How do Graphic Novels Relate to Digital Games?
Contents
· Introduction.
· Definition of a Graphic Novel.
· What are differences and similarities between graphic novels, comics and manga?
· Brief History of the Graphic Novel.
· Western Comics.
· Eastern Graphic Novels.
· Layout of a Graphic Novel/Manga.
· Graphic Novels that have been transformed into games.
· What process do the creators do to transform graphic novels to digital games?
· What difficulties when changing occur?
· Conclusion/Summary
· Appendices?
· Bibliography
Introduction
My report will be reportage on graphic novels and their transmission to digital games. The report will explain where graphic novels come from, why & how they were created, who created them and what they are? Furthering this I will report on what difficulties the creators may have had produce the novel. Also I will explore why a graphic novel is laid out the way it is. Most importantly however I will report on the differences between graphic novels and games. Such as what & how are characters chosen to be in the game or novel? Why are new characters introduced to the games when they aren’t in the novel? What part of the novel will become the games storyline?
Definition of a Graphic Novel
My Answer
A graphic novel is a series of artwork that creates a story; ‘an image is worth a thousand words’. And thus therefore the graphic novel can tell a story without having to describe a scene or a character’s looks because the reader can see it.
Also according to About.com “There are differing viewpoints as to how broadly “graphic novel” should be defined.
According to Scholastic, “The term graphic novel is now generally used to describe any book in a comic format that resembles a novel in length and narrative development.”
According to an article by Keir Graff in the American Library Association’s Booklist/February 1, 2003, “A graphic novel, like a regular novel, is a stand-alone story that is published as a book. It’s easy to get confused, though, because some people will still use comics for the whole genre or graphic novel for any comic-style work that’s handsomely published, even if it’s just a collection of superhero stories.”
In The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Creating a Graphic Novel, authors Nat Gerther and Steve Lieber give a broader definition: “A graphic novel is a comic’s project of substantial length that is designed to be understood as a single work. Fiction, nonfiction – even a comic’s format cookbook – would count as a graphic novel.” (Page 13, 2004 edition. ISBN: 9781592572335)
The broadest definition comes from the No Flying, No Tights Teen Graphic Novel site, run by Robin Brenner, Teen Librarian at the Brookline (MA) Public Library and others: "The shortest definition of a graphic novel is this: a book-length comic."”
What are differences and similarities between graphic novels, comics and manga?
My View Point
The first most obvious similarity is that all use sequential artwork to present a story, According to Savannah College of Art and Design, which offers a degree in sequential art, “The field of sequential art encompasses graphic novels, comic books, comic strips, children’s books and storyboards for animation and film. Sequential artists combine words and pictures to form entertaining and effective narratives.” Also most often the story will be present the dialog in the form of speech/thought bubbles with boxed captions for the narrator.
For the differences however according to About.com “However, comic-style books are generally hardbound or soft bound like picture books. They are longer than comic books but not as long as novels. Graphic novels are also available in hardbound or soft bound editions but are substantially longer than comic books or comic-style books. To further confuse matters, some librarians, educators, and authors use the term “comic(s)” to refer to all three: comic books, comic-style books, and graphic novels.”
My view is that a comic i.e. The Beano, Dandy and The Simpsons etc… are short stories that are generally resolved within the same comic and/or have more than one story within it. A graphic novel however I think is a story that it the length of a regular novel that then can have a sequel of novels following it i.e. X-men, Batman and Avengers. Finally Manga my thoughts are that manga tells a long story over a number of books but the story can be split into Arcs i.e. Bleach, Naruto and Rurouni Kenshin.
Brief history of the Graphic Novel
The graphic novel began its life as comic strips in newspapers, long before the 1930s such as Max und Mortiz in Fliegende Blatter (German Newspaper) being one of the first to appear in newspapers from as early as 1859, Abie the Agent in The New York Journal in 1914 and Barney Google and Snuffy Smith appearing in 900 newspapers in 21 countries from its debut in 1919.
The first graphic novel ever is considered to be The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck by Rudolphe Topffer of Switzerland. It was first published in 1837 and again in the US in English in 1842. It had only 40 pages, formatted with several picture panels with text underneath.
