4koma

[enkiv2]

Yet another "make a comic book" project, but this time I'm going to try for a little bit of plot.

4koma is a style of four-panel gag comic popular in Japan, and it usually follows the kishotenketsu model for plot. Since each panel maps onto exactly one step of this model, we have an upper limit of complexity for each stage in terms of what can fit in a single panel.

According to wikipedia,

Traditionally, yonkoma follow a structure known as kishōtenketsu. This word is a compound formed from the following Japanese kanji characters:

Ki (起): The first panel forms the basis of the story; it sets the scene. Shō (承): The second panel develops upon the foundation of the story laid down in the first panel. Ten (転): The third panel is the climax, in which an unforeseen development occurs. Ketsu (結): The fourth panel is the conclusion, in which the effects of the third panel are seen.

In other words, we have two panels to establish a setting and context, one to show an event that violates that context, and one to show the response to that context. Comics like this can be pretty abstract in terms of their violations and still get laughs. This video covers how a particular joke works, and as you can see, in this particular joke (which compounds and elaborates on the 4koma formula by having the punchline of one become the setup for the next) has climax/violation steps that are more or less random unexpected events and conclusion steps that are merely character reactions.

So, the dumbest potential version of a 4koma generator that still correctly follows the formula goes like this:

1. we establish a context with panel 1
2. we continue to establish the context with panel 2, showing some event that's logically consonant with the one in panel 2 (based on some small database of consonant and dissonant events)
3. we show a dissonant event (based on the same database)
4. we show a character having an exaggerated reaction (probably of shock)

The components we'd need for this is a small database of events with information about which go together and which don't, with each event associated with an image in a similar style, plus a set of reaction images from which panel 4 will be randomly pulled. Naturally, for events that make no sense in any context, like standing on one's desk, we can include them in the database.

In order to make the comics more funny, I suspect we'll benefit from making ketsu (panel 4) also double as a secondary ten (i.e., frame violation) on occasion -- based on experience reading 4koma and seeing 4koma adaptations. The easiest way to do this is to put a couple reaction images in the pool that do not show shock -- for instance, ones that show determination, sadness, or trying too hard to look cool.

My drawing skills aren't great, so I may grab background and foreground elements from some existing source (for instance, actually-existing 4koma, many of which are drawn in a similar style).