Friday, September 14, 2007

Graphic Novels = Delightful

Despite its basic similarities with a comic book, the graphic novel is a deeper, more mature blend of text with visuals. This alternative gets the best from both the written and film realms to form a creation with the ability to easily see into characters’ heads while still using the impact of close-ups and facial expressions.

One important difference between a graphic novel and a narrative is the capacity to go for several pages without any words at all. In a traditional novel, an author can simply cease dialogue; he is unable to stop composing sentences altogether. However, a graphic novel can and often does incorporate pages of simply pictures. This helps focus the reader on the important visual features of the story and forces one to connect with the characters more. V for Vendetta has quite a few examples of this technique, such as pages 163-164, when Evey is released from “prison”. The lack of text magnifies Evey’s shock – the novel is just as speechless as Evey herself.

A graphic novel’s plot line also progresses more quickly than a narrative, making it less tedious to read. Rather than taking time to describe scenes and flashbacks, a graphic novel can simply show them, while the text can then move at a faster pace through the story. On 156, when Evey is reading Valerie’s letter, the visuals show what Valerie is describing and make the story seem more real. In a narrative, the letter would not have quite the same impact, because it would be more difficult to make the reader connect with Valerie’s life.

Overall, the visual aspects of the graphic novel add to the intensity of the story and help it move more quickly and efficiently.

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