Comic vs. Storyboard — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 30, 2024
Comic typically refers to a medium using sequential panels to tell a story, often with text; a storyboard is a sequence of drawings for visualizing a film or animation.
Difference Between Comic and Storyboard
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Comics are a form of entertainment that combine text and images in a sequence of panels to convey a story or humor. Each panel progresses the narrative, often featuring dialogue and thought bubbles. Whereas, storyboards are primarily a tool used in the pre-production phase of filmmaking or animation, consisting of a series of drawings that outline the visual sequence of scenes.
Comics are published in various formats including single strips, comic books, or graphic novels, and are designed for public consumption. On the other hand, storyboards are not typically released to the public as they serve as a functional guide for directors, cinematographers, and other production staff to plan shots and visualize the flow of a scene.
The artistic style in comics is often distinctive and refined, as the visuals are integral to the reader’s experience and the story’s appeal. In contrast, storyboards may employ a more simplified and sketch-like style, focusing more on motion and framing rather than detailed artwork.
While comics often use a standard layout that readers are accustomed to, such as clear panel borders and speech bubbles, storyboards might use arrows or notes to indicate camera movements and transitions, which are critical for the filming process.
Comics can stand alone as the final product of creative expression, complete in themselves. Storyboards, however, are part of a larger process and are meant to be transformed into another medium, specifically film or video.
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Comparison Chart
Purpose
Entertainment, storytelling
Planning and visualizing films
Audience
General public
Film production teams
Visual Style
Detailed and polished
Simplified and functional
Format
Panels with borders, speech bubbles
Sketches with directions, no bubbles
End Product
Stand-alone artwork
Preliminary tool for other media
Compare with Definitions
Comic
A magazine or book containing sequential art in the form of a narrative.
Comic books about superheroes have become highly collectible.
Storyboard
A storyboard specifically designed for planning television commercials.
The commercial storyboard was focused on product placement.
Comic
A longer comic book which is often more complex and narrative-driven.
She spent her afternoon reading a graphic novel about medieval adventures.
Storyboard
A tool used to map out the visuals before actual production begins.
They used a pre-visualization storyboard to arrange the special effects.
Comic
A series of drawings contained in a few panels illustrating a humorous situation.
The Sunday newspaper featured a comic strip that made everyone laugh.
Storyboard
A series of drawings used to visualize the sequences of a film.
The director examined the film storyboard to ensure the scene transitions were smooth.
Comic
A style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels, typically printed in black and white.
Manga often follows a serialized, ongoing storyline.
Storyboard
Detailed panels that outline each shot for an animation.
The animation storyboard detailed every character movement for clarity.
Comic
Comics published on a website, often serialized.
His favorite webcomic updates with a new episode every Monday.
Storyboard
Used in video game design to explore different story branching options.
The interactive storyboard helped visualize the various end-game scenarios.
Comic
Causing or meant to cause laughter
A comic monologue
Storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualising a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in the form it is known today, was developed at Walt Disney Productions during the early 1930s, after several years of similar processes being in use at Walt Disney and other animation studios.
Comic
A comedian
He is training as a stand-up comic
Storyboard
A rough, pictorial outline of the different scenes, camera angles, or perspectives in a movie or interactive sequence, such as a video game.
Comic
A periodical containing comic strips, intended chiefly for children
The shop sold newspapers and children's comics
Storyboard
A series of drawings that lay out the sequence of scenes in a film or series, especially an animated one.
The storyboard process helps promote brainstorming, highlights missing tasks, and allows the team to incorporate changes prior to traveling too far down a particular path. — By Cheryl A. Malloy & William Cooley, NASA & SAIC [https://web.archive.org/web/20061004060447/http://appel.nasa.gov/ask/issues/13/practices/index.html here]
Comic
Characteristic of or having to do with comedy.
Storyboard
Any sequence of drawings or diagrams which illustrate a sequence of events, e.g. in an accident or as a flowsheet for computer programming.
Comic
Of or relating to comic strips.
Storyboard
To create and arrange storyboard drawings.
Storyboarding allows students to work together as they generate ideas and eliminates the territorial defensiveness that often occurs when new ideas are suggested. — "Using Storyboarding to Determine components of Dellness for University Students" J Am Coll Health. 1996 Jan;44(4):180-3 [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8583044&dopt=Abstract Abstract]
Comic
Amusing; humorous
A comic situation involving the family's pets.
Comic
A comedian.
Comic
A person whose behavior elicits laughter.
Comic
Comics Comic strips.
Comic
A comic book.
Comic
A source of humor in art or life.
Comic
Pertaining to comedy, as a literary genre.
Comic genius
A comic stereotype
Comic
Using the techniques of comedy, as a composition, performer etc; amusing, entertaining.
Comic
Unintentionally humorous; amusing, ridiculous.
Comic
A comedian.
She started out as a joke-writer on the radio, and first performed as a comic at the ages of 30.
Comic
A story composed of cartoon images arranged in sequence, usually with textual captions; a graphic novel.
Comic
(British) A children's magazine.
Comic
Relating to comedy, as distinct from tragedy.
I can not for the stage a drama lay,Tragic or comic, but thou writ'st the play.
Comic
Causing mirth; ludicrous.
Comic
A comedian.
Comic
A professional performer who tells jokes and performs comical acts
Comic
Arousing or provoking laughter;
An amusing film with a steady stream of pranks and pratfalls
An amusing fellow
A comic hat
A comical look of surprise
Funny stories that made everybody laugh
A very funny writer
It would have been laughable if it hadn't hurt so much
A mirthful experience
Risible courtroom antics
Comic
Of or relating to or characteristic of comedy;
Comic hero
Common Curiosities
Are comics only humorous?
No, comics can cover a broad range of genres and themes, from humor to drama and action.
What is a comic?
A comic is a form of visual storytelling through sequences of images in panels, often accompanied by text.
Can storyboards be considered a form of art?
Yes, although primarily functional, storyboards can be artistic, especially in how they convey motion and framing.
How detailed are the drawings in a comic compared to a storyboard?
Comics typically feature more detailed and polished drawings, while storyboards are more about layout and motion.
How do comics differ from storyboards in purpose?
Comics are created to entertain and engage the reader, while storyboards are planning tools for visual media production.
How are comic books published?
Comic books are published periodically, often in issues that form larger narratives or series.
What role do storyboards play in filmmaking?
They help visualize scenes and sequences, aiding directors and cinematographers in planning the film's visual narrative.
What is a storyboard?
A storyboard is a sequence of drawings used to pre-visualize motion pictures, animations, or interactive media.
Can a comic become a storyboard?
Elements of a comic could be adapted into a storyboard format for film adaptation purposes, but they are inherently different.
Do storyboards include dialogue?
Storyboards might include brief dialogue or instructions, but they focus more on visual planning.
What's the difference in audience between comics and storyboards?
Comics target the general public, whereas storyboards are meant for production teams and directors.
Is a storyboard necessary for all films?
Not all, but it is highly beneficial for complex scenes, special effects, and animations.
Do webcomics differ from traditional comics?
Yes, webcomics are often digital and may utilize web-specific features like infinite canvases, but the core concept remains similar.
What skills are important for creating storyboards?
Skills in drawing, understanding cinematography and storytelling are crucial for effective storyboard creation.
What materials are used to make a storyboard?
Typically, storyboards are drawn on paper or digitally, using pens, pencils, or graphic tablets.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
