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2012 Comics for Children? Elizabeth Surbeck Eastern Illinois University
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4-11-2012 Comics for Children? Elizabeth Surbeck Eastern Illinois University
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Elizabeth Surbeck/Comics for Children?
Works Cited
Arnold,Andrew D. "From Ming to Kim." Time. Time, 23 Se-pt.2005. Web. 13 Dec. 2011.
Thisreview ofGuy Delisle'swork ootes, as a secorJd.-uyrource, the use o(tig.ht in
P)i(mgyang. It was briefly U..t;:eful in explaining how tone can be communicatedthrough
very simple aesthetic components.
B, David. L 'ascensionDu HowMal. Paris:!'Association, 201 1. Print. This French graphicnovel
was a primarysource that was used,IJ.IIlong st other things, to dcmonstralt:how churnclc:.rs
mighthold heroic positions in a storybecause oftbeir child·lilce statuS.Lruer, J poinred
out certain artistic techniquesthat David B utilized like abstractlines todemonstrate
mental activity. His influence as u grnphicnovel creatorwas :,ignificaot lOexplain
lvtwjane Sutrapi'sown artisticS[yle in her graphic noveJs.
Bellcfroid, Thieny. "Interview de David B.: L'Ascen:,ion du Htrut Mal."BD l'aradisio.N. p.,
2000.Web. 13 Dec. 20 II.
Bellefroid's interviewwith David B was a useful secondarysource toexplain David 8's
process or n:mc:mbering or not being uble (()n::membc:r hil:i childhood \vilhhil) ramily.
Wherehe couldn't usc his rocmot}'. be usedbis imagination and thtatis what he states
plainly to Bellefroid.
Bender,Hy. The Sandman Companion.New York:Vcrtigo/DC Comics, 1999. Print. This
companion to the Sandmandseries, as a secondarysouroc, was hugely useful to
w1derstandGaiman' s ''lorkshop--like process of creatingcomic booksand JX>ssibJc.his Surbeck 2
influencesused to create The SandmanSeries. 1 usodthis sourcet o commenton
componentsthat made upcharacters the ofD rerun and Oelirium.
De-li!;le,Cruy. 1-'J-vmgyang. Paris:L'Association, 2002. l'rlnt. This 'f'renchCanadian ra g phic novel
was a primarysource that I usedspocitically for demonstratingbow gra_phic novels and
canconvey tone visually andalso how theJack of color canbe used to highlightccrtaio
perspectives.conveying tone thatway as well.
Eiso�:r.Will. GraphicStorytelling and Visual Narrative.Tamarac. FL: Poorhouse- Press, 1996.
Print This was an instrumental secondary textdid that a lot to influence thepapcr�s
thesis.lt \\'35\I;Titten as a theoretical {>ieeeon thenature ofgraphic storytellingand the
clementsin volved in that process.Eisner gives important evidence in the introduction
that grnpbicnarrntives appeal to our mos< ba'ictypes of reception becausewe n aturally
develop to respond to visual communication first.
Gairnau.N eil. Writer. JJriefLives. Ink by Vince Lockeand Dick Giordano. C'.oJoringby Daniel
VoZZJJ.Lettered by Todd Klein.Covers and d esignby D•vc McKeon.Foreword by Neil
Gaiman.Afterword by PelerStr...,b. New Yorlt:Vertigo-DC Comics, 1994. Print.Vol. 7
of The Sandmau Series.ThisBritish graphic no,·cl was usedas a primarysou.rcc for
makingu estbetic pOint');about The .fotandman Series becausethe textwas brokenup ir)tO
multiple storiel:'thut rocuses un key main charactersin the series. With everys hortstory,
the roosLsi£,nificant a esthetic motifsfor certaincharacters were demonstratedmore
clearly.
Gaiman, Neil, writer. Tlw.Kindly Ones. Art by MarkH empel. Coloringby Daniel Vozzo.
Separatedby Android Jmag.,.,LeUcted by Todd Kleinand Kevin Nowlan. Covers and Surbeck3
dcsig)lby Dave McKClm. lntrod. by Frank McConnciJ.New York: V<-rtigo-DCComic.,
1996. Print. Vol. 9 of theSandman Series. This Hritish graphic novel V.'nS used as a
primurysource lbat demonstnlled characterlor devtloproent Delirium und Drerun.This
was n clear poi1H in lhe series where Delirium dernonslnltesthe- full child-like Staleof her
perspectiveon even very serious situations.
