ED. NOTE: Today, Comic Riffs kicks off a new feature in which we take a close look at various aspects of storytelling. And to launch this offering — as well as The Post’s new animated-interview video — we couldn’t think of a better candidate than best-selling and beloved novelist/comics writer Neil Gaiman (whose first adult novel in eight years, “The Ocean at the End of the Lane,” hits bookshelves physical and virtual Tuesday). So today, we pause to appreciate one of Gaiman’s particular gifts: His ability to tap the stirring power of “place.”

— M.C.

During an interview with Michael Cavna while in D.C., acclaimed author Neil Gaiman offered his take on the visuals of “Official Washington” — his sense of a global city’s distinctive monuments and memorials and towering history:

CAVNA’S CAVNAS: “The Eye of Gaiman”

PLACE, in a prose story, is more than scene or setting — it is vantage point. The words guide our eye and establish our sight-lines with a sleight of hand that, the writer hopes, becomes imperceptible. The author's eye becomes our eye until the seeing becomes synched and the illusion is complete.

In almost every other art form, the viewer is allowed real choices within the window of vision.  Examining forms in a painting or comic panel, studying figures along a stage or performance space, the onlooker has options as to where to turn the eye. In prose, though, the storyteller is visual director absolute; whether it's an extreme close-up or panoramic landscape, the reader’s scope and range and focus are typically pre-set and fixed (unless, of course, readers indulge in flights of out-of-frame imagination — but they still must return to the writer's path to proceed).

Neil Gaiman knows the profound power of location. He understands that the setting must evoke a sense of place — that rendered environment should contribute to resonant emotion. And nowhere does the bestselling British author practice that craft more purely than in his first adult novel in eight years, the deeply personal “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” (being released today). As an unnamed middle-aged narrator travels to a childhood home that holds supernatural secrets, Gaiman paints settings so vivid and true — imbued with the seemingly ineffable — that the verbal becomes seamlessly visual.  

DAN SCANLON has more than a bit of Christopher Guest coursing through his comedy veins.

Scanlon is a master of animated story at Pixar, but it was his vision for a live-action mockumentary that has given his career an extra boost.

His 2009 self-written and -directed low-budget comedy, “Tracy,” stars Scanlon himself — who has a winningly wry presence — as a man trying to crack the mystery behind the death of a former children’s-TV host. Some of his Pixar brethren make appearances in the film.

“Making ‘Tracy’ on my own may have made a difference — for me and them,” Scanlon tells Comic Riffs while speaking by phone from Oakland, not far from Pixar’s headquarters in Emeryville, Calif. “It’s not the same as an animated story, but it is an attempt to tell a feature-length story with heart and humor.”

“Them” would be the brain trust at Pixar, who tabbed Scanlon to direct the college-set sequel ”Monsters University” (opening Friday, which coincidentally is his 37th birthday). It is the storyteller’s first time at the helm of a big-budget feature film.

“I spent so much time with the brain trust in other films, I didn’t see a barrier to break through” as a director, Scanlon (“Cars,” “Brave,” “Mater and the Ghostlight”) tells us. “I saw it as a moment of trust.

“And when it came time to get help, I saw how their gut [instinct] is always right. It’s not always the right solution, but they’re right when pointing out the problem.”

His favorite part of the process from the director’s chair? “I had a front-row seat to see how these movies are actually put together,” he says.

To read Comic Riffs’s full article on Scanlon, which ran in Sunday’s Post, just click HERE.

PIXAR’S FIRST PREQUEL: Mike Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal) heads off to college — and the school for scarers — in "Monsters University,” which opens this Friday. (Pixar - via AP)

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ED. NOTE: “Man of Steel” ($125-million opening) dominated the box office over the weekend, setting a June record in its domestic debut. Amid the wide disparity between many film critics and fanboy audiences, Comic Riffs asked contributor David Betancourt to provide “A Fanboy’s Review.”

— M.C.

AFTER SEEING “Man of Steel” twice last week — at a press screening and then a midnight screening — I began to detect how strong the dividing line was, for the most part, between two groups: the media and the fanboys.

I’m no film critic, and people don’t follow how I point my thumb. What I am is a comic-book fanboy of more than 25 years. And for me, the new “Man of Steel” is the Superman movie I’ve always wanted to see, but never thought I would.

