LW415 Creating a Comic Book 3CR

In this course, you will be both students and creators of the graphic novel form. We will begin by familiarizing ourselves with the history of “sequential art,” from comic strips to superhero comics, from comics to graphic novels. After establishing this larger historical context, though, most of our time will be spent on exploring the possibilities of the form. To do this, we will seek out and study cartoonists who have experimented with comics and graphic novels. Through a series of weekly in-class and extracurricular sketching and writing assignments, you will also experiment with the form. Ultimately, you will draft, revise, and complete a polished, substantial graphic narrative that tells a story of your choosing; and a preface that contextualizes your narrative within the class’s readings and your personalized research. This is a Summative Elective Liberal Arts class, meant to represent the culmination of three to four years of integrating liberal arts and studio classes at MassArt. The assignments in this class embody this synthesis. As you write and re-write your comic, you will draw on analyses of other graphic novels, research tailored to your story, and feedback from your peers and me. This course is especially suitable for students who have studied graphic novels in other settings but is open to all who are intrigued by the endless ways to tell stories through comics.

Prerequisites: Take 15 credits from General Education

Seminar

Spring