Guiman. Neil, writer. The Wuke. Artb y Michael ZuiJ� Jon .1.Mulh, and CharlesVess. Leaered
by Todd Klein. Col oring by Daniel Voxzo&Jon J. Muth. Separntedb y Digital
Chameleon. Coversand desig)l by DaveMcKean. Title page by Michael ZulJi. New
York.:Vertig<>-DC C.<>mies, 1997. Print Vol. I0 of The&1rulm Ones,this Briti sh grapbjcnovel wao;·used as u pri.m.ary sourc.e to 1Urther explore the charac[er developmentof Deliriumand Dream as the story finishes itsclimax reaches and a conclusion. Hon. Cbrisline. "FiusbJorwardDemocracy: AmericanExeeptiooulism And Tho Atomic Bomb in "BarefootGen .." C:Omparntive LiteratureS tudies 4{>.1 (2009):125-155. Academic.Search Complete. Web. Mar. 2012. This secondarysource was tL'iedfor its academic analysis of BarefootGen in relationshipto the policitcal eventsthat surrounded its creation. I useda passagefrom this work for explaininghow worksBarefoot like Gen actas a ••witness:" which helps thereader's '•inner child" grasp better onto the story's message. "Jewish Mice.Bubblegum Cards, ComicsArt, and RawPossibilities." Comic.f Journa/ 65 Aug. (1 981): 99. Web. 13 Dec.201 1. This interview occurred about the time ofMau�'s publi�hing. As a secondarysource, it helpedme citewhere An Spe-igelman's arti�ic intlueoces came from. backing up the way h e conveys tooe Ln his works. Surbeck4 .loc-hunt·Maghsoudnia,Charb anou. "Marjanc Satrapi. PcrsCpolis. " Droit et Cultures. N.p., 18 May 2009. Web. I 3 Dec. 2011. Marjane Satrapi was usedas a secondarysource to givefurther of evidence how comics artists vic\\'theirown workas a hybrid medium.Here. Sa.trapi gives a solidquote that u.sesthe- \\10rd. hybrid. 10 desc-ribe her work. "L'iutervicw!:Marjaoc Satrapi ." BD Selection. N.p., 4 Jan. 2002.W eb. 13 Dec. 2011. ·•::J:tttp://www.bdselcccion.c:om/phpl'!rub=page _ dos&id _ dossier=-=51 >. 'l'hisintcrV'iew with Marjane Satrapi helpedback up aesthetic observationsabout S atrapi's work, c-iting her influence-��both artistic and cultural that she used to createPcrsepolis. Ma•umoto,T aiyo. Tekkonkinkreet. Complied by AndrewMcKeon. Edited by Elizabeth Kawru;akiJason and Thompson. TranslatedLillian by Olsen. Designed Martin. byAmy VIZMedia, LLC. 2007. Print. 1ltisJapanese graphic novel v.'lls used specifically for di�u.�<;ing theanimaJ stereotypesthat can be usedin graphic novels to efficei ntly convey information about characters.This work wasspecifically chosen for its number of cle31' cx11mplcs and bow unin:wl!� h:rootypc;;s c.:unbe usOO inu dHI<:rcnlnumber of ways. McCloud. Scott. UnderstandingComics: Tlu!InvisibleArt. New York: Harpe Pciut. This secondary source, likeEisner's theoretical piecementioned previously, was an impc)rlanlsecondary source for lhe thesisrutd it,too, i s a \•..-ode foc-tL�ingon dtetheotetical aspects of graphic nnmaLivos.Using the word. "cbild-liko,"was primllri ly inspiredby l.he . quolcs takenfrom his work and placed in thopaper. Nnkawwo, Keiji. Darej()()t (ien:A Cart()()nStory of Hiroshima.Tran lntrod.by ArtSpiegelman. San Fron�isco:P rolong PressLtd., 2004. Print.Vol. 1 Surbeck 5 Bar�(ootGen. This Japanese·graphic novel by Keiji NnkUlilwa wus useda') fl primary text to give e:�amples ofhow grapbic novels canvi sually conveytone and perspective-.This text was also referencedin thebeginning oftbe paperto demonstrate the blunt styleof deli\lery thaL graphic novels use. Park, Ed."Shadowland: An animated accountof lile under the Kirnregime." The Village Voice. Village Voice L.LC, 16 Aug.2005. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. Delisle's Pyongyangwas similaranother to review ofl'yon!()•ang(see Arnold) as >UJOther referenceto visual techni(wes1.0 convey tooe in graphicnovels. Sartrapi,Marjanc. Persepoli s. Milan:C ibouleue, 2009. Print. ThisJ're�ch graphic novel wa< used as uprir.uary text to explorea�pec:t� of the pape.r.These includedhow cbaraders can posses a chitd.. Jike perspectiveto behero ic figures, how comics artists draw fromv ttrious influencesto createthe clcaresL mt;;�a,ge lhey can attempt, lbe advantages or a black and white. paJeue,ru1d how abstract lines canbe. used tosignifY mentaJ activities. Spiegelman, Art. The Complete Afaus: Sun•il>'Or'sA Tale. Ne.w York: Panlbeoo Uooks- Random, J 997. Print'Olis Amerlc..'Ulgraphic novel·was used asa primary sourcefor many points in the. lh�is.Spiegelman demonstrates a varietyof i.ttfluences as anartist toconvey his story, his usc of80imal sten:<.1types, uml the unique visLWI udvunwge.._u graphicnovel Ita.·.:� in telling a story� especially in a non�linear fashion, toconvey the vulnerabilityand child like aspects of characters. Narrath•e on Lbe Projecl Comi<:forChildren is a grai>hic novel analysis tb..1.t acted as myundc.rgntduate thesis tt>r my D.A. in Gnglish It evolvedg reatly over tbcspan of about a yearand demanded the assistanceof multiple de-partmentsin BoothLibrary. With Or. Stephen Swords,my thesisadvisor�s gu idance. I set out to analyze graphicnovels c ross-culturaJiy with the ideathat one bindingcba.nacterist.ic tltat theybad was a conoc:ction m childhood. Naturally, this requiredsocking out graphic novels inmu ltipk languages. l'urcha.c;ing thesebooks for manyreasons wasless desirabled1an us ingthe skillsof the library'sstaff to findand borrowcopies oftbe books from otheruniversit es. i Resides theob\ious need ofthl:CirculatiOr\ and Referencedepartments, th.c mosL valuable departm<-ntand the mostvaluable group of people tomy professor andme forthis projectwa.