Notes On Graphic Journalism

8/14/2019 Notes On Graphic Journalism

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COMICS JOURNALISM SHORT HISTORY AND

SOME EXAMPLES THROUGH MY OWN WORK

Based on a lecture by Aleksandar Zograf

We still dont know for sure what ComicsJournalism is generally, it is a term used to definecomics that are commenting on real world issues,instead of dealing with fantasy. In more recent

times, there are also some other terms being used,such as non-fiction comics, political comics, realitycomics, etc. I dont care much about definitions, solets talk about some examples from the history ofcomics. First, we should say that real world issues,and non-fiction storytelling in general, were used

as a topic for American newspaper comics andillustration very early on, in the beginning of the20th Century, while in Europe there were only tracesof it, mostly connected with political and satiricalmagazines. Just a sole example (as we would nothave time to explore this topic much further) is a

strip titled Telling Tommy, created by Paul Pim, andsyndicated through American newspapers in the1920s. It is basically an educational comic, and ineach installment, we see a boy asking his fatherabout some of the issues he is curious about (in thiscase, its production and distribution of fur!), nexttheres a panel (drawn more elaborately) where thetopic is explained, and then theres a punch line


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panel at the end, maybe to avoid sounding too dry.A much more refined rendering of real life issuescame with Harvey Kurtzman, in the early 50s, shortlybefore he would found Mad (comics) magazine.Kurtzman, when asked by his publisher, E.C. (thenknown for its horror comics!) to start a line of warcomics, came up with two series of comic books,titled Two Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat, lastingfrom 1950 to 1955. In these series, Kurtzman would

write well researched scripts about war events hewould spend a lot of time in the New York Library,searching through the documents and archives. Hisstories were then illustrated by some of the greatcartoonists he was collaborating with Will Elder,John Severin, Jack Davis, etc. At first, most of thestories were based on records from WW2. But,with the approach of the Korean war, an interestingdevelopment took place - Kurtzmans comics havestarted following the actual events, without falling forheroic and patriotic pathos (which was really great!).Everyone would tell you that comics journalism

was marked heavily by Art Spiegelmans Maus, thefirst graphic novel to receive the prestigious PulitzerPrize. Maus speaks about Spiegelmans parentssurviving the Auschwitz concentration camp, and itwas a milestone also because it enabled the wideraudience to comprehend that comics are able tospeak about such deep topics as the holocaust.Still, it is almost forgotten that there was an artist,

Horst Rosenthal, who was actually executed in theconcentration camp in Auschwitz, and who createdseveral comics while in the internment camp inGurs, France. Gurs was built by NAZI collaboratorsin France. In Gurs, unlike in camps constructed byNAZI Germany, it was possible to create art, andRosenthal created several handmade booklets whichby todays language, we would call mini comics. Inone of the books, entitled Mickey Mouse in the Gurs

Internment Camp Published without Walt DisneyPermission, Horst Rosenthal is presenting, yes, themost famous Disney character, as being arrestedand sent to Gurs! In this story, Mickey was stoppedon the street by a collaborationist policeman, whoasked : Your name? Mickey. Fathers name?Walt Disney. Mothers name? I dont have a


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mother! No kidding! Never mind. Youre a Jew?Pardon me?

Im asking if youre a Jew! Shamefully, Iconfessed my complete ignorance on that subject.

After this, we see Mickey being transferred tothe camp in Gurs It is actually a shame that thislittle booklet didnt attract more attention, evenif its not really an example of comics journalism,but above all a brutal example of how an art form

such as comics and reality of the holocaust could bematched together. Another artist who would oftenbe mentioned in the comics journalism context isJoe Sacco, who made graphic novels and shorterstories speaking about the crisis areas of the world.Then, very influential was the work by Iranian artist,now living in Europe - Marjane Satrapi. Her comicbooks, named Persepolis, are speaking about hergrowing up in Iran. They brought to the Westernreaders a much needed glimpse into the everydayreality of that region. Persepolis was made intoanimated feature in 2007, which was seen by one

million people in France alone. I also wanted topoint to a more recent example of a well-researchedbiography in comics, dedicated to the American folkmusic heroes the Carter Family. Dont Forget ThatSong was drawn by David Lasky (with script writerFrank M. Young). Lasky was an Artist in Residenceof Elektrika, where we are just now, and he won theEisner Award just some weeks after his return to