According to Scott McCloud an American cartoonist and theorist on comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium, in the 1993 non-fiction comic book that he had drawn and written titled Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art he says “Topffer’s work is in many ways the father of the modern comic”
Merge the History in to Western Comics
(to be further researched Frans Masereel, Lynd Ward, Milt Gross, Max Ernst, Virginia Lee Burton and Classics Illustated as well as other ideas between the 1920s to 1960s)
A massive change in comics began in America with Superman Debut in 1932 and since then in America comic books have been dominated by superheroes of various sorts.
The UK had the Beano and Dandy debuting in 1938 & 1937.
Other early Comics:
Adventure Comics
The Boy's Own Paper
Film Fun
The Gem
Why I have chosen to do a Reportage report?
I have chosen to write in this style because I think it’s most appropriate seeing as I have reported what other people have written about my subject as well as giving my views and ideas. Also I can visualize it appearing in a magazine or journal. Furthermore my report will include a vast bibliography of my ideas, research and references so that the reader of the magazine/journal could explore their own ways of perhaps making a Graphic Novel.
What I’ve done and where this Report is going?
So far I have an introduction that’s needs editing, a basic/full understanding of the definition of what a graphic novel is. Also I have done splitting up the differences and similarities between Graphic novels, Comics and Manga; furthermore I have written a brief history on graphic novels, comics and manga. The destination of where this report is going is that I will be exploring the differences between Eastern and Western Graphic Novels/Comics/Manga as well as defining what classifies as east or west? This will then lead me on to what layout styles are used to display the storyboard.
Here there will be a break for I will then look into what graphic novels/comics/manga has been developed into Digital games. This will include the process of graphic novels to games and what the creator/artist/author has inputted towards the games development. Furthermore I will get an understanding of what difficulties occur in the process; finally I will produce a conclusion/summary of what I have discovered while exploring this report.
As part of the report but not in it, I will compile a bibliography of where I’ve gotten my research and what links I’ve used. I may also compile an appendices or glossary to explain words and terms I have used.
Q. history is a large area to cover. Do I or can I change the question/direction of this report
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_novel, 27/10/2011, Visual novel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_novel , 27/10/2011, Graphic novel
Tychinski Stan, http://bookshelf.diamondcomics.com/public/default.asp?t=1&m=1&c=20&s=164&ai=64513&ssd, 27/10/2011, A Brief History of the Graphic Novel
http://bookshelf.diamondcomics.com/public/default.asp?t=2&m=1&c=20&s=161, 27/10/2011, what are Graphic Novels and Comics?
http://bookshelf.diamondcomics.com/public/default.asp?t=1&m=1&c=20&s=432&ai=0, 27/10/2011, What Is Manga?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga, 27/10/2011, Manga
http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/outreach/events/graphic-novels, 31/10/2011, Graphic Novels, the Middle East, and Muslim Communities.
http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/node/2521, 31/10/2011, Interview Archive: Independent and Grassroots Comic Artists in the Middle East Region
http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/node/2558, 31/10/2011, Talks and Lectures
Pearson Charles, http://www.ehow.com/how_4881381_write-graphic-novel-online.html, 31/10/2011, How to write a graphic novel online.
http://www.ehow.com/search.html?rs=1&s=Comic+Book , 31/10/2011, Comic book Graphic novel
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http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/graphicnovelscomics/f/comics_faq.htm, 04/11/2011 , Question: What do Comic Books, Comic-style Books, and Graphic Novels Have in Common?
Brad J. Guigar, http://www.netplaces.com/cartooning/comic-books/graphic-novels.htm, 04/11/2011, Graphic Novels
Brad J. Guigar, http://www.netplaces.com/cartooning/comic-books/japanese-manga.htm, 04/11/2011, Japanese Manga
Meg Schneider and Barbara Doyen , http://www.netplaces.com/book-proposal/targeted-fiction/graphic-novels.htm, 04/11/2011, Graphic Novels
http://www.barnaclepress.com/list.php?directory=AbieTheAgent , 14/11/2011, Barnacle Press
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Google_and_Snuffy_Smith ,14/11/2011, Barney Google
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