< the-ILL st.niT. Oueto the complex nature of the papera nd its crosHiscipJiraaryand cmss-culruraJ tbernes, more timewas spent in Booththan Col eman to thoroughly coverwbat needed I to research. To explainlurtber tllenature of my paper,I \\-illgive a complete list of the worl<.s Iincluded andwhat my projectultimately pointedout for gr•phie novels and readers' child-li.kereception ofthem. What the paperrealized was that the childhoodoonnection amongst grapllienovels applies to bothcontent and delivery method in thevarious e.xamples of the globalcannon. The paper included Maus by ArtSpicgelnu>n, a selection from The SeriesSandman by Neil Gaiman, Persepolisby M!UjaneSatrapi, I 'Ascensiondu HautJ\fnl by David B, Harefnaf (;en by Kenji Naka.sawa,and Iek/cqn/cinkreedby Tt.Uyo Matsumoto. 1t becamea priorityto lookat graphic novels as cxclu>ively a hybrid form of expression,neither just literaturenor just art. First looldog at content,I understood thatit oould besa id that contentcan naturJUy be child-like. Wilhin the realm of what is essentially childreo•s art. comics artistsfind themselvesin a medium wherethey cancomfortably display Lbe child plltl of themselves tothe child in their readers.This can be seen in character roles, tone, and perspective. Vlorks thatdcp...-ud oo c.h.flrfiCters acLing child roles includePersepolis and Maus. Works thol use a child-like.perspective includeBar�(om Gen. Allowing a glimpseinto how these works revealshow deeply child-like gruphic !lllmllives are.ln lo okh>g ot delivery of content,I also concludedthat not everything makeslit <-rllr)'elemeo.lS io graphic.narra tivesv isau lly child-lik.;and luu:u c cte;;rsdo nol have to be child-like. The)' only have 1o be undc�iood, which is what art for childrendoes for aJI hgrap ic narratives. Theevidence to show lhe child-li ke qualitie� of charactersdraws from basic graphic narrative clements.Eltmc.nl::� that include lin� drawing style, and color arc componentsthat help make up lbe''iSual patterns hwnans develop intheir minds asWill Eisner exp_lai.ns in Storytellingand Visual Narrative (1996).The creators ofgraphic narratives borrow from lbeir surrounding world to u.�h a." componentsllul� attracLchildren of any age. Specifice.xam ples such as how characters appear child-Uke only give a �mple of the messagesbasic brrapbicnamativc can clements con'\•ey. I have learnedthis from project""d from working on lhisproje<:t using Lbe plethora of resourcesul Bootb thul I ha\le so nruchrnore to learn and I feel happy aboutiL I ammore or less sntisJied with dle paper because 1 have come a long way inmy researchabilities and ·writing skills. I alsoknow though that this willremain an ongoing projectfor me as l move on to grudwHe schoolaod continue my work in the bwnanitiesand library science at the Universityof nJinois. J feel thatI will graduate havin,g had a very special opportunity thatmade my time a.o;an uodcrgrad productivoand tlultmy made diplomo1111 the more vatlUlbJe. tome. Surb Liz Surbeck (Jr. Stephen Swords HNG4644 Docember13,2011 Comicslor Chil d=? Grap hicna.rrad ves around theworld have foundlhemselvc::; today beirlg readby certain typesof readers. Literature scholarsfOcus on eleme.otss uch a.�character andplot structure, occupyingtheir miods with what makes literature great and what some graphicnurratives share wil11that great literature. \Vith a smii lar attitude,arL hi�lOriuns focos on style, composition,and l)ther artistic elements in graphic narrati\'cS thatCQnnect them tot he an history timeline that goes back to cuvc pajnlings. Another typeof audience exists,one tha.tdocs notconsider what grupbic narrativesare and whetherthey be long to an existing fonn�darea of study. ·mis type of audience is the readerwho naturallyn:��ds gruphjc any murativelike a child. Appropriately,graphic narratives ru.ve been intentiol\ally designedfor the child .. Jike reader.It makes sensethen that this son of audience can accuratelyextract c:&«.."'lcc lbe of this 10nnof �xpression. Dolh comics readersand comics artist�understand that graphic narratives donol exclusively belong (Oeilher artor l iterature•nd tballhey are meant to be focu. Mndane Satrapi states that thehybrid nature of graphicno velsmatches n o othermedium she hasencountered, witichh elped to encour.1geher to present herlife's story aslhc bande dt.