Seattle, for the book he was working on for the past10 years. Its a story of a music combo who wereselling millions of records in the 1920s and 1930s,but who were also simple people, deciding in the1940s to leave the music business and go back toliving in their rural homes in Virginia. To make thisbook, the authors had to do a lot of research, andto find and talk with the remaining relatives of thefamily, with music experts, etc. As far as my own

experience in comics journalism goes, I always feltlike not completely fitting to it, also because I tried topresent my musings, dreams, even hallucinations,as being equally important as facts. Anyway, Isomehow jumped into this field in the early 90s,at the time when I was actually more interested intransferring my dream experiences into comics.When the war that would lead to the decompositionof Yugoslavia has started, I suddenly realized thatits actually more phantasmagorical to make comicswhich depict the REALITY of life in the Balkans.Thats how my books such as Life Under Sanctions

(originally published by Fantagraphics Books in1994) came about. Then, in 1999, during the NATOcampaign against Serbia, my hometown Panevoand its industrial zone (where my apartment buildingis placed) became one of the most frequent targetsof the NATO bombings. So, I became a reporter,who just had to stand in front of his window pane, toobserve the situation - as described in my comics


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series Regards from Serbia, published in severalmagazines in US and in Europe DURING the verybombing campaign, and later collected in books thatcame out in several countries. Since 2003, when Istarted to work on 2 page color weekly comics forBelgrades Vreme magazine, I tried a whole varietyof stories that had to do with various journalisticforms reports, travelogues, interviews, etc. So, forexample, I conducted a talk with Kim Deitch, whomI met in his flat in New York City, and transformedour conversation into a comic. It turned out to behandy since, in a comic, I was able to present even

Kims character, Waldo the Cat, entering the story comics allow you to merge the objective andsubjective realities, and still keep the form of theinterview I also did comics travelogues, based onmy travels around the world and in Serbia. I evenillustrated a diary from NAZI occupied Belgrade,found in a flea market, written by a person who

remained anonymous (except for his first name,Radoslav), and it was made into an exhibition byBelgrades National Library. The exhibition touredthe world, and reached even Washingtons Libraryof Congress! So I guess, possibilities are boundless.


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SOME BASIC ELEMENTS OF SCRIPTWRITING THAT

MIGHT MATTER BUT MAYBE NOT

Vladimir Palibrk

When it comes to graphic journalism, theelements of classical drama are maybe not 100%relevant, but it is always good to have them inmind while you work on your script. Whether you

want to integrate results of your investigation in amore drama-like narrative, or just want to makeyour content more interesting by upgrading it withfew tricks here and there, it is always good to havein mind the terms that are discussed in this text.Besides that, newspapers, television and radio arealso transmitting to us the non-fictional informationthrough some kind of drama-like forms. We ashuman beings also tend to perceive daily life andtransmit it to each other through dramatic narratives.Our attention is perfectly trained to search for andreact to drama, even if we are not conscious of it.A narrative that does not contain drama is usuallyconsidered as not-that-interesting-to-tell. In thefollowing text, we will mostly rely on the knowledgefound in the text Poetics, written by ancient Greekphilosopher Aristotle yes, although old, this text isstill quite relevant. To start from somewhere, we cansay that one of the basic elements of drama is theCHARACTERS. Usually, we get to know them in theEXPOSITION, the part of the narrative that normally

comes at the beginning of the story, althoughit is not a must in case of various inversions, itmight also come in the middle, or at the end ofthe story. During the exposition we recognize thepsychological characteristics of a protagonist, hisphysical appearance, and we can maybe discoverwhat kind of choices he makes what does he like,do, love, or hate, and we also get to know moreabout the basic context that surrounds him. There

is a nice list of elements that characterizationdepends on. The characters COSTUME or thespecific SCENERY wherein he appears can alsoprovide us with valuable information about him. Forexample a man in uniform standing on the beachis definitely not the same starting point for a movie,as a man in uniform sitting in an office. And viceversa lady wearing a bikini on the beach mightimply something completely opposite from a ladywearing a bikini in an office. In theater or movies, acharacter is also recognized by the way it TALKS orMOVES. It is sometimes good to have all these things

on our mind when we need to sketch psychologicaland physical characteristics of a protagonist andmake sure all this is also clearly transmitted to thereader. A complete and clear character usually hasall these elements organized in a complementaryway, so that they extend each other a person ofcertain preferences would talk in a certain way,dress in a certain manner and live in a certain kind


