Write and draw a 6-panel comic strip/mini graphic novel about a
time that YOU experienced teen angst. Make sure that your graphics
and text combine to make a clear story!
Slide 2
Grab a partner and exchange warm-ups. Read your partners comic
strip. On the back, write a 10 WORD SUMMARY of their experience
with teen angst.
Slide 3
Take back your comic strip. Read your partners summary. Is it
accurate? If so, then you did a great job communicating your
experience through graphics and text. Are there mistakes? If so,
then you need to work on clarity. In a graphic novel, if its not
clear, its the authors mistake, not the readers.
Slide 4
(p. 53-54)
Slide 5
Definition: A narrative work, often told in first person, in
which the story is conveyed to the reader using a combination of
graphics and text.
Slide 6
LENGTH: some up to 400-500 pages long RESOLVED STORY ARC
THEMES: more real world themes like identity, religion, death,
fitting in, personal struggles SPLASH PAGES: used for mood, to
convey strong emotion LENGTH: Between 30- 40 pages USUALLY PRINTED
IN SERIAL FORM THEMES: superheroes, comedy SPLASH PAGES: used for
big reveals or cliff hangers
Slide 7
A graphic novel is "not only something one reads but something
one sees as well...[it is] like reading and watching a movie at the
same time (Gallo and Weiner, 115).
Slide 8
Read from left to right like a traditional book Words and
dialogue are the primary focus with the image coming in second
Transitions happen much faster in a graphic novel compared to a
regular book Read the text first, then look at the image within
that panel before moving on to the text in the next panel
Slide 9
The #1 rule to remember: the bigger the panel, the more time
you should spend looking at it and analyzing it.
Slide 10
Panel: a section, usually a box, containing a combination of
image and text in endless variety. Panels offer a different
experience than simply reading the text.
Slide 11
Frame: the lines and borders that contain the panels Gutter:
the space between framed panels (contrast the gutters on page 62
with page 63) Bleed: an image that extends to/beyond the edge of
the page
Slide 12
Slide 13
Foreground: the parts closest to the viewer Midground: The
artist places an image centered or off centered to create visual
tension. Background: provides additional information for the
reader, such as time period and setting
Slide 14
Slide 15
Faces: Some faces depict an actual person; others are symbolic.
They can be dramatic when placed against a detailed backdrop They
can be drawn without much expression or detail, which invites the
audience to figure out what the character is thinking. This is
called an open blank Note: When we say look at the faces, you are
actually looking for the emotion or what clue we are getting from
the face not just that there is one.
Slide 16
Slide 17
Hands and Feet: the position of hands and feet can be used to
express what is happening in the story. Hands with palms out might
suggest surprise. Hands over the mouth might depict fear, shame, or
shyness. Feet that appear in motion might create a sense of panic,
urgency. When we say look at the hands and feet, we are asking you
to look for the clues we might get from them.
Slide 18
Slide 19
Captions: these boxes contain a variety of text elements, such
as scene-setting, description (page 73) Special-Effects lettering:
highlights or draws attention to the text. Think about onomatopoeia
in Batman comic strips (Blam! Pow!) (page 17, 106) Speech balloons:
these enclose dialogue and come from a specific speakers mouth.
External dialogue is speech between characters (45) Internal
dialogue is a thought enclosed by a balloon that has a series of
dots or bubbles going up to it. (97)
Slide 20
Gene Yang: Creating a Graphic Novel Gene Yang: Creating a
Graphic Novel
Slide 21
Use the handout with the panels to practice identifying and
labeling terms and concepts associated with the graphic novel.
Write all over it. Use arrows, lines, etc. to mark the different
features. Aim for three to five annotations per panel.
Slide 22
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Slide 25
Write a note to an absent student explaining what we did today
and what you learned.
