A sequence is the narrative unit of a Medlay artefact. Multiple sequences spatially juxtaposed on a canvas constitute a complete narration.

Series of pieces

A sequence consists of one1 or more series of pieces2 that are sequentially juxtaposed in space.

By being arranged in space, different pieces are placed into significant proximity with each other and create narrative meanings.

Pace of space

In a Medlay artefact—similarly to what happens in a comic one—space at the level of a sequence indirectly represents time: the development in time of a narration is represented through the configuration of space.

As American cartoonist and comics theorist Scott McCloud theorized with his infinite canvas concept, the pace of a comic’s narration on the Web is no longer influenced or limited by the physical boundaries of a page3:

The “infinite” canvas is a challenge to think big; a series of design strategies based on treating the screen as a window rather than a page.The basic premise is that there’s no reason that long-form comics have to be split into pages when moving online. Pages are an option […].

Print cartoonists (myself included) make a constant series of compromises in pacing and design to stuff out stories into pages. We add and subtract panels, restrict size variation, break reading flow, and rarely if ever vary the distance between panels for fear of wasting paper. Without such restrictions, though, every one of those choices can be made exclusively on behalf of the needs of the story.

Scott McCloud, Infinite Canvas

By embracing the concept of the infinite canvas, the narrative pace of a medlay sequence has no spatial boundaries or restrictions and is free to extend according to the needs of the story.

Viewers as motors of the narration

Since a sequence extends in space rather than time, viewers are entirely free to interact with and explore it in any order and at their own pace4. Specifically, they can:

  • have a glanceable, immediate, synthetic overview of the narrative meaning of a particular sequence, or portion thereof;
  • have random access to any piece of a sequence and focus their attention on it at any given time, regardless of its location.

The above points become crucial for web-based narration, since Web viewers are in an active stance while surfing the net and expect to drive any artefact they interact with5.

In a medlay artefact, viewers actively move the narration forward by exploring the various sequences of pieces and scrolling the canvas: the journey through space becomes the narration.

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  1. A sequence consisting of one piece is possible but but should be considered an edge case, as a single-panel comic strip. ↩

  2. More on pieces can be found in the previous chapters, Pieces. ↩

  3. Or at least, it should not be: in reality, comic artifacts on the Web are still often shaped into pages. ↩

  4. The viewing time of a sequence is not dictated by the unavoidable roll of moving images, as it happens in a movie. ↩

  5. How often do you impatiently jump from one moment to another of a video clip by interacting with its progress bar? Attention span on the Web behaves differently than on television or in printed matter. ↩