For some time I’ve had suspicions that there’s a lot I can learn about storytelling from graphic novels. It’s the perfect tug-of-war between words and pictures, which has always been my dilemma as a writer and director. But I’ve been unsure how exactly to dive in and start a serious study of this art form. That is, until now.
Over at The Atlantic website, February is ‘Graphic Novel Month’ and they’ve put together a short curriculum of four books chosen by popular vote. First up is Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. I read this today in one sitting which says something about how much I enjoyed it. You can read my short review and how I think filmmakers would benefit from it over in my reading room.
I’ll be using this as a reference as I dive into the three remaining classics for the month:
If you decide to pursue the same curriculum, you can follow the group discussion all month-long on Twitter with the corresponding hashtags:
- February 6-12: Discuss Understanding Comics using hashtag #1b140_1
- February 13-19: Discuss The Complete Maus: A Survivor’s Tale using hashtag #1b140_2
- February 20-26: Discuss V for Vendetta using hashtag #1b140_3
- February 27-March 4: Discuss Sandman Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes using hashtag #1b140_4
