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Graphic Novels

Throughout history, humans have used images to communicate ideas, emotions, and stories. Recently, graphic novels have risen to prominence, winning awards and illuminating the value of storytelling through images and words. In this course, students will explore how literary techniques combine with artistic techniques in the medium of comics and how graphic novel creators use those techniques to tell complex, compelling stories.

This first unit covers the history of graphic novels, beginning with early American comics. At the same time, students will learn about, identify, and practice artistic techniques of the comics medium. They will compare a graphic adaptation of Poe’s stories and poems, focusing on the short story “The Casks of Amontillado,” with the text-only version of the story. The second unit explores two graphic novels: March: Book One, about the early life and activism of John Lewis, and Nimona, a sci-fi/fantasy story about friendship and good and evil. Students will focus on interpretation and analysis, paying special attention to how readers make inferences when reading graphic novels. In the third and final unit, students will choose a final graphic novel to read and analyze independently. They will apply their learning from the course and use the creative process to create an original short graphic story.

Throughout the course, students will engage in discussions with their peers. Students will write in a variety of genres, both creatively and analytically. Students will develop their artistic skills by creating comics to convey their learning, interpretations, and original story.

In this standard-level course, students are expected to invest approximately 6 hours per week on their course work.

Acknowledgements

Mature Themes: Some texts contain adult language, drug use and abuse, racism, sexuality and sexual orientation, suicide and mental health challenges, or violence and/or abuse.

Required Texts: This course requires students to obtain copies of certain texts. Details provided in the Additional Requirements field of this course description.

This course contains an end-of-course proctored exam. Instructions for students to identify an appropriate adult proctor are included in the course lessons.

Course Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • Identify and describe how the history of comics has developed to include graphic novels.
  • Identify, describe, and analyze how visual art techniques - such as panels/frames, gutters, simplification, lines, transitions, captions, and speech balloons - can be used to direct the reader's focus and communicate meaning.
  • Infer meaning based on the presentation of words and images in graphic stories.
  • Identify and analyze how words and images combine to communicate setting, character, conflict, and theme.
  • Select, cite, and analyze textual and visual evidence to support claims.
  • Write in a variety of genres using grammar and syntax appropriate to the audience and purpose.
  • Create a graphic story by deliberately employing words and visual techniques.

Essential Questions

  • How have comics and graphic storytelling evolved into the graphic novels medium that we know today?
  • How do graphic novel creators use literary and visual techniques to tell a story?
  • How do readers interpret literary and visual elements when reading a graphic novel?
  • What is the creative process for developing a graphic story?

Additional Requirements

Students will need to obtain copies of the following texts which are available at many school or local libraries or for purchase online for a small fee.

  • Poe: Stories and Poems, A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Gareth Hinds (needed in Week 5)
  • March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (needed in Week 6)
  • Nimona by ND Stevenson (needed in Week 8)

A choice of one of the following, needed in Week 11

  • American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
  • Heartstopper: Volumes 1 and 2 by Alice Oseman
  • March: Books Two and Three by John Lewis, et al
  • They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, et al
  • This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
  • Squire by Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh

Students will need access to the following websites: https://www.gocomics.com and https://www.webtoons.com

Students will need access to a printer, basic drawing materials such as pencil, pen, paper, eraser, and will need to scan or photograph artwork created by hand

Accessibility Note: Although every effort has been made to make this course accessible to all students, some resources or activities in this course, such as audio files, images of visual art pieces, or hands-on activities, may present accessibility challenges.