Course description

This course studies the story-telling multimodal medium of graphic novels. Born out of and intimately related to comic books, graphic novels have gained a reputation for significant developments in their combination of subject matter, narrative technique, and visual artistic expression. We will read six to eight graphic novels, examining how meaning is created and challenged through both words and images. We will question how the means of production and the popular assumptions about the medium inform the texts. We will question the appropriateness of conveying the subject matter through the medium. Course readings might include such novels as: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Maus, Ghost World, Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, Blankets, Fun Home, and Essex County.