-sinn6c·or freocbgraph.ic novel, Persepolis: ''In graphic narratives, asopposed to book Surbeck2 illustrotions,the art is a purtoflhe 1ex1. doesn'tThe art ac;wmpeny aiCXt thaia!Ieady is lhe.re, text andurt wmlc tosetber. To my knowh:dge,it is tbeonlymedium that works like lhfii"(Jochum-Maghsoudnia).M Salropi poiniS ou� grophic namuivescannol be neatly c01cgorizod wilhjustany otherseemingly similar medium. They nrc nn ensemble of textand image. Approaching graphic narmtivcsas exclu:�ive1yan or Jitentturelead.q to i ncomplete eonclusionsahoutlhcm. We looesighl thatlhcy use componeniS identify !hal'"" os titenllllre that aredtli,'emlto rcadcr$1hroogh visual art. In his book.Undersumdlng Comics, com.it� w1ist and c omics tbcori.st.ScoU McCloud als o SC(:Sgruphie narratives as a m ��n�phic narratives is theOO.is of how all readersand scholars needto look at i!K.-m.H� says. "Whenyou enterthe world oflheeartooo-yw I see)'ourself. believethis is the primatyeau. For the sake of Ibis paper, "inntr-<:hild"is a simplifiedwny express10 rcadt:rs' more profoWldstcrns ,<;y of n=p�ion tlllltbegin dc,'Cioping whenthey ore yowtg. The factthat Ibis abililynever lea>-.s may be seenchild aslhe in usall. In histhoon:tic:ul (irophic book SIM)1cllingand Vi.sunl tl'arratlvt, Wm EisnerpoiniS out that humMS build upwbole ,<;ystem. meaning fromwhen we .,..young. we h:m:ability the to IID pn::fc,mted ArtSpiegelman backs up that readersrespond naturally to j�Tuphic narratives.In his forwardof Kcnji Nuk.asQ\\10 American ·s printingof Darej()(lfSpiegelman Uen, v.Titcs,"We lhlnk in can.oon... Tbe drawing•s greatestvirtue is its straigb1forward. blunt sincerity, itsconviction and honestyyoo allow to believe in theunbelievable and im possible lhilll!Slblot did indeed�·in lliro.hima.-Spiegelmanuses Naka.!awa's say storyto that graphic nanntives qualities possess of honestyand condorthey because usc visual storytelling. Oecausethey re ll stories,graphic namltiv�:Sposses.� compon,cnts that litcrurycriLics would reoogni7.e in litcmtllrc.Those oomponent�are visuallypresented. however. As Eisner andMcCloud mai n.tni n. t.bat hybrid nature is whyour inner c hild ogoin is attractedgraphic to na:mth·cs. Holdingto the th:ltargument graphic art oamdivcsuse that appeals to childrro nomalta tbcirllg<. be�can said that content dctivcry can narurallybecome as child-like w.:U as being child friendly. Withintbc realm of whut is essentiallychildren's :111.comiC> artists Jiod thcmsclvc::�in u mediurn where1hey can comfortably display Chechild pllrl ofthe mselves to the child in lhcir readers.'fhis can socnbe in charucCcrroles. lOne. ond rerspective. Allowing a glimp:;einto how thisworks reveals bow deeply child-like gnap hic nan-ativesare. A si&ni!Kanttheme in thecllor.la..-roles of Maus is the SIJu&lllcfor .,._.-vatioo. ·Jltis appliesto thepreservation oflifc, but importantly, too,the preservationof a fiunily's stoty. More so than ju. l�vt:l. IIis questto c onnect to his !iathcrun(.! Lhe pastm eld� his father'sstoty and hi:; own. Spicgchnandoes this, for example,when be breaksthe foUrthwnll rcllccts01\d about the story to then:oder. (see FigureTime 2) losc:s trad its itional sensesequential of action in tbc offace Surbeck4 Spiegelman's chifd.. tike need for a connection tohl:; pareot os he tries to makeh is father's �xpt:riences his O\Vll. Spiegelman seemsto bedmwing the-wayhe wouJdif he went dtroughhis fathers ""l'cricnces.Will Ei>-nerjudges that "dJeoverall 'look' appropri ately conveyed the impression thatl.be artwork wa.\created andsmuggled out of a oonccntn16oncamp" (I 56). As a result �:vcni.Soverlap and Spiegelman makes senseof hisperce ivedrole in tbc;Holocausl even though his parent•experienced it andhe did no�. He triesto bold onto their storyby creatinghis graphic narrative.1'11aus. making their story hjs own asthe next generation. Persepoliscap tures the lnm MIUjaneSau:npi knew ll.\ a child. Thati s the role she ontakes tocreate Perse/X)Us.S he reject� her aduJt reflections fordte simplified look and perspective of herchildh(K)d pe rsona. Satrapi explains, " ... the most essentali partof my work i s my memory as I recall the things I did whenwas 1 six, ten. or tb.iri.Qen yeam:;oJd. I -lind that a lot more interesti ng thana booko-reau:d out ol"my thought�in the present day thatseem a lot like thoseof a thirty one-year old woman" (.lochwn·Maghsoudnia).Her Uncle Annosh,the most inlluential character in d1e young Satrapi 's life, tells her in Persepo/isthat she cannot forget their Jllro.ily'sh istory. lie designatesher, us lherepresentative of her generation.to continue their memory.In order to stay true w thaL pron1ise,Satrapi looks to herformer objective, child perspective to fullill it. SimilMto his fe-llow Freueb comics creator,D avid Beauchard presentsh imselfin therole o.c; .. t he keeper of ..la mytboligic famillialc in his�mlobiogrt�phlcul gmphicourntlive . I'A�·c:4:nsion du haut mal. His perspe.ctive wheo be was a child is the truestperspective he canuse. Ina French interview.he explains that the first volumes of I 'Ascenfiondu hauf nml were a collabonuive eflOrlbetweer' his fatnil)•and himself. Even collaboratio� however,made Bcauchard'sdesire lO be authentic difficult.Memories d1atthe familyshared togethermodified with every retelling and, liSa result, Beauchru:ddepend.