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of environment Characters are distinguishedfrom each other by the choices they make in frontof us as the story goes on. It is sometimes evenmore effective to group the characters by similarity,or by contrast for example, an innocent andhonest character may look even more idealisticif confronted with an evil and morally corrupted

character, in some situation or dialogue. Example innocent Cinderella surrounded by evil step-motherand step-sisters. According to Aristotle, each dramashall have a beginning (exposition), a middle part (inwhich events take a bit more intensive rhythm andimportant twist occurs) and an ending (conclusion,epilogue). We can add that it is not necessary thatthey appear in the order stated above, while some

avant-garde traditions even skip some of theseparts, and still manage to tell good stories. It isalways good to incorporate some kind of TWISTin your story. Or even more than one twist moretwists, more drama and suspense. Twists areturning points at which the main protagonist entersan unexpected change of circumstances. Although

unexpected, this change should be logical. Howmany times have we seen this in thriller movies:The main hero gets knocked down, the villain isapproaching with a big knife ready to finish him, butin the final moments our hero pulls out a gun, so wethink Huh ok, he is saved as he aims at the villain,but alas, the gun is clicking empty...we close oureyes in fear and hear the shot we open the eyes

Semanticimportance andinteractionsbetweencostume andscenery: nakedman on thebeach...

...is definetlynot the same as

a man on thebeach wearing amedieval armor.


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and we see that the villain is dead, shot from a fairdistance by main heros friend..- this is an exampleof minor twists, while the story can also have atleast one MAJOR TWIST that is influencing the maincharacters destiny or a life path.

Another important aspect through which dramainterferes successfully with our lives is the factthat main protagonists are usually pictured in away so that the reader can easily identify himself

withthe character. This identification happensbothconsciously or unconsciously, but it alwaysleads to certain amount of compassion with theprotagonists troubles or successes, which furtherleads to feeling of happiness or sadness over hisdestiny. We can agree that in some cases journalismalso tries to tell stories about simple everyday peoplefacing unexpected or weird situations, which impliesthat in some sense, it could happen to anybody.PROPORTIONS maybe another important elementthat can create or destroy the rhythm of your story. Forexample, an exposition thats too long may exhaust

the readers attention and spoil the motivation toread the rest of the story, while a twist that is comingtoo soon may not be perceived as an importantturning point, because the reader is conditioned toexpect the major twist a bit later in the story. So,keep in mind that you can always play with the partsand phases of the story, intentionally keeping theirlength and order under control, depending on which

effect you want to achieve. Having in mind that youare writing for comics, a certain amount of economymight also be quite useful try not to repeat thingsby drawing what you already have written and viceversa. Now, dear reader, you can forget the wholetext you just read, and create your own approachesand solutions it is always important to feel freeand to experiment, which might actually lead youto the best achievements ever. Good luck with your

stories!

Charactersgrouped by

contrast:Cinderella

surrounded by herevil sisters.


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BASIC INFO ON HOW TO WRITE A CLASSICAL

NEWS REPORT

Concept by Hanja Miovi

One of the most common ways of news reportingis The inverted pyramid method - Serving themost important facts at the beginning.

1. Answering the 5W + 1H questions ( Who? Why?

When? What? Where? How?) is The Lead of the story.George Orwells rule:If it is possible to cut a word

out, always cut it out.2. When reader gets the most important facts,

he may stop reading, so under the lead are lessimportant facts of the news report.

3. Background - clarifies the story (statement of awitness, an expert, an analyst).

4. When you first refer to someone whos quoted ina story, use their full name and job title if applicable.On the second and all subsequent references, usejust their last name.

5. Only use the important and meaningful quotesinstead of using your own words. Dont quotesomeone just because he/she is important.

6. Dont start the lead with a question. Dont putany comments or show personal attitude. There isno I in news report.

7. Sentences should be short, clear and precise.8. After finishing the text, read it once again and if

theres something to be cut out - cut it out.9. Dont use too many adjectives - use verbs

instead.10. Avoid formal/bureaucratic language.

