Comics, Cartoons, and Graphic Novels: Oh My! By Lance Eaton; Lance_Eaton@uml.edu

Comics is a useful general term for designating the phenomenon of juxtaposing images in a sequence.

Unlike static or stand-alone pieces of art, which are

quite often focused on capturing a

moment or invoking a

response, sequential art is, with some

exceptions, concerned with

storytelling.

So what ARE comics (or graphic novels)?

Composition: the selection and placement of visual symbols on a comics page and within a panel

Layout: the relationship of a single panel to the succession of panels, to the totality of the page and to totality of the story; involves choices of size, sequence, and juxtaposition

Multimodal: a text which communicates through more than one symbol system such as comics (visual and textual) or television (visual and aural)

Directionally Challenged?

Panels• Left to Right• Top to Bottom• Sometimes, context

rules

Text• Left to Right• Top to Bottom• Sometimes, context

rules

And no, it won’t always be clear because1.The text may

interfere with the art.

2.Creators sometimes are playful with their readers.

Speech Balloons/Bubbles

Thought Balloons/Bubbles

Narrative Box/Voiceover

Gutter: the space between panelsPanel: a discernible area that contains a moment of

the story

Closure: applying background knowledge and an understanding of the relationships between encapsulated images to synthesize (or blend) sequences of panels into events

(NOT ALL GUTTERS AND PANELS ARE EQUAL!)

Interanimation of meaning: images (picture or text) appearing in proximity (in a panel or on a page) can each affect the meaning of the other, and together create a meaning beyond what is communicated by each separate image

Paralanguage: qualities of our spoken communication (volume, emphasis, rate, quality, etc.)

Onomatopoeia: invented words that mimic sounds

Intertextual image: a picture that reminds the reader of something he or she has encountered in other media (movies, books, paintings, TV shows, etc.)

Psychological image: an image that represents some aspect of a character's personality or state of mind

Emanata: Lines drawn around the head to indicate shock or surprise

diagetic images—pictures and words that depict characters, objects, and sensory environment of the world of the story

nondiagetic material – pictures and words that are present in the graphic novel but not part of the world of the story

Paradigmatic choice: the chosen images and all the images that could have made sense or communicated nearly the same meaning at the same point in the panel

Syntagmatic choice: the process of selecting which panels to present from the possible progression of story images that could occur

Encapsulation: selecting images that capture the flow of experience and putting them in a panel

Paradigmatic choiceOf all the images to depict their deaths, which one does the best?

Syntagmatic choiceWhat are the main points about the fire?

Two Main Features of Persepolis's Art

• Black and White• Level of Abstraction

In both cases, it keeps focus on the narrative and mood of the text.

QUESTIONS?