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Sorry for the lack of picture! Computer is not cooperating. I'll add one today if I can!
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You may already know of Alfred Hitchcock's take on surprise and suspense. Here it is:
“There is a distinct difference between “suspense” and “surprise,” and yet many pictures continually confuse the two. I'll explain what I mean.
We are now having a very innocent little chat. Let's suppose that there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, “Boom!” There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence. Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware the bomb is going to explode at one o'clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions, the same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: “You shouldn't be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!”
In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense. The conclusion is that whenever possible the public must be informed. Except when the surprise is a twist, that is, when the unexpected ending is, in itself, the highlight of the story.”
thanks, Mr. Hitchcock! Banes here…
Twists and turns (surprises) in a story can be great fun, and important to certain stories. In a web comic where we must wait for the next page to be posted, readers have a chance to predict what's going to happen. And readers are smart; they can often figure out what's going to happen before the next page drops.
And if your writing is more clever and delivers variations of the usual, they can sometimes figure that out, too! The ones who are dedicated and have a feel for your writing are even more likely to get a handle on it.
Those are the kinds of readers we dream of having, right?
Suspense is the superior emotion. It lasts longer and will have readers waiting on pins and needles for the next page to drop - or if they're reading the existing archive, it will propel them to click through those pages much more avidly. They KNOW the explosion, or the confrontation is coming, but HOW is it going to play out?
Anticipation.
This is not to diss surprises. I read several comics on The Duck that offer unpredictable surprises all the time, and it's great fun. I would say webcomics are better at it than most media, since the stories in webcomics come from individuals. No committees.
But we oughtta incorporate suspense too!
I've rarely thought about surprise and suspense consciously while writing. How about you? Any surprises in your comic that you're proud of? Any suspense you created that worked out well?
Hope you have a fine day!
-Banes
usedbooks at 8:23PM, Sept. 29, 2016
Both an amusing and frustrating part of "I Love Lucy" was that often the plot didn't resolve. They just ended the show on a punchline. That made for a lot of unexpected because you literally didn't know how or *if* they'd get out of the mess. (One good example and a personal favorite is the episode where Ricky is obsessed over hairloss, and Lucy tries to cure the obsession by putting him through a ridiculous hair growth regimen.)
bravo1102 at 6:31PM, Sept. 29, 2016
I was only using physical danger as an example as that was the example Hitchcock used. I love "I Love Lucy" caper plots where the suspense is will she get away with it? Will Lucy get on the show? Will she be able to fix John Wayne's foot cast? I know she will but it's great to see how she pulls it off.
usedbooks at 10:33AM, Sept. 29, 2016
But death is one of the highest stakes (except in some fantasy settings), so it can be the most suspenseful. In a series, it's usually not a risk for the main or title characters, but you can feel their anxiety for those around them. (I find invulnerable characters boring though.) Killing someone likeable/developed raises the stakes nicely.
usedbooks at 9:56AM, Sept. 29, 2016
I try very hard to leave clues to future reveals in my comic. I'm disappointed when no one comments on or tries to guess/predict stuff. Only a couple of times did people guess at stuff, and I feel really happy when it happens (even if it's not correct, speculation among readets is my greatest joy). In very rare cases, reader speculation led me to altering the planned plotline. (I also agree with other commenters that physical danger isn't necessary for suspense, but knowing the "rules" of the setting sets the stakes. If the world resets after each strip or episode, it's a lighter story. If characters end up in traction after encounters, it's a different feeling. Same as whether characters age, could change towns, can get pregnant, etc.)
KAM at 7:40AM, Sept. 29, 2016
I also disagree with the "Nothing kills suspense faster than knowing no one ever dies." Sometimes the suspense is "How will the character get out of this?" Maritza Campos of College Roomies From Hell!!! did a great one there with Mike getting into a situation where it didn't look like there was any way Mike could get out of a beating. Then of course she revealed a way that was unexpected, but perfectly in character for Mike.
Udyr at 6:56AM, Sept. 29, 2016
I disagree on killing/torturing the character physically being the absolute in creating suspense, there's tons of possibilities when we talk about making suspense. There's the 'Not getting caught', 'almost slipping secrets', 'emotional abuse', etc. Death is of course a very effective way but I think making it without having to do HUGE things like that is absolutely possible. It depends on the story, if it is about the world ending then there's always suspense. Not because we think the world ever will end, but how will the actions of the villains affect our world? Possibly life-changing events can lead to suspense. Just my thoughts about the issue.
bravo1102 at 5:46AM, Sept. 29, 2016
I knew someone will bring up series characters. Thing is, you have to have it so close that the character should be dead but isn't. Hair's breath. Or have him get injured and believed dead or really knocked for a loop. Hitchcock really knew how to abuse his characters so that you were positive they'd die. The last guy died. So what makes this one so special and he comes within that hair of going over. Windmills, Mount Rushmore, corn fields just to name a few. And at least one ending was changed at the insistence of the studio.
Bruno Harm at 5:17AM, Sept. 29, 2016
Bravo has spelled out the difficulty I have with suspense in my comic. As a family friendly adventure, everyone knows that the hero never dies. I need to add the suspense of romance I guess. Maybe that's why Disney always kills the mother in the beginning of the movie..
KimLuster at 4:29AM, Sept. 29, 2016
Excellent stuff! While reading, I tried to think of ways to have the Hitchcock sort of suspense when the story is a first-person in-their-head sort of thing. Example: in the Godstrain, one of my goals is the reader never sees or reads anything that Kimber Lee isn't aware of (there've been a few slips, but that's the goal). It may be that this kind of suspense is only possible from a third-person god-view... Maybe... I need to think on this more...!!
Amelius at 1:45AM, Sept. 29, 2016
Hell yeah Hitchcock! On a tangent, I think when an audience member recognizes where the story is headed, it's lame to change direction just to "Joss" their theory and leaves frayed plot-threads behind. I like to be sneaky and offer several event paths for speculation and delight in when people take the bait and go "Oh NO, this is going to happen isn't it?" so they're waiting to see how events will play out to that end.
bravo1102 at 1:18AM, Sept. 29, 2016
To paraphrase Robert E. Lee, in order to have surprise you must love your characters. In order to achieve suspense you must be willing to kill those whom you love. Nothing builds suspense like the threat of imminent death. Nothing kills that faster than knowing no one ever dies. Your characters have to get hurt and suffer to build suspense and you want that to really hit the audience someone has to die. Shit has got to get real.