniseries (1982)

[@squarehead3336]

Can you do a video on Frank Quitely? Specifically peacemakers appearence in Pax Americana.

[@junkdraw]

Amazing insight, this info you share is always invaluable. I spied a Headlopper in there - I would love to see your thoughts on one of those pages.

[@puppeli]

I love how you analyze comics. I wish there were other channels that did this too (or at least i dont know any). Although, i cannot help but think of the last four panels, on the "first tier" of the page, as one panel (damn, that was an awkward sentence). Its just an image of the protagonists face, broken into four panels. I guess the artist wanted to stretch the time the reader was looking at that image. Thus giving the reader a feeling of slow motion (i guess). But i dont like it. I want to believe there has to be a better way to achieve the same effect.

[@osohista]

leaving a comment for the mighty algo gods

[@jasonschmason]

Please do Dark Knight Returns!

[@walderjohan]

Hello, just discovered your work - it s really interesting. As a personal note, I find the 2 pages selected close to unreadable. The grid from Graphic design I totally agree, but in term of readability it's really messy. Less is more and I Kinda feel the "prowess" but not the flow if it makes sens. To me mangaka are really masters if you're looking for cinema-like storytelling. You could check One punch man - although story wise not really interesting, the fight sequences are movies on pages. It's another book format though..... Thanks for your nice videos by the way !

[@DarthStevenus]

Would you ever consider analyzing some manga, like Uzumaki or something else from Junji Ito?

[@sneekopotamus]

How about a Carmine di giandomenico breakdown? His action is fantastic. Also you're doing such a good job with these.

[@ElsaCharretierChannel]

Oh, excellent idea!

[@traumwelt1975]

hi, first of all... Bon on va parler français...XD Tout d'abord un grand merci pour partager ainsi votre savoir, vos analyses sont vraiment très interessantes. Et sinon je me demandais si vous vous étiez déjç intéréssée au travail de Christopher Bachalo ? Si oui , ce pourrait une excellente chose pour moi si vous décidiez d'analyser son travail...XD j'adore cet auteur. Et bravo pour l'ensemble de vos oeuvres, et tout specialement November.

[@kurokomics]

Love your videos, thanks for the good work. It would be interesting if you talked about the why some pannels get separated into mini panels, just like panel 5 in this video: which got divided into 4 panels. Like Sometimes it can mean diferrent perspectives put to me this pannel five doesnt really comunicate an internal monologue he should hit the man or not. It could have been only one pannel and it would have worked sin he changed his mind. Anyways, I love this type of content thanks a lot.

[@ElsaCharretierChannel]

Right, maybe I could have got into more detail about that panel 5. As you know, each panel is a moment. So, 4 frames equals 4 moments. He thinks about it for 4 frames, which means he's wrestling with the decision, instead of a split-second decision that would only take a single panel/moment. Do you see what I mean?

[@kurokomics]

@@ElsaCharretierChannel Yes I can see what you mean, but since the panel is alredy bigger than the previous panels that ocurred in split second, it is implied that his stare took longer than a single instant. He wpuld have looked at the man for a while even if there was no split. Thats why i dont really get it. Specially if its the same image just divided in panels. If there were changes within each panel, like his expresion changing, a visual indication of tieme passing, or the colors settling down it would make more sense to me as a sequence of panels, not just an image dividen in panels. Thanks, I apreciate your answer.

[@jacknevels]

Je suggère Alex Toth, le maître absolu du découpage à l'os, sans une gramme de gras. N'importe quelle planche de Bravo for Adventure fait l'affaire : il a inspiré tellement d'artistes après lui que décortiquer Toth, c'est instruire sur Samnee, Shaner, Lark, Cooke, Rude...