� upon the imaginaryfigures that he remembers from Surbeck.S childhood to move alon g the story overthe gaps. He says in a Frenchinterview. ""And so I attempted topresent, at the�ume time�lhe structu.reof my imagination anddte influence of everything tbotI experiencedaccording to th i s imagination" (Bdlcfroid).Even ifhe can't tellhi• storycompletely through reality, Bcaucluml turnstom. child-like inwginution to recapture events. Childhoodfantasy, for Bcauchard, is more oflentruthful lh.aomemories of concrete events. NeilGaiman• s SandmanSeries gives another example of how a character holdsthe child like role of preserver, but not throughtho act of recounting events.Drcmn crumo l change his role asthe ruler of the Dreamingbecause he is soburdened by his past. He fi.odsa solution in Daniel, a furmcrmortal baby boy, 'i>1lO will take overthe l)reaming 'i>.Jlen the Sandman must finally die. Dreum's tnO'V'e seem.salmost necessaryi n The Wake because,as Lucien,his former servant pointsout, ••... one must changeor die. And,in the end,were, there perhaps, limitsto how much be could lethimself cbange {59)." Under lhe new Dream without the """'e lluws as the origioal, theDreaming is able torejuvenate. H..aLhe r than holding. on to Lhe event(iof the past for p.re,:;ervo.tioo,Daniel hasto eraseit tosave the Dreaming. Tone, asavotller stol')'telfing element in g_raphic narratives, take:c:on the charncte.ristics of a threatenedchild in Guy Delisle's Pyongyang. Delisle makesllis thoughts of ilisttip to North Korea evidentin his composition.He uses sizeratio tomake his surroundingworld dark and huge to hjs·vulnerable smallness. He drawsas himself diminutive by comparisonto theimposing gov detail, Delisle notesthat theportraits of tho Kims, which hang in cvccyroom in thocountry l Surbeck6 "have a wider edgeabove lhanbelow"-Uu:a."t appearins, to loomover the viewer while kt<."Pin8 l'fee ofglare. Big Brothers arc watching him" (Park).The reviewer doesn't have to quote onythingto kno1v wloill Detisle is trying to say. Without words, but stiU with language Delisle shows what he�es asan oppressive plaoc lhat mukesanyone who enters itc;borders a vulnerable child. Kcnji Nakasawa uses perspectivein BarefootGen to convey thedanger of a larger, more adul�and powerful world thatthre atenshis char.tetcrs.Using p.;n.�t.ive of h.is main character, (ien, readersbecome witnesses.seeing panelse.ngutfed with fireand corpses causedby the destructionof the otomic bomb (see Figure 5). This act of hecoming the witnessthrough pcrspccwve reOectsback on Art Spiegelman's introduction oflho English trllJ!Siation of the manga whete bedescribes comics as"'the inexorable urt of Lbc:wilness." In one of herarticles, '"Flashfol'\\wdDemocracy: ArnericanExceptionalism and the Atomic Bombin B(lre/OOfGen," Chrisline Hong says Thechild-like pclll p<:Ctive is used again tbroughDelirium a< one of herroles in the Sa ndmanSeries. She is the- voice of truth durin.gcerta.i.o instance� a.� she tries towarn the readers Surbcck7 and lhe otherthat eharactcrs Dr heran outsider to betmore mature siblin� that make up theEndless. ou�idcr Her status, however, makesher pcrc C..'PtiOn or Dream's end clearerthan olhcn:�, loo. To Oaiman.Dream and Del irium piNy each ot.her's opposite. However. Delirium retairlsmore wisdom than Dream bccuuscshe doesn ot cutherself oiT frum otherseven though her personalitysets herapart from them.She always seeks oonnectionD and reamrefuses to lca,•e his self-aeated solitude. O.liriumWlderslaods sinntion his mon: thanas bedoc:.; a �It (SandmanCompanion, The 208).Gaimao makes it purposefullyd ifficult tofo resee Dream'sfate theuntil end i f one looks ot lhe ,�;torythrough Dreurn'sperceptive. However, he uses usngi Dt.:lirium to warn others, Including Dream,of the orloomingend. Dream iruristsin volurne tlinc tl'lat ho cannot lca.ve.IJle Dreaming becauseo f his responsibilities.retreating back to his sciJ�isoluting ttmdencies.. Deliriumargues '•back thalDneam pen:epth �u,,.(see f-igure 6). SCCI)(:.After the Deliriumm..,t, Nuala whoasks if�am maybe introuble. I>elirium begins to "''TY Oul of helples..1ness. She cannotmake lhc rcr.tOna1 connectionshe needs to witb Dream ands he knows thnt hi� rcfu:jnlloaccept her anemptto reachout to himdooms him (secFigure 7).O.Jirium i$ helpless to act,l'C\'Caling hervulncrobility tothe dangershe knov.-'8 iscoming. Notc>·OI}tbingmakes litenuyel emeniSin grapbi<>oamuives visually child-like, howcvu, undc haracters do nothave to be child·like. They only haveto be undcnltuod.which is whatan ror children doesfor aUgraphic nurrutive�. The evidence to show [hectlild-likc qualitiesof charactcn;draws fl'om basic graphic nmutive elements. Elements that include 1�, drawing Sl).fe. oolorllDd are componentsthat help makeup the visual pattems theirhumans developin Surbeck8 mindsM Eisnerdescribed ea.rlier. cn:ators1'bt of graphicnamui..