Graphic Novels and sequential art
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Not so many years ago, comic books in school were considered the enemy. Kids caught sneaking comics between the pages of bulky—and less engaging—textbooks were likely sent to the principal. But now comics, including classics such as Superman, but also they're generally more complex
There’s been a stigma against comic books in America, says Wiley Miller, comic artist and author of the Ordinary Basil series, whether because we don’t recognize comics as appropriate or serious reading, or because we think other books are more valid. Either way, he says, “trying to dissuade kids from reading comics is silly and juvenile—it hurts kids.” But today, comics are gaining respect in the educational community. “The idea of using comic books as an educational tool isn’t new,” says Michael Bitz, founder of the Comic Book Project at the Columbia University School of Education. “What is new is the larger embrace of comics as literature.” As literature, comics are “a layering of text, visual and pictorial,” says Carter. And don’t think you can just skim a comic book. The words and illustrations are meant to be “read” together. “As long as you’re reading comics, you’re using visual literacy skills,” says Carter, whether that’s interpreting Batman’s facial expressions or imagining what’s happening in a description of a science experiment. 
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Characteristics of a ComicComic strips often express messages or provide brief glances of events or stories. Key elements of a comic strip include character, setting, and plot — all conveyed in a few frames through a combination of pictures, captions, and dialogue. Due to its condensed format, a comic strip highlights only the most important elements of its targeted topic. A comic book is typically composed of a number of elements which all work together to tell the story. Some Characteristics of a Comic The panels, ie the illustrations The panels in comics can take every imaginable shape or form. Usually they are square, but you can come across round, rhomboid, trapezoid or Freeform shaped panels. The panels can be the same size or vary depending on the content. Sometimes they even overlap. Some comic strips don’t even use panels to arrange the story because the short, medium is pretty self-explanatory and don’t need them to outline the story. For longer stories panels are almost a must because they frame and arrange the story for the reader. Every panel has it’s own setting (even if the location of the story doesn’t change) and atmosphere. Artist like Jack Kirby even arranged panels in such a way that they narrated the story and didn’t rely only on text. The speech bubbles ie the Text The speech bubbles are used to contain the text that translates into the characters' speech. Again, some artists don’t really use bubbles, but just draw a line that connects the character and text. I think that bubbles can express a certain character of… Well… The character. Not only mood, but a certain characteristic that belongs only to that character. More angular speech bubbles express harshness and seem rough, rounder bubbles are softer and gentler… The stories, the narrative Comics (even the short strips) follow the classic 3 or 4 act structures of story telling. The short strips just have to make out every arc in one panel. The 3-act structure contains a setup, confrontation and resolution. The 3rd and final act is usually shorter. The 4-act structure is basically the same, but splits the third act into two separate acts. That makes all 4 acts the same length. It contains a setup, the response (the confrontation), attack and resolution. There is also a 5-act structure, but from what I understand that is just a more detailed 3-act structure. I could be wrong (maybe a drama student can correct me). It contains exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and a resolution/catastrophe.\ The Flow/ Composition This is the direction the panels are read that give the story.. typically we read from left to right and then down, but depending on where you live in the world this changes. Try not to go agaisnt the grain, if people are programed to read in a cetain direction to fight it work with it. Pannel Angles Just like in cinematography the angle of the camera shot is important to the story. it can convey emotion and importanance and give focus to a subject. |
Award Winning Comics
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What are the Eisner Awards?The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the “Oscars” of the comics world. Named for the pioneering comics creator and graphic novelist Will Eisner, the awards are given out in more than two dozen categories during a ceremony each year at Comic-Con International: San Diego. Award winners
The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published during the preceding calendar year
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father’s story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), shocks us out of any lingering sense of familiarity and succeeds in “drawing us closer to the bleak heart of the Holocaust” (The New York Times). |
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Project
Using Panels, 3 or more, Create a short narrative and rendering the comic in illustrator.
First come up with a narrative. Consider writing out a short three-line script. This will help organize you. Next in photoshop collage into each frame a sequence that then tells the story. remember it does not need to be complex. BE SIMPLE the best are simple. if you are stuck consider a corny dad joke and illustrate it.
assignmentIn this lesson, students will use the characteristics of Jack Kirby's illustration and employ them in their own Comic illustrations.
Assignment requirements
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Tutorial |
