1. What is a Graphic Novel? What is a Comic Book?
Jot down your ideas on a piece of notebook paper.
What is a Graphic Novel? What is a Comic Book?

2. Characteristics of a Graphic Novel
Narrative work
Usually in 1st person or autobiographical
Story conveyed in sequential art
Can use experimental design
Usually in traditional comic format

3. Are Graphic Novels the same as comic books?
Well, yes and no.

4. Graphic Novel Comic Book Length Length Story Arc Story Arc Themes
Some up to pages
Story Arc
Resolved
Themes
More real world themes
Such as: Identity, religion, death, fitting in, personal struggles
Splash Pages
Used for mood and strong emotions
Length
Between pages
Story Arc
Printed in serial form
(which means short segments of the whole story are printed periodically)
Themes
Superheroes
Comedy
Splash Pages
Used for big reveals or cliff hangers

5. A profuse amount of comic books
A graphic novel

6. What are the other parts of a Graphic novel?

7. Panel- a combination of image and text in endless variety
Gutter- the space between framed panels
Frame- the lines and borders that contain the panels

8. Thought Bubble- internal speech Narrative Box
Speech Bubble- external speech

9. Splash Page- used for a big reveal or a cliff hanger

10. Splash pages are used for effect and mood.
Panels keep up the flow of a story. When they are removed, it creates a powerful effect.

11. Some other terms and definitions
Bleed
When the image runs off the page

12. Some other terms and definitions
Emanata
A symbol above a character’s head
Like a question mark or a squiggle

13. How to read a Graphic Novel
A graphic novel is “not only something one reads but something one sees as well… [it is] like reading and watching a movie at the same time.” (Gallo and Weiner 115)

14. Read from left to right, then from top to bottom, just like a traditional book.
Words and dialogue are the primary focus with the image coming in second.
Transitions happen much faster in a graphic novel.

15. How to Read a Graphic Novel Page
Graphic novels are read left to right, just like traditional texts

16. Dialog Balloons
dialog balloons are read left to right or top to bottom as is appropriate. 1 4 2 3 5

17. Sometimes it can get a little more complicated…

18. But the basic left to right rule still applies to panels2 1 3
But the basic left to right rule still applies to panels 4

19. and dialog balloons as well2
and dialog balloons as well 1 3 4 5 6 7

20. Read the text first, then look at the image within that panel before moving on to the text in the next panel.
Rule of Thumb- The bigger a panel is, the more time you should spend looking at it and analyzing it.

21. Major Types
Superhero

22. Humor

23. Non-Fiction
Jay Hosler: PhD in Biology (teaches at Juniata College in Huntington, PA)

25. Fantasies

26. wordless

27. Adaptations Spin-offs or
Also: Give it Up! And other short stories by Kafka, The Jungle, Spy vs. Spy

30. Realistic Fiction

31. Personal
Stories

32. Manga Manga=comic books
Manga is the Japanese word for comics-literally translated it means “whimsical pictures”
Mid 1990s=came to US

33. How to read a Manga Page
Unlike traditional western books, Manga is read right-to-left and “back” to “front”
Often, if you start at what looks like the front of the Manga, you will see a message like this
Tokyopop: JAPANESE traslations are right-to-left KOREAN translations are left-to-right

34. Panels are read right to left1 2
Panels are read right to left 3 4 5

35. 2 3 1 4
As are dialog balloons 6 5 7 10 11 8 9

36. Born August 9, 1973 in Alameda, CA.
Dad was an electrical engineer from Taiwan.
Mom was a programmer who lived in both Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Now, Yang lives in San Francisco and teaches computer science at Bishop O’Dowd High School
Gene Luen Yang
Author of American Born Chinese