-� bon-ow from tbc:ir surrounding"'odd to usc:components asethetic that childn:nattract of any age. Specific cxumpk"Ssuch as how characters uppcurchilO-like 011ly give a.sample of t.bc mc:ssu.ges basic smphic narrrativc clcmenls can convey. l)rawingtechniques can come f'Oi m varioussources throughout comics artist.<>' Jives. 'Ihey cacb ba''Caims sp<:cific in mind,often taking tccbniqu.:s from that already exist because they ba\'Ceffective beenproven already to cotl\-ey """""�;OSlOao anyaudience,"""' cxuc•uely youog one. Spiegelman·s style in MtmJ'$e�Jtn8 to changeslightly throughout lbc story. sometimes giving theimpression of woodcutsfrom children's books and somt.:limcs of politicalcanoons. ArtSpitKtlman in says a Comle� JoiiTMI interviewlooking thatbewas at EtuOpcaoEastern children'sboob for inspiration while "''01\ing on aesthetics in Matu.CJ M;ujancSatmpi's slyle is consistently simple andidealistic ns it loeb details lbat one expectsof the violonce she witnessed in life.Iran bas no din andbl ood in hercltild-llke presentation.That minimalisl styI.:, however. mnke.o;readers insteadpay attentionto lhccmo�ions and inner terrorof her life.David llcuuchard was Satrapi1smajor artistic influence to usethis Surl)cck9 Myle. Even thoughlbeir n:>pc<.1ivc gnlj>hic namnives """" almoot """" the: in style in many WU)'S,.So.tropi insists their that storyteflin.g techniques differ greatly, Satll!Piexplains iJl a french interviewafter publication the nf 11ersepolis."&fore meeting l)uvid.I hadmy o'"nstyle. Howcn:r,I huve totell you ch.ntthe firscgruphic novd that really made me wuotto rouke c)ne wns /. 'A.w;ensinndu hauJ mal:col<.l J myselfthat if I ·wasgoing to·write u aruphic novel. frankly, it wassoing lObe a giTIJ)bic novel thatlooked lilr.elhis" (L'ifllervlew!). lly this time in Dcauc.lwd·s can:«,his wnrkolrcady was sucocssful and bis artwas The presenceor absence or color will strongly influencea rcud�r·:sinr�er-child,s interpretationbecause l co or and itsmCl\Jlin.g are ev erywi1erein everydaylife. Co1ors associate "ilh emotionsof andswes being.While clouds are that "happy"mean becauselhc:y good """'lhc:rare no! sametbc dark as c louds arethat "angiY" because:lhc:y mean bad wea!ber. An:d face is impassionedcompared t o a J)Qiefoce thai is scared.a In cluipleron colorof UnilenJiutJdi,gComic.t, Mc.Cioud cxpluin:s tlwt black and white, in contrast,mtlkc!i arLmore '"dtn.:ct, Forms,mtber than emotions. become the focus (192). A bluek und white pal ettec reates lhc mostexlreme con ttastsfor I'CIIdcn lu di1lerentiaredte forms sec. they II is simptistieand straighlfurwardfor stories that c:an001add alfordcmbcllislmx:niS.The itionof color brings in further layersto astory's m""""ge and gi,·escbatacters IUld scttinas mon: personalities. distinc! Though a blackand wbitc polcue is thesimplest kind ofpolouc, it is that simplicity that . rnnkesSatra.pi's '"ork morechildren rriendly in understandingher k�;y motif�. l)sing black and while breaks lhern downinto plainly libowo loons. She explains,"An impurtanlwhy rc>OOnfor I cbo:oc:block whi . that could be t•Jom uch. I try to achieve a harmony, asI put il. (Jvcbum-Mughsl)Udnia). Too 1nuch language in the-of fonn co.lor can lose the readerin Satrapi's complex S[(lry. Rather than going inlo detail about tile degreein which Iranianw omenbidden are under the veil, Satrapi draws floating black masses wilh simple faces.'I 'he emphasis of forms makes the roen�s obligatory beards difficult tomiss and other forms that symbolize1rnn growi_ng conservative culture. Because.we areforced to focus on the-10nns, we take in those symbols more so than iJ they w·ere combinedv. ith color. \Vbilc color wouJd gi ve Satmpi a new level to add to herstory dlat is not thei po nt shetri c.s make.LO Delisle's goal for using bluck. and white is similar toSatrapi's goal in thatboth want to l highlight theimpoi'Ulnt motif.� in their complex works. Delis e conveys to readers the dynamics be encountered in North Korea, by highlighting what wos madeobviou.•ly to him bythe North Koreans ru1dwhat hehad rcruizeto lor himself. What is darkened is insignificantor hidden away. Whatis highlighted is considered important andworthy of showing by thoc ulture. Delisle twists lhose perceptiOtls by visually showinghow only thecountry's gov ernment is spotlighted� leaving himself and the people ofNortb Korea in tbe dark.This act of lightening andd ad Gaiman, as a comics creator whoo ften u:c:escolor, makes fullusc of the associations between color and emotjon that readers have developt::dsi nce lhey were young. He also siands outfrom the prc\tiowl y meolioned comics creators bec�usc his choice of <:olor� and allo ther aspecls of p�nting his work is based on the collaborative work of artist-;, colorist�. andothers who Gaiman depeods upon to present the S(lndmon series. As an example- of his uscof color, Endless Nightr from the Sandman series <.h:monstrates. how each of theEndless arc assigned colors by Gaiman toexpress their perso.oalities. Oestructionis associatedwith therod colors (see Figure 