History Main / DecompressedComic

When used well, decompression is a useful tool that can not only give artists a chance to stretch their wings but also alter the pace of the issue in order to tell the story more successfully. Of course, like any tool it can be used poorly. Some writers (including, arguably, Ellis himself in later years) used it to pad out thin plots or to blindly mimic then-fashionable trends. Such writers were often accused of WritingForTheTrade.

** The most annoying example would be Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}}'s ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'', wherein a few hours of comic-book time were stretched out over almost a ''year''.

-->'''Stan Lee''': I saved a ton of time by taking one plot and stretching it out over many issues. Instead of spending so much time making up different plots, I could be spending that time completing the stories…Of course, what started out as a time-saving device turned out to be a good idea, quality-wise. We found that the continued stories being longer gave us more room for character development, and the addition of subplots helped to round out the stories so they read more like mini motion pictures.

** The most annoying example would be Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}}'s ''ComicBook/SecretInvasion'', wherein a few hours of comic-book time were stretched out over almost a ''year''... and the ending wasn't worth the wait.
** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the intro for the second issue of the ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan story where [[FreakyFridayFlip Spider-Man and Wolverine switch bodies]]. Bendis appears on the first page and says "This is the last part of the story, I promise. I mean, even '''I''' couldn't milk three issues out of '''this'''."
* Much of ComicBook/UltimateMarvel. Again, this can largely be blamed on Bendis, though Warren Ellis himself contributes (see ''Ultimate Nightmare'').

A trend that flourished in the late 90s and early 00s in the wake of TropeCodifier ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'' written by Creator/WarrenEllis and drawn by Bryan Hitch. Heavily inspired by long-form {{manga}} series, {{Decompressed Comic}}s rely heavily on {{Splash Panel}}s, {{Aspect Montage}}s and minimal dialogue to maximize the visual effect of a story. ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'' aimed to mimic the widescreen action of a Hollywood movie by creating images that were as big and as striking as possible.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' has shifted into a milder form of this midway through the Hueco Mundo arc, slowing down and adding more details to fights. Most fans disapprove.

-->--ScottPilgrim & Ramona Flowers on ''Manga/{{Akira}}''.

* For several years after ''ComicBook/TheTransformersAllHailMegatron'', most of [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW IDW's "main" Transformers comics]] have suffered from the negative aspect of this trope, with issues that were more like half or even a third of an issue than a full issue. Needless to say, "Speed up the pace!" became an increasingly common post to be seen on the IDW Transformers forum. This has also been parodied extensively, most notably by [[Webcomic/{{Walkyverse}} David Willis]] [[http://www.shortpacked.com/blog/comic/book-11/03-vote-chopperface/costa-2/ here]]. Eventually completely turned on its ear by the dual ongoings ''ComicBook/TransformersRobotsInDisguise'' and ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', both of which have ''lots'' of stuff going on at most given moments though they can both slip into it from time to time depending on RuleOfFunny or RuleOfDrama.

* For several years after ''ComicBook/TransformersAllHailMegatron'', most of [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW IDW's "main" Transformers comics]] have suffered from the negative aspect of this trope, with issues that were more like half or even a third of an issue than a full issue. Needless to say, "Speed up the pace!" became an increasingly common post to be seen on the IDW Transformers forum. This has also been parodied extensively, most notably by [[Webcomic/{{Walkyverse}} David Willis]] [[http://www.shortpacked.com/blog/comic/book-11/03-vote-chopperface/costa-2/ here]].
** Eventually completely turned on its ear by the dual ongoings ''ComicBook/TransformersRobotsInDisguise'' and ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', both of which have ''lots'' of stuff going on at most given moments though they can both slip into it from time to time depending on RuleOfFunny or RuleOfDrama.

* Parodied in ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse''. The [[ComicStrip/SpiderMan comic strip version of Spider-Man]] is saved from a horrible death at the hands of Morlun because his comic has such glacially slow pacing that it takes over a dozen strips for Morlun to actually get near him. Just as Morlun finally starts getting close [[YankTheDogsChain the Great Weaver yanks him out of that reality]].

* ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark'' did this as long ago as the 1980's, minus the big splash pages. Many, many issues have had no "plot" other conversations. The final volume ''The Last Day" ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin which shows]] the last day of Cerebus' life) is several hundred pages long. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[[quoteright:280:[[{{Blame}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Killy_crunch_crunch.jpg]]]]

* ''Manga/{{Akira}}''. That's 6 manga volumes and over 2000 pages. All of them are painstakingly detailed with so many SceneryPorn, SceneryGorn and action sequences you know KatsuhiroOtomo was DoingItForTheArt.

