A basic "Three Act Structure" looks a little something like this:
- Act 1 provides the set-up, including relevant exposition and thematic notes. It ends with a singular Plot Point, which starts the story in motion.
- Act 2 is the bulk of the story. It is where the protagonist(s) confront whatever obstacles stand in the way of their goals.
- Act 3 is the resolution of the story. It not only includes the literal climax – where goals are achieved or denied, but also any postscripts necessary to strengthen more thematic elements, like morals or character growth.
Although it seems rigid, the “Three Act Structure” is more the creation of a dramatic human hive mind than a set of inflexible rules. It exists because this is the way an audience usually consumes a story, whether it is a film, personal anecdote, or news story.
Comics and the Dramatic Structure
If the “Three Act Structure” binds drama in a largely universal way, then it is the building blocks of a specific media that foster its unique relevance.
Traditional Comic Books are serials, which means that they are intended as a constant narrative rather than a fully complete work like a novel. For example, Spider-Man is consumed in a different way than Moby Dick, as Spider-Man stories form a larger, years-long narrative while Ahab and his Great White Whale exist as a single volume.
This means that the “Three Act Structure” serves an entirely different function in a Spider-Man comic. Each issue acts as a piece of dramatic storytelling in multiple ways, and can become wholly different when placed into different contexts.
Series, Story Arcs, and Single Issues
An issue of Spider-Man is usually a part of a designated “Story Arc”, which tells a smaller story within the framework of his character narrative. A “Story Arc” will usually feature the titular hero in pursuit of a single goal, with obstacles and challenges spaced over a number of issues.
The issues of a story arc comprise a complete story, intended to be read as a stand-alone narrative. It benefits from knowledge of the characters complex back story, but it does end with some closure. In a decades-long serial, closure is rarely final. Closure comes in bursts, with the fulfillment of smaller goals that aid consumption and understanding.
Single issues are interesting in that even though they are intended as twice-removed steps in a larger whole (first as part of a "Story Arc", then a "Series"), they still conform to a “Three Act Structure”. Every issue still requires setup, then rising action, then a climax. Many issues have a climax that is a cliffhanger, or a moment that resolves the mini-story contained within the issue, but leads into the next.
Finally, each issue and arc become a piece of the “Series”, or continued adventures of the protagonist. Spider-Man has existed as a continuing story since August, 1962. Although certain writers have sought to change certain aspects of the character, all changes come from within the text.
The continuing Spider-Man story is fairly basic. Nebbish teenager Peter Parker gains the proportional abilities of a spider after he is bitten by a radioactive insect. This is the facet character that never changes, and the story that never ends. Each smaller piece builds upon that simple premise, creating a story that fulfills its dramatic structure in segments rather than a single conclusion.
Dramatic Structure in Infinite Narrative
To achieve the lofty goal of a story that never truly ends, especially one crafted by thousands of individuals, knowledge of the dramatic structure is essential. Infinite narratives are all about the process of building, and for something to never truly end, a reader must still be able to feel a sense of closure.
Without closure, a story isn’t a story. It would be a mess incapable of providing any true understanding, merely events strung together. A conclusion, even if it is really the illusion of an ending, is integral to a story’s meaning. The journey is important, but only in so much that it leads to a certain kind of truth.
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