How do games tell stories?
Making Sense of Graphic Texts
MINDS ON
Reading Comics
Even if you haven't read a comic or graphic novel, you've probably seen examples of both. Comics and graphic novels are both visual ways to tell stories.
While comics are usually stories in a series that are released at regular intervals (like a magazine), a graphic novel is usually one longer, self-contained story. Based on what you know right now about comics and graphic novels, ask yourself:
Is reading a comic (or graphic novel) more like watching a movie, or reading a story?
ACTION
The Language of Comics
As you learn about the language of comics, keep the discussion you just had in mind and ask yourself if you still think that reading a comic is more like reading a story, or a movie.
The following comic illustrates some of the codes (definition:A system of signs that create meaning [e.g., motion lines].) and conventions (definition:an accepted way of doing things [e.g., using speech bubbles to indicate when characters are talking.]) of comics:
CodeConventionsComic
Time and Space
In books or short stories authors can convey a sense of time through their choice of words and rhythm of their sentences. For example, they can write short choppy sentences to describe an action sequence and give you the sense of something happening quickly.
In film, editors convey a sense of speed through splicing together multiple shots from different camera angles. Consider the hockey scenes in the movie trailer below.
Pay attention to how often the camera moves to give a sense of speed.
In comics, small spaces usually signify small amounts of time, whereas large spaces signify larger amounts of time. Illustrators might use several short panels to give the impression of the quickly changing shots you saw in the movie clip. Or they might use one long panel to give the impression of a camera not moving away from a scene for a long time.
Watch for this in the excerpt from a graphic novel you will read next.
Reading a Graphic Text
The following selection is taken from Volume 1 of The Ultimate Spiderman: Power and Responsibility. See if you can match the descriptions of the panels to the correct panels:
Panel_Descriptions
Required Reading
Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility
Before Reading: Think back to the stages of the hero's journey in the previous unit. This selection comes from the very beginning of the graphic novel about Spiderman. What stages might you expect to find depicted in this section of the graphic novel?
During Reading: Look for the codes and conventions of comics and think about how they help you understand the story.
After Reading
Reading Questions
Answer in complete sentences and label your answers carefully.
1) Identify three clues that you see in the language and images that suggest Mr. Osborn is a bad guy.
2) How do the illustrations build suspense (a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen) on page 5?
3) How do the illustrations show a connection between the spider on page 5 and Peter on page 6?
4) What are the main challenges Peter is facing at this point in the graphic novel?
5) Who are Peter's allies?
6) On page 19 we learn how the characters on pages 2-4 are connected to Peter. What is the connection?
7) What stage of the hero's journey do you think Peter is in right now and how do you know?
Narrating a Graphic Novel Selection
In the interactive activity you completed before reading the selection from the graphic text, you assembled a paragraph describing the action in a page from Spiderman. You are going to do the same thing for one of the pages you just read.
1) Choose a page from the selection you read.
2) For each panel, write a paragraph describing the action depicted in the panel. If there is dialogue, summarize the dialogue said, but do not include the direct quotation. For example, on page 8, instead of writing the quotation, "That's a five-pointer!" you could write, The bullies tease Peter.
3) Connect the sentences using transition words like then, next, meanwhile, suddenly and finally.
4) Review your paragraph to make sure you've chosen the most accurate and descriptive words possible to communicate what's happening in the panels.
Refining Your Paragraph
Make revisions, if necessary, to improve the clarity of your paragraph. Use the following checklist to assist you:
| Checklist Items | |
|---|---|
| I have indented the first sentence of my paragraph; | |
| I have included a description of all the action that occurs in the correct order; | |
| I have summarized any dialogue that appears on the page; | |
| I have written in complete sentences; I have connected my sentences using transition words or phrases; | |
| I have checked my paragraph for correct spelling and grammar; | |
| I have used accurate verbs (words used to describe an action, state, or occurrence) and adjectives (words that describe a person, place, or thing) to describe the action. |
Did you know?
Movie makers often use a kind of comic called a storyboard to plan the shots for their movies. What similarities do you notice between this storyboard and the graphic novel you read?
CONSOLIDATION
What's the Verdict?
Reading a Story or Watching a Movie
At the beginning of this activity, you were asked if you thought reading a comic or graphic novel was more like reading a story or like watching a movie. Did your answer change? Or did this activity provide you with new reasons to support your original answer? Include a statement about how comics and graphic novels are like games.
Learning Goals and Success Criteria
Learning Skills and Work Habits