Saturday, September 15, 2007

I want to say something derogatory about Poland but will not

A graphic novel can be seen as a mix between a book and a movie. A book allows for more of the imagination and personality of the reader to seep in as the writer cannot do more than direct the thoughts (sometimes with a frightening amount of skill) of the reader who is free to use the writers description as a template and then expand on them with the imagination. A book also allows for the readers to set their own pace and take as long as they want to ponder and consider each passage (or even each word [let us hope that no one ponders the significance of individual letters {The Hours could not be read in a reasonable number of hours if that were the case}]) and take breaks as they see fit. A movie on the other hand puts a great deal more in the hands of the director. A skilled director sets the pace, action and emotion in the manner of the conductor of a symphony; his ability to control every detail (the mood can be controlled by well-planned lighting and music that perfectly mirrors each nuance throughout the movie; the perspective is controlled at each moment; each character goes through a long casting process that endeavors to fit the character with a perfect shell of an actor to contain it; the pace is set to the second) places the emotions of the audience directly into a skilled director’s hand. Both ends of the spectrum can be likened to Lord Shiva, holding a drum in one hand and fire in the other (the drum represents creation and the fire destruction). Both books and movies require a great deal of skill from their creators but books require more from their readers. This can be construed as a drum or as fire for either medium; movies will reach a broader base and allow the argument to remain more true to its author but can result in minds unable to think in creative terms (a mothers milk may have great nutritional content but man must branch out as he develops); books will reach a smaller audience and the author will have less control over the message but allow for a more shared creative experience. The graphic novel lies in between the book and the movie as it takes the visual away from the imagination and gives it over to the artist. Each medium serves its purpose and in the right hands can be a work that truly moves people, the graphic novel no less than the others.

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