1. Reading a Graphic Novel A Basic How-To Guide

2. What IS a Graphic Novel?  A different way to express an idea or story  A medium (like TV, movies, or paintings)  A format defined by images used in a sequence

3. A graphic novel can be…  Action-Adventure  Comedy  Biography  Horror  Mystery  And many other genres!!

4. A graphic novel is…  Words (sometimes)  Pictures (always)

5. Vocabulary to Know:  gutter  layout  panel  speech balloon  thought balloon  emotive text  narratory blocks  sound effects/ onomatopoeia  bleeds  inferences

6. Gutter  The gutter is the white space between panels. It usually establishes time passed.

7. Layout  A layout is the way the pages of a graphic novel are organized.  Some authors use a combination of sizes and shapes; larger panels are usually more important than smaller ones.

8. Panel  A full page can function as a panel, or a box within a page can be a panel.  Sometimes, an artist goes outside of the panel.

9. Speech Balloon  A speech balloon shows a character’s words aloud. It is usually a smooth circle with a tail aimed toward the character’s mouth.

10. Thought Balloon  This balloon looks more like a cloud and typically comes from a character’s head.  It’s important to identify these different balloons as they can change the events of a story.

11. Emotive Text  If text is italicized or bolded, the author is emphasizing particular words. Pay close attention to these because they are emphasized for a reason.

12. Narratory Blocks  Text that is not located in a speech or thought balloon that explains what is happening in a panel. It is the narrator’s voice.

13. Sound Effects/Onomatopoeia  “Onomatopoeia” is another word for sound effects. These are words that are spelled just like the sound; they have no other meaning attached to them.

14. Bleeds  A bleed occurs when a text or graphic exceeds the panel and goes over the gutter.

15. Making Inferences…  “Inference” is another word for reading between the lines. You are taking the facts from the text and use your own thinking skills to INFER what will happen next.

16.  Sometimes, the GUTTER in a graphic novel leaves out some valuable information, but we can make connections between the other panels and INFER what is happening. You will need to do this often in Maus.

17. What does “screen saver” mean?

18. In this comic, what does “delusional” mean?

19. HOW TO READ A GRAPHIC NOVEL  ALWAYS read TOP to BOTTOM, LEFT to RIGHT.  NO MATTER WHAT.

20. QUESTIONS?