Narrative Structure in Comics: Making Sense of Fragments

2017

This thesis proposes that, viewed at the appropriate level of abstraction, pictures can do the work that language does; and a framework that describes the functions served by both will usefully enable discussion of graphic narrative. In the thesis, I outline such a framework, based largely on the work of Michael Halliday, drawing also on the pragmatics of Paul Grice, the Text World Theory of Paul Werth and Joanna Gavins, and ideas from art theory, psychology and narratology. This brings a complete Hallidayan framework of multimodality to comics scholarship for the first time, and extends that tradition of multimodal linguistics to graphic narrative. I owe a debt of gratitude to many who have helped and supported me through the development of this thesis. First and foremost, I must thank Professors M.A.K. Halliday and Ruqaiya Hasan for the inspiration that gave shape to the thesis. Dr J.D. Rhodes helped to shape the initial ideas and gave invaluable feedback on the early stages of exploration and writing. Dr Roberta Piazza's close commentary and advice has been crucial, especially as regards the linguistic theory, and Dr Doug Haynes has supported the project from beginning to end. The University of Sussex Doctoral School and the School of English have provided sources of funding and support throughout. Sussex Downs College staff have been gracious about time needed for academic work, and my students have provided inspiration for, and sometimes testing of, the ideas presented here. The Transitions Symposium team have provided an annual venue for inspiration, development of and feedback about comics theory, as have the editors of Studies in Comics, in particular Dr Julia Round, and of the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. I am indebted to reviewers at these journals for feedback on articles that share material with Chapters 2 and 3, and to Benoît Crucifix for comments on material shared with Chapter 5. Another constant through the process of exploring theory has been the membership of what became the British Consortium of Comics Scholars, including John Miers, Louisa Buck, Nicola Streeten, Dr Paddy Johnston and Dr Thierry Chessum, among many who have joined us. For their help, friendship and lively debate I am deeply grateful. The wider comics scholarship community, in particular at the International Graphic Novels and Comics Conferences, have likewise provided invigorating support and stimulus. On a more personal level, Marina supported me through the start of the process, and Claudia has supported me through to the end, and does so still. This thesis is dedicated to my family and to the memory of my father.

Comics as Communication, 2019

This preliminary chapter approaches the question of comics as meaning-making by exploring comics that challenge the notion of meaning itself: the recently affirmed subgenre of abstract comics. This exploration leads to the groundwork for a pragmatics of comics and raises issues about the nature of reading and the reader’s active approach to creating meanings from comics texts, as well as the nature of abstraction, and how it is realised in the comics text. Abstract comics present challenges for traditional definitions and accounts of graphic narrative, identifying areas in existing theory that a functional model of comics meaning-making may illuminate.

2009

This article is based on the lecture I presented at the International Comic Art Forum in 2006, as winner of that year's John A. Lent Scholarship. The lecture was the beginning of a chapter in my dissertation, "Mind the Gap: Absence as Signifying Function in Comics," and was eventually revised into a chapter in my monograph, _Narrative Structure in Comics: Making Sense of Fragments_. Drawing on a number of theories of visual signification, this article discussed how images in comics convey meaning. The article addresses the semiotics of the comics image, iconography, and visual intertextuality, as well as discussing how individual, still images in comics suggest time and the passing of time in a number of ways, setting up the conditions for readers to "move" the images, incrementally adding to the understanding of the sequence and ongoing narrative with each individual panel.

Perhaps the most befuddling and widely debated point in comics scholarship lies at its very core, namely, the definition of “comics” itself. Most arguments on this issue focus on the roles of a few distinct features: images, text, sequentiality, and the ways in which they interact. However, there are many other aspects of this discussion that receive only passing notice, such as the industry that produces comics, the community that embraces them, the content which they represent, and the avenues in which they appear. The complex web of categorization that these issues create makes it no wonder that defining the very term “comics” becomes difficult and is persistently wrought with debate. This piece offers a dissection of the defining features that “comics” encompass, with aims to understand both what those features and the term “comics” really mean across both cultural and structural bounds.

2015

Dialogues between Media

Comic art and graphic narrative constitute a varied and multifaceted chapter in the cultural history of the contemporary age. When comics gained a foothold on the mass-media scene, they appeared as an object that was new, and indefinable. As is often the case when facing a novelty, there was a reactionary response. In fact, the slippery nature of the emerging medium resulted in widespread rejection by the establishment and a variety of negative connotations. Labelled for much of the twentieth century as a genre intended for children, or as second-rate cultural products, or even as morally harmful, in recent times, comics have begun to be re-evaluated by academics, particularly in the West. Even though today there remains a tendency to emphasize the literary value of individual works rather than their nature as sequential art, many negative connotations of the past have given way to an increasing need to understand how the comics medium works and what makes graphic narration so peculiar.

2017

What is a comic? The simple answer states that a comic is a drawn story that is picture- rather than text-oriented and told serially. In other words, a comic is a type of illustration. Realism is not its goal; rather a narrative is developed through reduction according to specific stylistic means. I start this article with a definition of the term “comic”, and move on to highlight the complexity of the comic and to argue that insight into this complexity is necessary for its correct interpretation. Only then can we recognise that the comic is not only entertaining but also, in its own way, a vehicle for content that might be system confirming and propagandistic but can also be system critical. Doing so allows us to see the potential of the comic that is embedded in its particular affinity with nonlinear interactive audiovisual media.

ICLA Conference 2016 Proceedings, De Gruyter, 2020

Co-edition of the section of the Official Proceedings of the ICLA Conference 2016, Vienna, presented by the ICLA Research Committee "Comics Studies and Graphic Narrative".

2006

This dissertation discusses how changes within the authorship, reading practices and criticism of contemporary American comics can alert us to more general questions raised by the inclusion of popular culture in literature. It employs a cultural materialist methodology, researching the first decade of the DC Vertigo imprint (launched in 1993) and considering these texts both as the culmination of trends that can be traced throughout the industry's history, and as modern literature that sustains elements of certain literary genres. I would also like to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Bristol University Alumni Foundation. And finally, my love to all the friends and fanboys who offered so much help, advice and encouragement ... especially Mark, who got me started on comics and Matt, who fed the habit. iii Declaration I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the Regulations of the University of Bristol. The work is original, except where indicated by special reference in the text, and no part of the dissertation has been submitted for any other academic award. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author.