* Parodied in ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse''. The [[ComicStrip/Spiderman comic strip version of Spider-Man]] is saved from a horrible death at the hands of Morlun because his comic has such glacially slow pacing that it takes over a dozen strips for Morlun to actually get near him. Just as Morlun finally starts getting close [[YankTheDogsChain the Great Weaver yanks him out of that reality]].

** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the intro for the second issue of the ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan story where [[FreakyFridayFlip Spider-Man and Wolverine switche bodies]]. Bendis appears on the first page and says "This is the last part of the story, I promise. I mean, even '''I''' couldn't milk three issues out of '''this'''."

* ''365 Samurai and a Few Bowls of Rice'' consist of a panels taking up each page entirely and story telling focused on mood and atmosphere.

A trend that flourished in the late 90s and early 00s in the wake of TropeCodifier ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'' written by Creator/WarrenEllis and drawn by Bryan Hitch. Heavily inspired by long-form {{manga}} series, {{Decompressed Comic}}s rely heavily on {{Splash Panel}}s, {{Aspect Montage}}s and minimal dialogue to maximize the visual effect of a story. ''TheAuthority'' aimed to mimic the widescreen action of a Hollywood movie by creating images that were as big and as striking as possible.

* Ever since ''ComicBook/TransformersAllHailMegatron'', most of [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW IDW's "main" Transformers comics]] have suffered from the negative aspect of this trope, with issues feeling more like half or even a third of an issue than a full issue. Needless to say, "Speed up the pace!" has become an increasingly common post to be seen on the IDW Transformers forum. This has also been parodied extensively, most notably by [[Webcomic/{{Walkyverse}} David Willis]] [[http://www.shortpacked.com/blog/comic/book-11/03-vote-chopperface/costa-2/ here]].
** Ironically now that IDW's ''Transformers'' comics have split into two series, one of those series ''Robots In Disguise'' is getting some (but thankfully not many) complaints from critics that the series is ''too'' compressed, with stories that ''should'' be multiple issue storylines and epic story arcs feeling compressed in order to fit in one issue.

* While the whole book isn't a terrible example of this, the revelation of the X-Men's new costumes in ''Comicbook/{{Astonishing X-Men}}'' is. In this two-page spread, the actual heroes in their new costumes would have taken up a small amount of one page if the DutchAngle were ditched. (With it, Kitty goes off the page slightly... ''thus losing most of her in the spine of the book''.) Most of the scene is the ''hangar wall'' as the X-Men walk in (the Blackbird's there, but you don't see much of it.) It's not even an ''awesome'' hangar wall that you'd get when the artists get to have their way at the cost of narrative. It's just a blank wall. ''A full page of blank wall.''

A trend that flourished in the late 90s and early 00s in the wake of TropeCodifier ''TheAuthority'' written by WarrenEllis and drawn by Bryan Hitch. Heavily inspired by long-form {{manga}} series, {{Decompressed Comic}}s rely heavily on {{Splash Panel}}s, {{Aspect Montage}}s and minimal dialogue to maximize the visual effect of a story. ''TheAuthority'' aimed to mimic the widescreen action of a Hollywood movie by creating images that were as big and as striking as possible.

* ''{{Gunnm}}'' Last Order has the ZOTT arc with whole chapters describing just a few, or even a single punch. Running for at least 80 chapters (7 years in real life so far) the event takes place over a period of ''six days''.
* ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark'' did this as long ago as the 1980's, minus the big splash pages. Many, many issues have had no "plot" other conversations. The final volume ''The Last Day" ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin which shows]] the last day of Cerebus' life) is several hundred pages long. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
* ''{{Blame}}'' lives and breathes this style. The protagonist talks [[TheStoic so little]] that chapters featuring only him may contain a lot of action but no dialogue at all.

