Ryan Pagelow, the creator of the popular Buni Comic series, has become a master of storytelling without using any words. Known for his quirky, dark humor and surprising twists Ryan skillfully takes everyday themes like food tiredness and animals and transforms them into comics that resonate with audiences across different cultures and languages. While working as a photographer by day Ryan manages to carve out time to turn simple everyday thoughts into surreal and thought-provoking comics that often leave readers both laughing and reflecting.
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Ryan shared his approach to the themes of his wordless comics. I find it easiest to work with simple, relatable topics. In wordless comics the visuals do all the talking, so the message is clear even without words. Themes like food, hunger, fatigue, Mondays, jealousy, disappointment, allergies, phones, animals and holidays are great because they resonate universally. Without the use of words certain subtleties might be interpreted differently, so I try to make sure the themes are something everyone can relate to.
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Ryan Pagelow’s process for creating his signature wordless comics is both simple and thoughtful. He explained his method. I start by sitting down with a piece of paper and a pencil, sketching out ideas for about an hour. Out of four or five ideas, if I’m lucky, one will be good enough to fully develop. The toughest part of making comics is coming up with ideas it takes the most thought. The drawing, inking, and coloring are much easier and I can listen to audiobooks or podcasts while doing them since they don’t require my full attention.
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Ryan Pagelow spoke about how the act of creation itself serves as a deep motivator for him. He shared, I primarily create Buni comics for myself, as it feels like a peaceful daily meditation. But knowing that others will see them gives me the push to continue or at least the fear of making a mistake. Every comic feels like a challenge to achieve that perfect one though it rarely happens. But it’s that pursuit of perfection that keeps me moving forward.
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