1. COMICS AND
GRAPHIC NOVELS
COMICS AND
GRAPHIC NOVELS
COMICS AND
GRAPHIC NOVELS
CREATIVE WRITING
CLZIANOSKI
CREATIVE WRITING
CLZIANOSKI
2. M
LESSON OBJECTIVES
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
• STUDY THE COMIC/GRAPHIC NOVEL AND ITS ORIGINS BY
TAKING NOTES
• ANALYZE THE ELEMENTS OF A COMIC/GRAPHIC NOVEL
• IDENTIFY THE GOAL OR THEME
OF A COMIC/GRAPHIC NOVEL
• WRITE A COMIC OR GRAPHIC
NOVEL USING COMMON
ELEMENTS REVIEWED
3. M
THE COMIC STRIP
• COMIC STRIP: A SEQUENCE OF DRAWINGS IN BOXES
THAT TELL AN AMUSING STORY, TYPICALLY PRINTED
IN A NEWSPAPER OR COMIC BOOK
• STORIES MAY BE HUMOROUS, OR MAY PRESENT A
WORLD OF ADVENTURE, MYSTERY, OR FANTASY
4. M
THE COMIC STRIP
• COMIC STRIPS HAVE ONE OR MORE CENTRAL
CHARACTERS WHO APPEAR IN EACH ISSUE
• STORIES MAY BE TOLD IN A SINGLE ISSUE, OR MAY
CONTINUE FROM ONE ISSUE TO THE NEXT OVER A
PERIOD OF TIME
5. M
HISTORY OF
THE COMIC STRIP
• COMIC STRIPS HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE THE
END OF THE 1800’S
• THEY ARE THE GRANDFATHERS OF GRAPHIC
NOVELS
• THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF COMIC STRIPS WERE
TO DRAW PEOPLE TO THE SUNDAY PAPERS
• WITHIN TIME, THEY BECAME MUCH MORE
POPULAR THROUGHOUT SOCIETY
6. M
HISTORY OF
THE COMIC STRIP
• THE FIRST COMIC STRIP WAS ORIGINALLY
PUBLISHED IN 1895 BY R. F. OUTCAULT IN NEW
YORK WORLD
• THE COMIC STRIP
INCREASED SALES
• IT ALSO EVENTUALLY
ENDORSED
SOAP-WHISKEY
7. M
HISTORY OF
THE COMIC STRIP
• KATZENJAMMER KIDS WAS
PUBLISHED SOON AFTER IN
1897 BY HY EISMAN
• MADE USE OF WORD BUBBLES
AND MULTIPLE PANELS TO TELL A STORY
10. M
THE COMIC STRIP
BILL WATTERSON’S “CALVIN AND HOBBES”
GEORGE HERRIMAN’S “KRAZY KAT AND IGNATZ”
11. M
THE COMIC BOOK
• COMIC BOOK: ALSO CALLED COMIC
MAGAZINE OR COMIC, IS A
PUBLICATION THAT CONSISTS OF
COMIC ART IN THE FORM OF
SEQUENTIAL JUXTAPOSED PANELS
THAT REPRESENT INDIVIDUAL
SCENES.
• THE TERM COMICS MISTAKENLY
CONNOTES HUMOR, WHICH IS NOT
AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE FORM
• AUDIENCE – BOTH CHILDREN
AND ADULTS
12. M
HISTORY OF
THE COMIC BOOK
• GAINED ITS POPULARITY IN
1933 WHEN REPRINTS WERE
ORIGINALLY FREE
• IN 1935, NEW COMICS WITH
THE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS
WERE RELEASED FOR
10¢ EACH
13. M
HISTORY OF
THE COMIC BOOK
• THE COMIC BOOK WAS EXTREMELY
POPULAR FROM THE 1930’S-50’S
• SUPERMAN BECAME THE FIRST
SUPERHERO AND WAS SOLD ON
NEWSSTANDS IN 1938
• SUPERHEROES WERE HUGE
DURING WORLD WAR II
• AFTER WORLD WAR II: CRIME,
SCIENCE FICTION, AND HORROR
COMICS MADE THEIR DEBUT
14. M
HISTORY OF
THE COMIC BOOK
• IN THE 1950’S, COMICS WERE IN
A CRISIS!
• FREDERIC WERTHAM: PUBLISHED
A BOOK CALLED SEDUCTION OF
THE INNOCENT IN 1954
• PROMOTED HIS BELIEF THAT
COMICS PRODUCED HARMFUL
EFFECTS ON CHILDREN AND
THE IDEA THAT THEY WERE
DANGEROUS
15. M
HISTORY OF
THE COMIC BOOK
• HELPED SPARK A U.S.
CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRY INTO
THE COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY AND
ULTIMATELY, THE CREATION OF
THE COMICS CODE
• MOST COMICS WERE
EXAMINED BY THE U.S.
SENATE, BANNED, AND
BURNED
16. M
THE COMIC BOOK:
A NEW BEGINNING
• IN THE LATE 1950’S, THE JUSTICE
LEAGUE OF AMERICA WAS BORN
• THE FANTASTIC FOUR, INCREDIBLE
HULK, AND SPIDER-MAN APPEARED
IN 1961
• 1960’S: SELF-PUBLISHED
UNDERGROUND COMICS EMERGE
• THUS, THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
RECEIVED ITS POPULARITY
19. M
THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
• GRAPHIC NOVEL: A BOOK MADE
UP OF COMICS CONTENT.
ALTHOUGH THE WORD "NOVEL"
NORMALLY REFERS TO LONG
FICTIONAL WORKS, THE TERM
"GRAPHIC NOVEL" IS APPLIED
BROADLY AND INCLUDES FICTION,
NON-FICTION, AND ANTHOLOGIZED
WORK.
• IT IS DISTINGUISHED FROM THE TERM "COMIC
BOOK," WHICH IS USED FOR COMICS PERIODICALS.
20. M
THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
• THE TERM WAS COINED BY
RICHARD KYLE AND WAS MADE
POPULAR THROUGH WILL
EISNER’S A CONTRACT WITH
GOD IN 1978
• FROM THEN ON, GRAPHIC NOVELS
HAVE MADE IMPRESSIVE
MILESTONES AMONG SALES AND
POPULARITY
• MANY PEOPLE FIRST TOOK
NOTICE OF THEM IN 1986 WHEN
ART SPIEGELMAN WON THE
PULITZER PRIZE FOR HIS MAUS.
23. M
WHY COMICS?
• 6.3 MILLION SECONDARY
SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE
READING BELOW GRADE LEVEL
• AVERAGE AMERICAN AGE 15-
24 SPENDS ONLY 7 MINUTES
OF DAILY LEISURE TIME
READING
• STUDENTS WITH ACCESS TO A
VARIETY OF READING
MATERIALS HAVE HIGHER
AVERAGE READING SCORES
24. M
• PRESENT COMPLEX MATERIAL IN
READABLE TEXT
• SERVE AS A BRIDGE TO MORE
DIFFICULT READING
• CHALLENGE READERS OF MORE
TRADITIONAL LITERATURE
• EMBRACE NATURE OF
MULTIMEDIA WORLD
• FULFILL NCTE’S “21ST
CENTURY LITERACIES”
WHY COMICS?
25. M
CREATING A
COMIC STRIP
1. DECIDE ON YOUR STORY
• YOU DON’T NEED TO FIGURE OUT ALL THE
DETAILS YET, JUST A GOAL OR THEME.
2. FIND YOUR STYLE.
• YOUR STYLE SHOULD MATCH BOTH YOUR TONE
AND THE STORY THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR HEAD.
• THE STYLE OF A COMIC IS THE FIRST THING
THAT IS GOING TO JUMP OUT TO YOUR READERS.
• EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT COMIC STYLES:
ANIME/MANGA, AMERICAN SUPERHERO,
SPRITES/CLIP ART, NOIR, STICK FIGURES,
SUNDAY FUNNIES, AND DRAMAS.
26. M
CREATING A
COMIC STRIP
3. DECIDE ON YOUR FORMAT
• MAP OUT HOW MANY PANELS AND/OR ROWS FOR
YOUR COMIC STRIP
• A SINGLE FRAME COMIC: RELY ON VISUAL GAGS
AND ONE OR TWO LINES OF DIALOGUE.
POLITICAL COMICS ARE TYPICALLY ONE OR TWO
FRAMES.
• A COMIC STRIP: A SEQUENCE OF FRAMES.
THERE IS NO SET LENGTH FOR A STRIP, BUT IT IS
USUALLY COMPOSED OF AROUND 2-4 FRAMES
EACH.
• A COMIC PAGE: A WHOLE PAGE OF COMIC STRIPS.
A COMIC PAGE REQUIRES MORE CONTENT.
27. M
CREATING A
COMIC STRIP
4. PLAN OUT EACH PANEL
• THIS WILL HELP YOU CREATE ACTIONS AND
DIALOGUE, AND WILL ALSO HELP AVOID FUTURE
MISTAKES
5. BALANCE TEXT AND IMAGES
• DON’T PUT TOO MUCH TEXT IN YOUR PANELS.
THIS CAN MAKE THE COMIC HARD TO READ AND
ENJOY.
• TRY TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF SPEECH
BALLOONS TO 2-3 TO A PANEL AND KEEP THE
NUMBER OF WORDS BELOW 30, PREFERABLY 20.