** The most annoying example would be {{Marvel}}'s ''SecretInvasion'', wherein a few hours of comic-book time were stretched out over almost a ''year''... and the ending wasn't worth the wait.
** {{Lampshaded}} in the intro for the second issue of the ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan story where [[FreakyFridayFlip Spider-Man and Wolverine switche bodies]]. Bendis appears on the first page and says "This is the last part of the story, I promise. I mean, even '''I''' couldn't milk three issues out of '''this'''."
* ''SamuraiJack'' is the cartoon version of this.
* Much of UltimateMarvel. Again, this can largely be blamed on Bendis, though Warren Ellis himself contributes (see ''Ultimate Nightmare'').
* The StarWarsExpandedUniverse comics about the [[DarkEmpire Emperor's rebirth]], written in the nineties, are infamously disliked because they ''aren't'' decompressed, and many, ''many'' important events happen off-panel or else happen very, very quickly.
* ''YokohamaKaidashiKikou'', featuring a world AfterTheEnd, where nature is reclaiming the world, and a main character that is a RobotGirl that mostly lives alone, only occasionally getting visitors, naturally has entire chapters with almost no text at all. Another recurring character simply doesn't talk or have thought bubbles, simply relying upon actions and facial expressions to convey her intent.
* Paul Pope is fond of this technique and while his comics so far have have made use of it to a certain extent his current project Battling Boy has according to {{Word of God}} 40 page fight scenes. Apparently the graphic novel is taking so long because it is going to be a truly epic {{Doorstopper}}.
* Ironically enough GeoffJohns, who supposedly left Marvel so he wouldn't be forced to write like this, has started to adapt this writing style into more and more of his works. The most notable examples as of late has been ''Legion of 3 Worlds'' and '"Flash Rebirth.''
* Ever since ''TransformersAllHailMegatron'', most of [[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW IDW's "main" Transformers comics]] have suffered from the negative aspect of this trope, with issues feeling more like half or even a third of an issue than a full issue. Needless to say, "Speed up the pace!" has become an increasingly common post to be seen on the IDW Transformers forum. This has also been parodied extensively, most notably by [[{{Walkyverse}} David Willis]] [[http://www.shortpacked.com/blog/comic/book-11/03-vote-chopperface/costa-2/ here]].

* While not too bad, [[Webcomic/DomainTnemrot Tnemrot]] is quite decompressed.

* Creator/OsamuTezuka is arguably the TropeMaker (as with much else in manga). For instance, ''Manga/AstroBoy'''s origin story contains a few pages of Tobio driving around before he crashes his car, to build up tension and give the audience the feel of the speed of the vehicle.
** More specifically [[http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/5539/treasureisland.jpg the opening of the unabridged version]] of his New Treasure Island from 1947 is the [[TropeMaker trope making]] example.
* While the whole book isn't a terrible example of this, the revelation of the X-Men's new costumes in ''Astonishing {{ComicBook/X-Men}}'' is. In this two-page spread, the actual heroes in their new costumes would have taken up a small amount of one page if the DutchAngle were ditched. (With it, Kitty goes off the page slightly... ''thus losing most of her in the spine of the book''.) Most of the scene is the ''hangar wall'' as the X-Men walk in (the Blackbird's there, but you don't see much of it.) It's not even an ''awesome'' hangar wall that you'd get when the artists get to have their way at the cost of narrative. It's just a blank wall. ''A full page of blank wall.''
* {{Vattu}} is incredibly decompressed; the first couple of pages are just a baby being tossed over a fire.
* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} plays this for laughs once, having Deadpool take a leak for one and a half pages. Overlaps with [[OverlyLongGag overly long gag]] here.
* ''{{Franchise/Superman}}: The Coming of Atlas'' suffers badly from this. Despite being a four-issue story arc, it basically consists of ''one'' long fight scene.
* The Manga version of ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' does this a few times to emphasise the [[BuffySpeak over-the-top-ness]] of the goings-on. For example, one Giga Drill Breaker (the standard FinishingMove of the series) once took ''11 pages''.
* ''MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'' has done this, with one battle starting around chapter eight and ending at chapter 15, taking up one and a half volumes. The stretched pace, not helped by the slow release schedule, did the series no favours.
* A few of CLAMP's manga series tend to have this, especially ''X/1999'' and ''Clover''. X in particular only managed a single 24 episode TV season out of 18 volumes of material, whereas most of their other *shorter* mangas got made into longer series.

* OsamuTezuka is arguably the TropeMaker (as with much else in manga). For instance, ''Manga/AstroBoy'''s origin story contains a few pages of Tobio driving around before he crashes his car, to build up tension and give the audience the feel of the speed of the vehicle.

* {{Deadpool}} plays this for laughs once, having Deadpool take a leak for one and a half pages. Overlaps with [[OverlyLongGag overly long gag]] here.

* ''{{Cerebus}}'' did this as long ago as the 1980's, minus the big splash pages. Many, many issues have had no "plot" other conversations. The final volume ''The Last Day" ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin which shows]] the last day of Cerebus' life) is several hundred pages long. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

* Much of UltimateMarvel. Again, this can largely be blamed on Bendis.

* ''MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'' has been accused of doing this poorly.

** {{Lampshaded}} in the intro for the second issue of the ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan story where [[FreakyFridayFlip Spider-Man and Wolverine switches bodies]]. Bendis appears on the first page and says "This is the last part of the story, I promise. I mean, even '''I''' couldn't milk three issues out of '''this'''."

* Ironically enough GeoffJohns, who supposedly left Marvel so he wouldn't be forced to write like this, has started to adept this writing style into more and more of his works. The most notable examples as of late has been ''Legion of 3 Worlds'' and '"Flash Rebirth.''