The problem with downward-only motion
Action is mostly about energy: something moves quickly, something hits something else, and the reader feels it. In a printed comic, the artist can lay out a whole page so that panels collide, break their borders and pull the eye around. In a vertical comic, the reader moves in only one direction, and the pace of that movement belongs to the reader. You cannot force a fast read, and you cannot make someone linger. What you can do is arrange images so that scrolling itself feels like part of the motion.
The good news is that the format has natural strengths for action. Falling, climbing, diving and long drops map directly onto downward movement. A character plunging through the air while the reader scrolls down feels almost physical. Many of the best techniques for action in this format borrow from that match between the scroll direction and the motion being shown.
Match the panel shape to the motion
Panel shape tells the reader what kind of movement to expect.
- Tall, narrow panels suit vertical motion: a jump, a fall, a rising strike, a character standing up in the middle of chaos.
- Wide, short panels suit horizontal motion: a dash across a room, a punch traveling sideways, a car passing.
- Square or near-square panels suit moments of contact, where the focus is the collision rather than the travel.
Cutting between these shapes within a short stretch makes a sequence feel varied and fast. Repeating the same shape for every beat tends to read as monotone, even when the drawings themselves are dramatic.
Use spacing to control speed
Because the reader decides how fast to scroll, spacing is your main tool for suggesting speed. Panels placed close together, with small gaps, tend to be read quickly, almost like frames of an animation. A series of tight panels showing a dodge, a turn and a counterstrike will usually feel rapid. Opening the gap before a major moment makes the reader slow down and anticipate.
This push and pull is the core of action rhythm. A common structure is a quick run of small panels building tension, then a pause of open space, then one large image that delivers the impact. The use of gutter space to slow or speed a scene is covered in its own article, but action is one of the clearest places to see it at work.
Give the impact room
A hit needs a moment. If every panel in a fight is equally busy, none of them lands. A large panel placed after a build-up lets the reader absorb the blow. Some artists make the final image of an exchange the tallest panel in the sequence, so that the scroll to reach it feels like a small effort that pays off.
Impact can also come from what is left out. A moment of stillness just after a strike, with a character frozen or a background simplified, can make the contact feel heavier than a fully rendered explosion would. This overlaps with the idea of negative space, where blank areas create emphasis.
Motion cues that work in still images
Since nothing actually moves, the artist has to suggest motion through the drawing itself.
- Speed lines and motion blur, used sparingly, show direction.
- Exaggerated poses with clear silhouettes read faster than detailed but static ones.
- Repeating a figure in overlapping positions can suggest a fast movement across one panel.
- Cropping tightly on a fist, foot or weapon can carry energy better than showing the whole body.
Silhouette is especially useful on a small screen. If a pose cannot be understood as a simple shape, it probably will not read clearly at phone size.
Camera and perspective
Action benefits from strong viewpoints. Low angles can make a character feel powerful, high angles can show the whole field of a fight, and close-ups can isolate a key detail. Changing the camera angles between panels keeps a sequence from feeling like a row of identical shots. The reasoning behind these choices is covered in the article on viewpoint, but in action the practical rule is to vary distance and angle so the reader always sees something new.
Sound effects as part of the picture
Sound effects can add punch to a hit or a crash, and in a scroll format they double as visual shapes. Large, bold lettering placed near the point of impact can guide the eye and add weight. They should be treated as part of the composition rather than pasted on afterward. The design side of sound effects is its own topic, but the key point here is that they should support the motion rather than hide it.
Clarity first
The most common problem in action scenes is confusion. If the reader cannot tell who is where, or what just happened, the excitement drains away. A few habits help:
- Establish the space early, so the reader knows roughly where everyone stands.
- Keep each character’s position and direction consistent from panel to panel.
- Let one clear action happen per panel, especially in fast stretches.
- Avoid cramming too much text over the art; keep dialogue short.
Short lines of dialogue in speech bubbles work better in action than long speeches. A fight is a poor place for exposition, and readers moving quickly will skip dense text.
Pacing the whole sequence
Long action sequences can tire the reader if they never change pace. Breaking a fight into stages, each with its own rhythm, helps. An opening exchange might be quick, a middle section might slow down around a reversal, and a closing beat might be a single large image. The aim is to avoid a flat, constant intensity.
A sequence can also end on an unresolved moment to carry the reader into the next episode, which connects to the art of cliffhanger endings.
Testing the result
The best check is to scroll the sequence at a natural speed on a phone. Notice where you slow down and where you rush, and compare that with where you wanted the reader to slow down and rush. If a major hit goes by without notice, give it more space. If a lull drags, tighten the gaps. Action is easy to over-plan on paper and easy to fix once you feel it in motion.