Reading Graphic Novels

A Guide to

Imagine a Stage with Two Actors

TEXT IMAGE

•Voicing her lines in words.•Experienced, veteran entertainer

•Expressing his message visually

One Stage, Two Actors

Both given equal amounts of space and time on the stage.

Both tell the story. Sometimes, they work together,

other times they work alone. The complete story depends on both

actors.

Reading a graphic novel is like watching these actors.

If you prefer to think of it as a relationship…

Meet Mr. & Mrs. Graphic Novel…

Mr. “Text”

And his sweetheart, Ms. “Image”

Put them together, and you get something much better…

MEET MR. & MRS. GRAPHIC NOVEL

Words Create Pictures & Pictures Create Words

“There is a synergistic relationship between language and art that is rooted deep within our nature. Great literature leaves us not just with extraordinary stories; the language also leaves an image — a rich and expansive painting of the world written on the page” (Weatherwax).

Pictures & Words = More Work “What all graphic novelists aspire to, however --

whether they start with words or with an image or two -- is a sense of motion, of action unfolding in the blank spaces between their stop-action frames. They spend a lot of time thinking about how the panels are arranged and the number of panels it takes (or doesn't) to depict a given amount of narrative. Most of these effects are meant to work on us, the readers, almost subconsciously, but they require a certain effort nonetheless. You have to be able to read and look at the same time, a trick not easily mastered, especially if you're someone who is used to reading fast. Graphic novels, or the good ones anyway, are virtually unskimmable. And until you get the hang of their particular rhythm and way of storytelling, they may require more, not less, concentration than traditional books” (McGrath).

Pictures & Words = More Work

“The Freddie Stories” See #3 on the link above to watch Lynda

Barry’s short message about the value of doing “more work”.

More on interpreting pictures and words in a few minutes…

Parts of Graphic NovelEssential Terms

Panels

Panels are blocks of art or framed drawings on a page

the “visual or implied boundary, and the contents within it, that tell a piece of the story” (Monnin).

Each separate panel must be an individual work of art that helps develop the story.

Terms for Talking About Panels

CONTENT

Word panel Image panel Word and image panel

STORY

Plot panel Character panel Setting panel Conflict panel Rising Action panel Climax panel Resolution panel Symbols panel Theme panel Foreshadowing panel Combination story panel

See handout for definitions of these terms.

Gutters

According to Scott McCloud, a leading expert on print-image literacies, “the most foundational graphic novel vocabulary term is gutter” (Monnin).

Gutters

What’s a gutter? The space between the panels The moment in time when the reader moves from one panel to the next panel and comes to some sort of understanding between the two.

More on Gutters

“While each panel contains its own element of the story to be told, the gutters that fall in between the panels are the “glue-like” moments that bind the panels—and the story—together” (Monnin).

They’re transitions, but the reader has to create them based on what they understand about the surrounding panels.

Gutters force us to make inferences.

Inferences A conclusion reached on the basis of

evidence of reasoning You make an inference when you use

clues from the story to figure out something the author doesn’t tell you.

What can you infer from gutter between these two panels?

Gutters allow us to see action.

Let’s continue Abby’s story…

So, we know…

The girl’s name is Abby (panel 1). She’s packing (gutter b/w panel 1 &

2). She’s in her room (panel 3). She’s in a rush (panel 4).

But, how do we know this?

Types of Gutters

See handout.

Balloons

Typically found inside of a panel, graphic novel balloons commonly create visual boundaries between words and images.

Word Balloons

Enclose print-text words within a visual boundary that divides the artwork from the printed text

Story Balloons

Focus on progressing the storyline

Thought Balloons

Focus on a character’s or characters’ thoughts/

ideas

Dialogue Balloons

Focus on conversation between characters (or one character simply speaking aloud to himself)

Sound Effect Balloons

Use words or images to convey a sense of sound in the story.

Balloonless Balloons

Sometimes there is no visual boundary. There are a number of reasons why

graphic novelists do this.

Text & Image Relationships

Apples to Apples

See page 5 in your vocabulary packet.

“How to Read a Graphic Novel”

Associate Professor Michael Chaney, Dartmouth College

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAyEbgSPi9w

Your First Impressions

See worksheet.

Works Cited

McGrath, Charles. "Not Funnies." The New York Times. 11 July 2004. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/11/magazine/not-funnies.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm>.

Weatherwax, Annie. "Graphic Lit: 'The Graphic Canon'" The New York Times. N.p., 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/books/review/the-graphic-canon-edited-by-russ-kick.html>.