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM vs. GONZO

JOURNALISM

Lecture concept by Hanja Miovi

Investigative journalism:1. Exploring something that tends to stay hidden -

but, not everything that tends to stay hidden can be atopic for investigative journalism.2. Investigation of a certain pattern, not an isolated

case.3. It is important to study the terminology, and to

consult with the experts in that area.4. Make the main thesis of investigation.5. Find as many trustful sources as you can,

that will confirm your thesis. Protect confidential

sources.6. Revise the main thesis again.7. Keep it secret.8. Interview subjects involved in the story, when

you gathered all the information.9. Always consult a lawyer if you have any worries

about the legality of what you are doing or writing.10. Publishing the story.


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Investigative journalists need all the skills ofgeneral reporting, but especially:

1. An alert mind to recognize story ideas andimportant facts which people are trying to hide.

2. An ordered mind to make notes, file informationand fit lots of facts together.

3. Patience to keep digging for information.4. Good contacts throughout society.5. Courage to withstand threats from people

you are investigating. Become familiar with allthe different places you can get information,such as company registers and court records. Aswell as accumulating information, you must alsogather supporting evidence, in case your story ischallenged. Double-check everything you do, fromthe information you gather to the way you write yourfinal story.

Hunter S. Thompson was an American journalistand author. Thompson became internationallyknown with the publication of Hells Angels: TheStrange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw MotorcycleGangs, for which he had spent a year living andriding with the Angels, experiencing their lives and

hearing their stories first hand. Previously a relativelyconventional journalist, with the publication in 1970of The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depravedhe became a counter cultural figure, with his ownbrand of New Journalism he termed Gonzo, anexperimental style of journalism where reportersinvolve themselves in the action to such a degreethat they become central figures of their stories.


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Gonzo is:-a type of committed, subjective journalism

characterized by factual distortion and exaggeratedrhetorical style. Oxford dictionary

-Gonzo journalist chooses subjects that are eitherignored or misrepresented by the mainstream press(e.g.Hells angels)

-Exposing of the authors ME and subjectivedimension of the described events.

-Far from the journalist conventions, formatsand rules. Presenting whats behind the curtains,background, giving important, less importantand interesting details. Looking beyond the PRsimulacrum

-You become the story. Thats what Hunteralways liked the idea of best. Dont stand back anddo it like an official bank clerk filling in a form. Youreactually creating the story as you go. There is nostory, until you start one. Thats how we did it. Thatswhy it always was fun Ralph Steadman -Gonzojournalism is a camera-eye technique of reporting

in which the writers notes are published withoutsupposedly editing. Objectivity, however, is not theideal; the writer is expected to select details andinterpret events Documenting his own personalreactions to the subject, Thompson discovered notjust a literary style but a voice that rejected all therules and conventions of traditional journalism.-The fusion of reality and stark fantasy in a way that

amuses the author and outrages his audience Gonzo style, definition by John Filtireau


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NOTES ON GRAPHIC JOURNALISM is a collection of materials,concepts, notes and sketches created during the workshop on graphicjournalism that took place in ELEKTRIKAgallery, Panevo, Serbia,between 21st and 27th of October, 2013. Workshop was aiming toprovide most basic information on the history and possible techniquesof graphic journalism, as the fundamentum for further educationand exploration. Participants were: Aleksandar Zograf, Boris Stani,Jenny Taravosh, Ester Vanhoutte, Vuk Palibrk, Vladimir Palibrk, Dejananarevi, Hanja Miovi, Jeff Ross.

Proofreading: Ester Vanhoutte, Pat Moriarity

Translation of Diary of the year 1941: Katie Woznicki

Illustrations and comics /in order of appearance/:Horst Rosenthal /pg3/, Aleksandar Zograf /pgs 6-7/,Ester Vanhoutte /pgs 8-15, 18, 19, 21/, Vuk Palibrk /pgs 22 33/,Boris Stani /pgs 37-39/

Cover: Boris Stani

Photos: Vladimir PalibrkPublished by: Association for improvement of culture Elektrika,October 2013.Printed by Standard 2, BelgradePrintrun: 800

Project was funded by Municipality of Panevo and GoetheInstiute Alexandria under the frame of Cultural InnovatorsNetwork Project, as a special contribution to the online comics

magazine RISHA PROJECT:www.rishaproject.org
http://www.rishaproject.org/http://www.rishaproject.org/


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