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Fantasy Mirrored Reality

Ever since I was a child, fantasy has always intrigued me as a way to escape reality. My

favorite activity every Saturday morning was to watch the newest and freshest cartoons on cable

TV. These cartoons included, but were not limited to, Pokemon, Spongebob Squarepants, and

Gravity Falls. I always watched these shows amazed by the world building they accomplished.

Often I imagined myself being a member in the cast, or a character who would play a significant

role in these cartoons. Those ideas got me into drawing constantly. I got into the habit of drawing

original characters based off of shows I loved, and incorporated them into this fantasy world that

existed through these programs. I was fascinated with the idea of playing the main character at a

young age and how life experience can be turned into a story through writing and motion

pictures. Literature and art colliding to create these compiling animations. Not only did I have a

thing for animation, I also loved reading picture books. As I grew up I went more and more to the

graphic novel sections of my libraries, I would always come out with a new comic or manga,

which are simply other names for them as the term “graphic novels” is purely to market these

forms of media to a more adult audience. Regardless, these previous experiences of mine are

what bring me to basing my Senior Paper on how graphics novels as a form of storytelling being

incorporated with literature and art, have been recognized and developed into the field of

animation. For simpler terms, how graphics are developed, and how they use principles from

literature and art to one day become award winning animation programs.

The term graphic novel is simply another way to say comics, manga, political cartoons etc. The

term was invented soley for marketing purposes. I had the amazing opportunity to contact a
 mentor who works in the comic book industry as a teacher at the California College of

The Arts. Straight away we hit it off and kicked off the interview with the misconception there is

about Graphic novels “It's such a challenge because it's referred to as different things to different

people. Some folks might think of it as comic strips, like something in a newspaper or political

cartoons. And then suddenly cartoons can be confused with animation. There's comics. There's,

of course, Japanese comics or manga. French comics are banned and Italian comics, Grumeti,

means little puffs of smoke, which are the word balloons. So it's called lots of different things.

Graphic novels is a marketing term.” (Silady). This piece of advice and mentorship of clearing

up the term Graphic novels eye opening for the sake of this report. As I had struggled with

defining the exact concept of a Graphic novel. According to the article Graphic Novels, “Both

formats mirror each other in appearance, using illustrations as a storytelling tool. In general,

graphic novels are longer and tell a complete story in the span of one or two volumes. Comic

books can take multiple issues to complete a single plot arc. However, some comic book issues

are often collected into book form and assume the title of a graphic novel. In the end, both terms

represent diverse and illustrative ways to tell a wide variety of stories”. Long story short,

whether one calls this form of storytelling through art and literature a graphic novel, visual

novel, comic book, or whatever else, they are all applicable under this same concept.

There are many challenges graphic novels have faced in order to be recognized as a viable form

of storytelling due to the format they are in. Comics had been created at the time, but they were

always seen by adults as more childish. Many were also used during the propaganda campaigns

of World War 2, majority of which were aimed at a younger american audience. Other than that

they really didn't have any historical significance. It wasn’t until the 1990s that graphic novels
 began to be acknowledged “Maus was the first graphic novel to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1992.”

(Graphic Novels). This award winning tale, tragically depicts the life of Vladek during

the Holocaust and being a survivor. A short summary of the graphic novel “In Maus, Vladek

recounts the story of his life before and during the Holocaust to his son, Art. Vladek joined the

Polish army, was captured, and was a prisoner of war. Later, the Germans seized his factory, and

the family lived in a ghetto...They were separated [sent to concentration camps where horrors

unfolded]... Vladek and Anja eventually found one another and made their way to the United

States, where Art was born. Anja later killed herself, and Vladek remarried'' (Geri). This Graphic

novel demonstrated to the adult audience that graphic novels had the potential to become a viable

storytelling method. Vladek's poignant relationship with his father parallels the accounts of the

graphic novel memoir. As time progresses, graphic novels have gained more and more

recognition as a legitimate form of storytelling, captivating audiences, making its history unfold

right in front of our eyes.

In order to understand the incorporation of a graphic novel, one must first discuss 1940’s print

culture. Back then, it was not so easy to print one's work as we have easy access now and days.

In fact, due to the ongoing way, many died in order to print their visual art media “World War II

(1939–45) dominated serious print media from 1939 until most of the last troops returned from

Europe in 1946. American newspapers and magazines focused intently on bringing news from

the warfront to the doorsteps of almost every American. Stories and photographs of soldiers and

battles filled most of the papers' pages. Thirty-seven American reporters and other news people

died while trying to get their stories during the war.” (Coletta). Reporting one's experience during

the war was a life and death situation for creators of that time period. Which is why it is so
important for our generation to understand the context of the era these pieces were released to the

public. The 1940’s was seen as the golden age for comic books, as many creators rushed to

entertain people at the time of war. Specifically aimed for the younger generations,

iconic titles such as, Green Lantern and Captain America, were just pure entertainment for the

children at the time. In my Interview with Doug Calderon, a fellow teacher from Montera

Middleschool, describes his experience with graphic novels “...I remember when I was a kid,

comic books were all my friends and I were obsessed about. Archie Comics, Marvel Comics, DC

Comics, were the biggest hits in prints back then. We were absolutely entertained by that sort of

media, no need for cell phones back then, good times.” (Calderon). He also went on to talk about

how his projects in school were always aimed towards comic creation, but that his art teacher

would not allow him to base his art inspiration from then. This demonstrates the divide early

comics had with younger generations compared to older ones, and the impact it had on the

generation that was growing up. Along with how well known comic titles were developed

through time in American Culture.

