Framing in comics is key to both presentation and storytelling. This spread from Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol shows the protagonist falling into a pit and the events leading up to it. This simple scene is framed very nicely, even without words: The first page makes good use of negative space through thought bubbles with thick lines that slowly take up more and more space as the protagonist gets closer in view, eventually falling. The way the protagonist is “pulled” towards our view is a very simple and effective way to display distance, motion, and lead her towards a key event in the story due to a visual sense of pacing. On the next page, this pacing is maintained through a small collection of framed events with frames composed of uneven, unfilled borders that are placed onto a splash page that shows the protagonist falling into a pit. For the splash page, we’re shown a side view of the protagonist that displays her scared expression and the our view is pulled back to show her entire body and the depth at which she’s falling.

(Vera Brosgol, Anya’s Ghost, First Second Books, 2011, pgs 12-13)