Between The Lines
Despite the Wachowski's history with comics, the structure of a graphic novel does not equate to a ready made storyboard (Reynolds, 2009). As explained by Scott McCloud:
McCloud continues to argue that the structures of comics give the reader a chance to fill in the gaps between the images by participating in mentally creating a flow between the images (1993). This fragmentation is similar to editing in films, where cutting takes the viewer from one image to the other without disrupting their
"The dividing space between images – ‘the gutter’ – is functional, but it can also be seen as a metaphor or the gap where the reader enters the narrative." (1993, p. 66).
ability to follow the series of events. They are still able to follow the narrative and mentally fill in the missing pieces subconsciously.
However similar, there is a distinct dead space between images in a comic strip, whereas film typically flows straight from one image into another. This means that comic book readers must subjectively take part in constructing the narrative (McCloud, 1993). Therefore, although at first glance comics may seem to structurally lend themselves to the film medium, they are not, however, easily adapted to the screen due to the structure's required participatory nature in constructing narrative (Reynolds, 2009).