It is so easy to get caught up in a world of fantasy that we end up forgetting how the literature is

written for an intriguing plot in the media. Whether it be animation, comics, or whatever, there is

always a process of elimination a project has to undergo in order to be completed. The Hero's

journey (start, middle, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion) is a vital asset to the

creation of the writing for a graphic novel. As a matter of fact most graphic novels follow this

literary format “...such is the importance of creating a physical version for not only

documentation, however also to establish a sense of direction that the project will take place. In

terms of cartoons and storytelling through pictures, the majority, if not all of the most popular
 animated programs have had a type of book, or printed piece, to serve as the base for the story's

plot simultaneously following the Hero's journey.” (Calderon). The extreme importance of the

Hero's journey for a literary plot in all sorts of Storytelling media. Including one of the most

renown forms of literature, The Odyssey “At this time The Odyssey, along with many other

ancient texts, became more widely known in the West. The Odyssey and its companion poem,

The Iliad, are the oldest surviving works of Greek literature. They are regarded as two of the

most influential works in the foundation of Western literature.” (Carnagie) Western literature

impacts through the Odyssey which is a compelling poem written alongside the hero's journey

concept. Through this analysis we are able to perceive how past literature still influences the

plots of more recent well known works of literature and art.

The many in the world have welcomed storytelling through this format in many fields,

including the field of education. There are some teachers who have a misconception about

comics “Some teachers, in any subject, might write off comics because they don't like superhero

stories. But if they do so, they'd overlook a rich trove of books that could capture students'

imaginations, said Dallas Middaugh, a former publishing executive who now advises companies

on publishing strategy. He specializes in comics and manga.” (Gewertz). Certain people have the

tendency, especially teachers and older generations, tend to cast aside newer ideas and creation in

fear of losing previous conceptions of education. In fact I even had conversations about this topic

in my second interview with Doug, who dropped out of college because he wasn’t able to create

the art he wanted, which included comic books “Yes.. my teacher absolutely despised comics,

she said it was unacceptable to submit comic pages as pieces of art, and would take away

materials in order to prevent the further renditions of my comic strips.” (Calderon). Now
dropping from college might have been an extreme choice, perhaps he should have just dropped

the class. Regardless it just comes to show how comics haven’t always been smooth selling. It

has been devastating for many who hope to realise a dream, only for it to be crushed by

authorities

On a brighter note, Graphic novels in this time and era have been recognized on a global

scale. This recognition has led to massive revenue for the market of comics and increase in

graphic novel production. The number and creation of this new market speak for themselves

“Sales of comics--a market sector that includes traditional and online comic books and graphic

novels--exceeded $1 billion last year, making $80 million more than the previous year, according

to Publishers Weekly. Graphic novels on a variety of themes, but virtually none about math,

accounted for most of that growth.” The expanse of its market will allow more comics and

graphics novels to be created, thus expanding upon people's creativity. This world wide

recognition has had a lasting effect and impact on future generations. Those to come will surely

recognize the same ordeal, “I think it's going to become increasingly easy. And one of the

reasons why is people who are my age and older did grow up thinking of comics as superheroes.

But the students, the graduate students we have now, grew up on people like Rene Telgemeier

who wrote ``Like and Sisters and Smile and some of the first comics that they read were actually

memoires as opposed to other genres.”(Silday). This way that graphic novels have been evolving

to satisfy many different audiences, and people of all age groups is what truly makes these novels

fantastic. Connecting more people than ever to these personal memoir integrated narratives,

Being recognized as a legitimate source of storytelling aligned with gaining the ability to connect

with people of all ages and backgrounds is something extremely difficult to do. The unity that
comes with these stories is one to remember.

As a child I always looked up to characters portrayed in comics and animation as role models

for behavior. Comic books and Animated shows have always been a way for me to escape

reality when times get rough, which is what made them such an inspiration for me at an early

age. Paralleling my reality with fantasy and sharing a similar moral compass to what I

perceived as good or evil. I wonder whether I was simply unsatisfied with my reality, and that is

why I chose make-believe over actuality, or I wonder if some other force decided that for my

early childhood. This form of escapism through storytelling demonstrates the capabilities of

these works of literature and art and the impact they can have on other human beings. I look at

myself in the mirror representing the same morality and optimism animated characters

portrayed.

Works Cited

Calderon, Doug. Interview. Conducted by Jorge Hernandez, 02 Apr 2021

Coletta, Charles, et al. "1940s: Print Culture." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture

of 20th- and 21st-Century America, edited by Cynthia Johnson and Lawrence W. Baker, 2nd ed.,

vol. 3: 1940s-1950s, UXL, 2012, pp. 617-637. Gale In Context: High School,

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Accessed 20 Apr. 2021.

"From Pan Entertainment to Neo-Culture Creativity, Tencent's Upgraded Direction for Content to

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In Context: High School,

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27 Apr. 2021.

Gewertz, Catherine. "Math Teachers Take a Page From English/Language Arts: Comic Books!"

Education Week, vol. 39, no. 06, 25 Sept. 2019, p. 1. Gale In Context: High School,

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29 Apr. 2021.

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Accessed 08 Mar. 2021.

"How World War II Impacted Literature." Gale In Context Online Collection, Gale, 2016. Gale

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Accessed 10 Mar. 2021.

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09 Mar. 2021.

Silady, Matt. Interview. Conducted by Jorge Hernandez, 23 Mar 2021

Speace, Geri. "Maus." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture Online, Gale, 2013. Gale In

Context: High School,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/CUMRKZ207330701/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=00155224.

Accessed 11 Mar. 2021.

Spiegelmann, Art. Maus. New York, Pantheon Books, 1980.

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Accessed 27 Apr. 2021.

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Wilson, Greg, et al. "2000s: Print Culture." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of
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vol. 6: 2000-2009, UXL, 2012, pp. 1551-1563. Gale In Context: High School,

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Accessed 11 Mar. 2021.