Intro to Comics and Graphic Novels

Students share stories with others by means of technology, typically through cell phones and computers. In this course, these same technologies will be used to develop and produce stories. The stories will take the form of “comics.” Students will interact with other students (and the instructor!) in the course via Zoom while sharing the comics they create.

Most students have had some experience reading either “comic books” or “graphic novels.” In this course, students will learn how to create comics by using photographs that they take using their cellphones. The photographic images will be manipulated using an easy-to-use computer software (“Comic Life 3” by Plasq; available for PCs and Macs). The comics will be produced on students’ personal computers.

In the course, students will be guided through a series of comic-making assignments. Early assignments include taking “selfies” that express various emotions, such as joy, surprise, anger, fear, disgust. These early photographs of emotions will be used to teach students how to tell stories by arranging the photographs in sequences, placing the photographs in “panels,” and adding words in “talk balloons” and “thought balloons.” These photographs will also be used to help students learn about manipulating the photographs with various types of “artistic” effects that are available through the Comic Life 3 computer software.

In the course, students will also learn about the history of comics and various genres of comics, such as “superheroes” and autobiographical “memoirs” by researching topics on the internet. Students will share what they have learned with other students in the course.

As students begin more complex stories, students will develop stories through written descriptions of “scenes,” with each scene being developed as a series of “panels.” These comics will be about the student, and may involve the student’s parents, siblings, pets, and even objects such as food, toys, clothes (students are given much freedom to create the stories they wish to tell). Other comic projects involve the student’s creation of their own “superhero” character. Finally, each student will create an autobiographical “memoir” comic that tells a story about the student’s experience with the COVID-19 virus, social justice initiatives, overcoming personal obstacles and more.