Welcome to our Graphic Novel Unit!

Graphic novels are descendants of the comic book; however, most are longer than comic books and their narratives read more like a novel.  Comic books can possibly be traced all the way back to ancient cave paintings. Throughout history, there are instances where pictures are used to convey messages, like the medieval broadsheet (strips carved into woodcuttings of caricatures of public figures).  More recently, the comic book industry was controlled by Marvel and Detective Comics (DC), who published superhero stories.  More and more, both graphic novels and comic books are becoming more accepted as complex and serious works of literature.

Read: Half of Chapter 6 of Understanding Comics.

Graphic Novel/Comic Book Vocabulary

Splash Page: Usually the first page of a manuscript, with one or two images, including the title, logo, credits, etc. for the comic. 

Full-page shot: One panel that takes up the entire page.

Panel: One box or frame.  One picture, also known as a shot.

Gutter: The negative space between each panel.  Can represent lengths of time.

Speech balloon or word balloon: The bubble containing words to let a reader know that a character is talking.

Thought balloon: Usually a scalloped balloon that indicates the character is thinking, rather than speaking out loud.

Burst: A balloon with jagged edges to indicate volume, stress, or sound effects; also broadcasting or electric transmission.

Whisper balloon: A balloon whose outline is broken into small dashes; this indicates that the character is whispering.

Pointer/Tail: The part of a balloon that points to whichever character is doing the talking, thinking, whispering, etc.

Caption: A sentence or fragment that appears in the panel, but not in a balloon.  Usually captions are enclosed in a rectangle or box.  They are used to indicate a shift in time or place or for the narrator’s commentary.

Establishing shot: A picture indicating where an action is taking place.

Long shot: Shows the entire person from feet to head in the shot.

Medium shot: Usually shows a person from the waist up.

Close-up: Shows a person’s face or about that much of their body.

Extreme close-up: Shows a single small detail that might go unobserved if not focused on.

Story Spine: The plot.  The sequence of actions that lead to a conclusion.

Story Arc: A story that takes several issues to tell.

Graphic Novel: A long story, usually in a special format (better painting, bigger pages).

CLASSWORK: Finish reading Chapter 6 individually.  Define the different types of panels in your own words and draw an example.

HOMEWORK: Finish the Graphic Novel Types worksheet by next class.