Brandie Minchew

The Graphic Novel: A Definition.

A graphic novel, which may also be referred to as a comic book, combines graphic situational representations with plot, character, and dialogue to produce story. Realize that graphic novels do indeed differ from the traditional "comic book". It is easy to confuse the two, as most graphic novels are released as a series of comic books. However, a graphic novel has a pre-determined plot and stand-alone story which is represented both pictorially and in dialogue with some narrative; graphic novels have an end. Comic books tend to be longer with no preset plot, ongoing story elements, and are not "novelistic" in form.

Indeed, the word "comic" is misleading, as most comic books, even the less literary ones, tend to focus far more on drama and tragedy or romance than on comedy or perfect happy endings. Graphic novels more often deal with introspective topics than the run-of-the-mill well-known comics such as Superman or The X-Men, where the artist/writer delves as deeply into the human psyche as any novelist in the recognized literary canon.

Graphic novels are rarely recognized as a valid genre in literature, although they very often focus on universal issues and controversial or philosophical topics. In the spring 2004 issue of Indy Magazine, Martha Kuhlman observes that there exists "[. . .]an automatic prejudice on the part of American critics who regard comic books as a form of "low" art, although this attitude is being challenged in some academic circles" (Kuhlman).

Kuhlman goes on to describe the graphic novel in terms of "visual metaphor" (Kuhlman) in which pictures more often than not take the place of description and exposition, which are two of the main components of fiction. Graphic novels are not the first media in history to use images to enhance texts; one has only to read William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience to understand how pictures can deepen written meanings beyond the sensations that language can produce.

In her book, The Rock That Is Higher, writer Madeleine L'Engle talks about storytelling as a creative act. She tells us, "All art, good, bad, indifferent, reflects its culture[. . .] True art has a mythic quality in that it speaks of what was true, is true, and will be true" (L'Engle 199). Works such as the graphic novels of Joseph Michael Linsner possess that quality of truth as they ask questions that human beings have pondered since the waking of awareness, addressing these questions in different ways, or examining them from different angles. Graphic novels themselves are a product of our modern culture, reflecting the deeply human fascination of pictorially depicted story and the desire to examine in a new way the mysteries of the human psyche and human existence.

Example: "Dawn: Lucifer's Halo" by Joseph Michael Linsner

Linsner's "Dawn" has been popular since her first appearance in 1989 on the cover of "Cry for Dawn 1". The Lucifer's Halo series of six comic books is one of the most widely collected of Linsner's works. In "Lucifer's Halo", Linsner uses playful yet striking characterization to address Christian mythology and the age-old questions of sin and the human soul.

Dawn, the goddess of birth and rebirth, appears to Darrian, who up until that point has lived a "normal" existence for his world, a violently anarchist society centered around New York City.

Linsner's work is rife with symbolism from religious mythology, displayed within his striking depictions of both scene and character, and within the less visual characteristics of his choice of setting and other aspects of the story. For example, New York is known as "The Big Apple", and apples play a symbolic part in Darrian's journey of self-realization, along with being the Christian symbol of humanity's sin and fall from grace.

Linsner depicts Dawn as the mythic figure of "Mother Earth" or "Mother Nature", the mother of the "Spirit of Man". She stands at the crossroads of Earth, Heaven, and Hell, and her relationship with Darrian becomes symbolic of the eternal circle of life. An example of obvious yet subtle symbolism is the fact that Darrian, Ahura Mazda (the creator god), and Lucifer all bear an identical visage.

Subject Genre:

"Dawn: Lucifer's Halo" is a Mythological Fantasy. Elements of mythology (gods, goddesses, demons, and heroes) are mixed with elements of fantasy (magic, inhuman or fantastic characters) to produce the story.

Representational Genre:

"Dawn: Lucifer's Halo" combines narrator and dialogue. The narrative voice generally derives from the artist, as pictures replace description and exposition within the graphic novel. Dialogue, either internal or external, fleshes out the characters and combines with the images to form the story. Occasionally, a narrative voice is used for additional exposition not produced by dialogue or image.

Narrative Genre:

"Dawn: Lucifer's Halo" may be classified as a Romance. The heart of the story revolves around Darrian's search for identity within himself, as well as his battle against the forces of both good and evil. The ending, while ambiguous, is not tragic, and Darrian does, indeed, arrive at a both an internal and external transition, if not a concrete resolution on either front.

Elements of a Graphic Novel

Space and Time

Graphic novels are displayed in panels, units which frame the images and sequence them across the page. Panels need not always be square or even regularly shaped; indeed, a single panel may often cover an entire page. Panels help to guide the reader through the action of the graphic novel, much like scenes in a movie. The artist creatively makes use of angle, close-ups, or panorama in order to create his or her vision on the page.

Time and pacing of the story is also controlled through panelling. Action may flow from panel to panel, to show rather than tell the reader what is happening.

Artists often think of the different panels in terms of camera shots, the way a cinematographer would. They address scenes and characters from many different viewpoints, each time maintaining a consistant look in both person and place illustrated. The talent of the graphic novel artist lies in the meticulous attention to repetition, reproduction, and detail.

Dialogue

Dialogue between characters or internal monologue takes place usually within speech bubbles or thought bubbles, as seen in the panels above, although this is not always the case. In some graphic novels, speech takes place in seperate panels with quotation marks. In "Dawn", Linsner uses the speech bubbles to identify character type and mood.

Questions for Discussion

1. Humans are visual creatures and react very strongly to pictorial representations. Yet traditional novels have as powerful an impact as movies or plays or paintings or graphic novels. What differs in the way we receive these two media, and how do words on the page become as powerful for us as graphical representations? Are pictures more powerful or less powerful than a description by Nabakov or Eliot's "Wasteland"?

2. How do graphic novels compare with the media of drama or cinematography? How do they differ, and how are they alike?

Credits and Works Cited

Works Cited:

L'Engle, Madeleine. The Rock That Is Higher. Wheaton, Il: Harold Shaw Publishers. 1993.

Kuhlman, Martha. "The Poetics of the Page". Indy Magazine. Spring 2004. http://www.indyworld.com.

All images © Michael Joseph Linsner