8). Desire is associated with yellows (see Figure 9). Delirium is associated wilh n rainbow of color> (= Figure 10). We can match these colors toother thingsthat possess the same colors tounde.stand theperso nalities of eachof these characte.s though color interpretation in a larger context is highly subjective. Red is thecolor of blood sot hat can connect back toviolence and destruction, especially of flesh. YeUow is the color ofgold, an object ofoftcn-.:n=d desire. A rainbow canhappy be i n that a rai nbow appears when theweather becomes calm.. A rainbow can alsorepresent colors in chaos as found in li e-dye or the nortbem Jight�. These connections that (hUman usesmake sense bcctause t.hey areused in real life. Foansmade by Iines are as effective in conveying meaning, anima)f orms beiog a recognizable ex runpJe. .Animal symbolism is one of the most familiar forms inmade art witb children in mind. From Grimm's Fairy Tales to Disney, animal stereotypesare ewrywhc"TC and comics artistsjoin in on usingtbcm . Will Eisner explain$that this is becauseanimal characteristic stereotypes are highly effective in encouraging character recognition becau.� of thisstandard uso: Ingmphjc storytelling, there is little time or SP"CC lorcbunwter developmenL The use of dh!se animaJ·based stereotypes spc:cds the reader into the plot and gi\'es the Surbock 12 teller reader-acceptance for theaction ofhis churw;;ters. By employing characters who resemble animals., theh grap ic storyteller capitaliz.cs on a residue of human primordial experience topcrsonily ucto!Squ ickly (20). Anima) stereotypes arcg amon the most reoogni7able of fonns. Thisis part of why Spiegelman's usc of anim.alheads is among thestron gest aesthetic clements dl.athe has to offe.r in J\fau.s. Using_ mice torep resent .le\"\o"S.,Americans asdogs, andGennans as cats give readers nodoubt of Spiegelman·s int(,.ntions. 1-Je. does this toshoc.k andprove a point. This in leDlion to createan intense delivery derives from Spiegelman�s background in lhe J 960s underground comix movement. Thismovement used animalst�reotypes. among other tropes in kid-friendly comics, to juxtapose· with adult content, creating satiricaJand sh ocking work. Teklwnkinreel is also strongly dependant on animalsymbolism bccuuse of the animal stereotypesassociation process that E.i snermention ed. Arllmabappear in roany formsin this graph_ic rlatrotive. A real animalpopulace lives in lhe settiog ofTeJdwnkiureet. unbothered on the streets andcoexisting with th.: cjtizeos. Some ofthe citizens in turndisplay conncctionsto tbos�; animalsthat shart- lheir charocterist.ics. A black cat anda white cat arc- associuled wi th Olack atld Whitere spectfullyare who both rcfcm:d to us"cats" (see Figure II). When Ratappears, his tC Uow rodcnL'> appear as well (see figure 12). AnimalassociaLions also rdlect a characteFs visual appearanceand plot role. 'lV.·o such characters who demonstrate this pluinly ure- RatW;Jd S!Uike. Rat is drawn with a narrowed face and an extended soout-like nose (see Figure 13). Snake visually possesses S<'fllCnt-like O!liTOW eyes and a long, sleekly pointed lace (seeFigure 14). !'rom the beginning, Rat is Snake's enemy. Naturally, he beoomes Snake's victim. They imitate �>eir \\ild namesakes in bothDaiDo and IIOtion. 'lllestory is purposefullydesigned knowingt hat r�;;-aders will pick up on these connections, even if lbey don,t do soon purpose.The process is so Surbcck 13 nalunllthey that been baY<: doing media for childrenas Eisner pointed out l.ines may seem too simple lQbe noticed aod a.laly7.ed in graphic nam&tive8, but lhe truth is tl1nt they sendmc.s.:;ages that readers pick up from clllldhoodns we ll tillcotur and drawing styles, cspoc;ially iflho!1e lines are intomade forms. Again. this is prut of the systemofvisual lanauage pottemshumans that de''tlop. to UndusumdingC'. reoden,.;11 interestinglyassociate S«m ingly nondescript lines ..ill! the cbara<:ter O£cbara<:IOf'S that theyarc vi ev.ing in the snme(IOnel.; .. When a story hingesmore on charocteri.zation than cold plo� there may not be a lot to show cxtcmally-lJUt thelandscope or the characters' minds can bequite a sight (132)!" Whatever lines convey does not have to beexplained ton:adors because theyalready knowtho what linesiotjlJ)ntly mean.Per.repo lis offcnscvc:rul OXlllllples w-herewe know thatis she • � dreruning 0< remanbcringofthe because pn:senceof lines. Lines cin:lc oroundlbemselves in no particularpattern while S..nopi about daydreams gr.mdfathcr her (see �'igure I 5).They c reate • similar design while she rec alls tripa toEurope ..ith horporeots (� Figure 16). In I'Ascention du hawmal, David Beaucbard uscs linco to nul(kthe presence of high mental acthity. too.hut in n'lorc serious instances such as when his brother's mental condition becomessevere (see Figure 17). Linesalso show the imaginedlrtlllS feraoce of enerb'Y durin& the alternati\-e-tmcots medico! his recievesbroCher (!