I stayed away from any reviews until I saw the movie. Once I did see it, I headed to major media publications and my favorite fan sites to check the temperature, review-wise. The verdict: It was as though the groups saw two completely different movies.

[‘MAN OF STEEL’: Superman sets June record with $125-million opening]

The outlook of many fanboys like myself is: Much of the media doesn’t seem to get “Man of Steel.”

Apparently I missed the memo that says Marvel Studios has the only successful template for making a superhero movie: Create popcorn entertainment that isn’t too serious. The formula has worked marvelously — and very profitably — for Marvel. But as fanboys know, Superman is DC Comics and Warner Bros., and they do things differently. And when DC Entertainment tried to be Marvel on film, we were given “Green Lantern” — which was a huge letdown for most comic-book fans (excepting Mark Strong’s fine performance as Sinestro).

Can powerful forces keep Henry Cavill’s Superman down? (Clay Enos - via AP)

SUPERMAN HAS JUST made DC Entertainment’s world safe for sequels.

Desperately needing a new tentpole film to plant in the ground since the Dark Knight circus left town, DC/Warner Bros. can now celebrate: “Man of Steel” managed to scale middling reviews and tempered studio expectations to dominate the weekend’s box office.

Henry Cavill. (Clay Enos - via AP) “Man of Steel” grossed $125-million in its domestic debut — including $12-million from Thursday “midnight” screenings — according to studio estimates Sunday. Final numbers are expected Monday.

That’s the biggest opening ever in June, according to Variety (not adjusting for inflation) — besting the $110-million that Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story 3” opened with in 2010.

And if that $113-million weekend total holds, ”MoS” will have the 18th-biggest opening ever, says Warner Bros., slotting in right behind “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” ($114.7-million).

Industry expectations predicted the film — starring Henry Cavill as the inheritor of the cape — would probably open close to $100-million.

The film, however, was showing a marked discrepancy between critical reviews and audience reaction. Metacritic, for instance, reported that the film had a lukewarm critical Metascore of “55” — but an average audience user-score of 8.6. (By comparison, the film’s predecessor, “Superman Returns” — starring Brandon Routh — had a strong Metascore of 72, but an average user-score of just 5.8.)

A “Man of Steel” sequel has already been greenlit, and DC — similar to Marvel’s strategic buildup to the biggest superher hit ever, 2012’s “The Avengers” — can now set its sights on a Justice League feature film with Cavill anchoring the cast.

(Elsewhere, Sony’s smartly counterprogrammed comedy “This Is the End” was second with $20.5 million for its opening weekend; the James Franco/Seth Rogen/the-whole-gang apocalyptic meta-comedy has now grossed $32.8 million — or roughly its reported production cost. Third was “Now You See Me” [$10-million].)

[‘MAN OF STEEL’: Want to dig deeper into Superman’s past? Here are our 14 recommended reads]

[SUPERMAN WRITER: SCOTT SNYDER on creating ’SUPERMAN UNCHAINED’: ‘It’s a huge honor and it’s really scary’]

BIOLOGICAL FATHER’S DAY: Russell Crowe (as Krypton papa Jor-El) and Ayelet Zurer (Lara Lor-Van) help plan Kal-El’s fertile origin story in Zack Snyder’s ”Man of Steel” (which is scripted and suckled by the Batman team). (Clay Enos - via AP)

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ED. NOTE: Throughout the week, Comic Riffs has focused on facets of Superman — the big, blue birthday boy — in advance of the new “Man of Steel.”

— M.C.

JUST MINUTES before tonight’s midnight release of "Man of Steel” (we’re in line now), ComiXology is allowing Superman fans to stock up on many of the comics that are source material for the movie — thanks to the website’s Superman 201 99-cents digital comics sale.

This kind of sale, of course, makes a fanboy’s heart leap in a single bound. So if you're looking to dive into some of the best Superman stories ever told, here are some can't-miss Superman picks from among the 200-plus comics available for the sale:

Action Comics #1 (1938):

Although you won't be able to sell a digital version of Superman's first appearance in a comic for millions, why not take a look at the book that started it all. It’s great to see how far Superman has evolved since he came onto the scene in 1938.

The book that started it all. (METROPOLIS COLLECTIBLES via AP - .)