Graphic Narrative

Emily Monsey

Graphic Novels

A graphic novel is a book made up of words and

pictures: typically, in a graphic novel, the

pictures are arranged on the page in sequential

panels, while the words are presented in speech

bubbles (for dialogue) or text boxes (for

narration), though this may not always be the

case. ‘Graphic novel’ is a word that describes a

medium, not a genre: graphic novels can be

histories (like George O’Connor’s Journey Into

Mohawk Country); fantasies (like Joann Sfar’s

Vampire Loves) or anything in between.

The term ‘graphic’ in ‘graphic

novel’ denotes the pictorial

nature of the medium: it’s not an

age rating. There are graphic

novels for every age group, and

they’re not just about

superheroes— graphic novels

have addressed such diverse

topics as falling in love for the

first time, baking bread,

Shakespeare, ballet, AIDS, and

paleontology. Though there may

not be as many graphic novels for

eighty year-old women as there

are for teenagers and college-age

readers, the medium has

produced incredible, critically

acclaimed works than span every

age group.

Some examples of graphic novels would be;

• Scott Pilgrim• Avengers• Batman• Superman• Doctor who• Coraline

Children’s BooksChildren’s LiteratureChildren’s literature is for readers and listeners for up to age 12.It is defined in 3 different ways:• Written by children• Read by children• Chosen by or for children.

Picture books= 0-5 yearsA picture book is a popular form of illustrated literature—more precisely, a book with comparatively few words and at least one picture on each of its openings—popularized in the 20th century Western world. The illustrations in picture books use a range of media from oil painting to collage to quilting, but are most commonly watercolor or pencil drawings. Picture books are most often aimed at young children, and while some may have very basic language especially designed to help children develop their reading skills, most are written with vocabulary a child can understand but not necessarily read. For this reason, picture books tend to have two functions in the lives of children: they are first read to young children by adults, and then children read them themselves once they begin to learn to read. Some picture books are also written with older children in mind, developing themes or topics that are appropriate for children even into early adolescence. They are commonly made with a thick card as they need to be hard wearing, it also makes it easier for children of this young age to turn the page. They can also be made in a soft fabric material for safety and also to attract young children to it.

Early reader books = 5-7 yearsEarly Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books, they help children between the ages of 5 and seven to develop their reading skills and eventually go on to reading more challenging books, for example books with chapters and less images to guide them through it.

Readers at this stage have developed an understanding of the alphabet, phonological awareness, and early phonics. They have command of a significant number of high-frequency words. Emergent readers are developing a much better grasp of comprehension strategies and word-attack skills. They can recognize different types of text, particularly fiction and nonfiction, and recognize that reading has a variety of purposes. Books at this stage have:•Increasingly more lines of print per page• More complex sentence structure•Less dependency on repetitive pattern and pictures•Familiar topics but greater depth

Still have images to attract the reader, but with added

text.

Some examples of children’s books would be;

• Winnie the witch • Peppa pig• Horrid Henry• Spot

Balloon TailsIf at all possible, a balloon tail should point to a character's mouth as if an invisible line continued on past the end of the tail to their face.

Joining Balloons with ConnectorsThere are two instances where this is used. The first is when a character says two separate ideas expressed one after the other.

The second instance is when two characters are speaking in a panel and the conversation goes back and forth between them.

Burst BalloonsBurst Balloons are used when someone is screaming their dialogue. Burst balloons typically aren't italicized, but are often bold with certain words enlarged or underlined for even more emphasis.

Thought BalloonsThought balloons have fallen out of fashion in recent years in preference for narrative captions. The tail on a thought balloon is made up of smaller bubbles and should point towards a character's head (not mouth, as in a standard balloon tails). Generally you should have at least three little bubbles of decreasing size that reach toward the character.

CaptionsThere are four types of captions in comics:

Location & Time captions were formerly the same font as your dialogue only inside a caption box and italicized.

Internal Monologue captions, largely replacing thought balloons, are the inner voice of a character. These are typically italicized.

Spoken Captions are the vocalized speech of a character that is off camera. These are not italicized but make special use of quotation marks.

Finally, Narrative captions feature the voice of the writer or editor and are also italicized.