�« Figure 18). V.bat comics artiSlO an:ultimately doing in these easesof islakingadvantage the mo5tabstroct that S)-mbols atC proocsscd in theuman h mind alld""'ribed byMcCloud and that P Theclll l d-like qualities of grophic narratives ood the formalor fVUj)hic narrati\•es dlat speaksto readers' iruter�ild S,OHagainst the staoocgraphic thatsays grown Mmlth'esha>-e Surbed< 14 uuooopbisti<:atioo. have, They this cnti"'time. alwaysmnaiocd what they wereori ginally designed todo and thatis oct""""for children. CallingllJll phic narratiVCll urt for children asthis pu�"f hnsdone sparks question.,,but they are1Umili3.f question� in thehwnanitic:!i. The''"o lJUC�til)llS in particular that concern this paper themost are where do grn.phic ntlrrnti\leS belong in ocadcmiaand bow should ocudemics regardthem. Thesearc qucstion• llllllcun he applied to aJ mostaoy >"Ubjecl thaifalls in the hwnanities. It is clearoccording 10 scholars in arthistcxy aod lil<:nltun:that graphic narratives...., wunb tiour me. Theamount orn:SCI.\I'Cb doneso far hasproven that.l lowever, wheredocs it be:long in the realm of litcraturu tmd urt'I IJoth areasof study conduct clnsscsfocusing ongraphic nnrro.tives and bothof areas study neglect theother halfs involvement in the subjecL lfttlerewao; C\'ct a subject that needsto besocn asinterdisciplinary, il is g.rac�hicnarratives. Wbcreplace v..-e them, diOOg]t,is confusing. lil<:l'llturc A scholar looksroc namuive. An arthistory looks scholar for acsdJctics.Yet Persep It is JlQOSible a.�more colleges promote thedevelopment of interdisciplinaryclasses, graphic no.rmlives canbe examinedu.s whole! lOrthe muJti.faceted subject they arc. Yet at the time,same just bcc.Musc grupb_ic n&rrati,-es are wortJlyof study. the factthat they arc madeof up etemems designed to be acccs:sibleall 10 types or� especially cbi)dren. keepsthem frombcin¥ • sophisticated form of expression.That 110110 is say lhal Maus iJ meant for chil drenor thut the•ubject is notsophisticated. Thes ubject ufa work and tlle delivery of that workarc lwo diflCrunt elemenu;. l'he content explored in /.lausand l.be other graphic narratives in thispaper is complex. ·n�eir form ofdelivery purposefullyuses elemenJS of visunl communicationtbat hav.: ori(;inallydi� appeared at childrm.This child-likequality Surbetk 15 in lhedcli« not exclu.�ive to any one culture. 11 is u global characteristic. Louk.ing nt graphic narratives as child.. ! ike reveals a senseor opennessa.nd honesty in thes:LOri�s they tell. which recalls wbal SpiCKelmlmS�Ud at !he beginninaof llili paperfor his forwardto !JareSI mosst ngm in lhchumanities. Surbcck16 YOU $(E. I T AS n t f FN:. f 0 � ,M'OTN£/t . Figur�: I Surbcck17 figun:2 Surb«k 16 Figure 3 '"f.\t '"1"E UlMlG 1,01,1 tftll£�..o\J lU.114 foal\tllllt ON 1\IE W\t.t �UE f\.\�.�tHI;�\1"1'. ,Mtit.ut£Cfl�f Go\tiS. <(.. 11 &·•• ...... ,.. ... ,.••llll.. Figure4 Surbecl< 19 Th•s is H•rosluma?l &eez.it's honged .. clhere.'s nothing ...left Fit!un: S Surbeck 20 Fisure 6 Surbeck 21 Figure 7 Surbeck 22 Figure 8 Surbcck 23 Figure 9 Surbcck 24 Fi&ure 10 Surbecl< 25 11igurc II figure 12 Surbeck 26 "'tOO CA""-.-r TeACtiM OU>OOG �6.'/ ==·- Figure I) figure 14 Figun: 15 Surbeck27 l'isurc 16 Surbeck 28 Figure 17 Figwc 18 Surbe<:k 29 Works Cited Amold, Andrew D. "From Ming toKim." Time. Time, 23 Sept. 2005. 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Covers and dt:sign by Dave McKean. ln!J'(J(f. by Frank McConnell. New York: Vertigo-r.>C Comics� 1996. Print. Vol. 9 of The Stmdman Series. CJairnan, Neil, wrirerc The Wake. Artby Michael Zulli, Jon J. Muth, and Charles Vess. Lettered by Todd J Cl>ameleoo.Covers anddesign by [)a,..,McKean. Tille page byMkbacl Zulli.New York: Vertig<>-OC Comie3. 1997. Print Vol. 10 of Tire Santlm I ton, Christine. '"Flnshlbrwa.rd Dcmocna.;y: Alne-rican Exccptionali$Jll A_nd The Atomic Bomb in "BarefootOen . ." Comporath•c Lilerature Studies 46.1 (200')):125-155. Academic Search Complete. Web.Dee. 201 1. "Jewish Mice.Rubbl egumCards. ComicsPossibili Art,andRaw tid." Comics Jolll7IQ)Aug. 65 (1981): 99. Web. 13 Ike. 201 1. Jrochum-Maghsoudoia, Charbanou. "Muquue Satrapi. Persepolis ." Droit et Cultures. N.p., 18 May2009. Web. 13 Dec. 20 II. "L'intcrvicw!: Ma!jane Satrapi." BD &l.ctlon. N.p� 4 Ian. 2002. Web. 13 Dec. 201 1. Maswnol<>. Taiyo. Tekkonkinkreet.Complied by AndrewMcKoon. Edited byElizabcth Kawa..akilawn and TitOmJ)flon. Translated by Lillian Olsen. Designed by AmyM.att in. VIZ Media, LLC. 2(�17. l'rint. McCloud, Scott.(}nder:ftamling Comics: TheInvisible Art.New Yoric:: HarperCollins. 1994. Print. Nllkozawa.Kciji. BarejiK>IG•n: A CortoonStory of 1/ir lntrod.by ArtSpiegelman. Swt�rancisco: Prolong Pre:;s Ltd .. 2004. PrintVol. I /I(JJ'ejoo t Ge n. Surbcck :n Park, l�d. "Shadovvland: An an imated account oflile under the Kim n:�,:imc." lhe I "il!age ro icc . Villag� Yoit"c LLC. 16 Aug. 2005. \\\·b. 13 Dt:<: . 20 1 1. Sartrapi, Marjant'. fler.wpoiis. Milan: Cihou!cttc . .?009. Print. Spicg.elman, ArL The Complete Muus: A Survivor's Ta lc. New Yl1rk: Pantheon Books- Random. 1997. Print.