NARRATIVE COMICS: STRUCTURE NOTES

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Function

–  Concerns a text’s purpose and its context, how and why it was produced, what its style is, and what issues affect it (think R.A.F.T.S.).

Structure and Layout

–  Many comics have a narrative structure made up of similar stages as other narratives, such as short stories and novels. They have orientations (like introductions), complications in the plot, a climax, a resolution, and sometimes a moral.

–  Comics also have a narrative stance, as well as major and minor characters. The narrator sets the scene and explains the action.

–  Comics have titles, written and visual text

Title and Orientation

–  Orientation explains the who, where, and when of the story. It often reveals the first complication. Sometimes, the title and orientation give clues as to what might happen in the storyline.

Complication and Climax

–  Each complication in the plot increases the tension.

–  Tension is highest at the climax.

Resolution

–  The resolution winds up the story, telling the reader what happens to the main characters after the climax.

–  The resolution often includes a moral.

“Shortie Saves the Day”
Plot Outline Worksheet

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Read the comic, “Shortie Saves the Day”.

Sequence the following events by entering the numbers 1- 7 in the blanks.

__ Shortie is worried about his abilities

__ A team member gives Shortie the secret

__ Shortie takes Josh’s place

__ Shortie gets the ball as it comes out of the scrum

__ Shortie feeds the scrum

__ Josh is taken off with an injured ankle

__ Shortie sidesteps the opposition

Use the following chart to organize the plot of “Shortie Saves the Day”.

Plot Element / Description
Orientation and Complication 1 / It’s the football final and a nil-all draw with two minutes to play. Josh has to leave the field.
Complication 2
Complication 3
Complication 4
Complication 5
Complication 6
Climax
Resolution / Shortie scores a try, showing the importance of teamwork.

Answer the following questions.

1. Who is the main character in the comic?

2. Name one minor character?

3. What is the initial incident in this comic?

4. What is the climax?

5. What is the moral in this story?

6. Who is the intended audience for “Shortie Saves the Day”?

7. Why are the ideas presented in this form, a comic strip?

8. Would the same ideas work in an educational pamphlet? Why or why not?

9. What type of language is used in the comic?

Composing a Narrative Comic

A sporting organization is holding a competition for students. It wants students to create a comic strip, of no more than 10 ten panels, that will encourage young children to play sports and teach them sporting values.

Your task is to create your own narrative cartoon strip.

Step 1: You will need to write the outline of a short, simple story that you will later turn into a comic strip. The outline should include:

§  A moral

§  A list of Characters

§  A sequence of complications leading up to a climax

§  A resolution

Narrative Comic Outline

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Moral

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Major Character(s)

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Minor Character(s)

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Rising Actions

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Climax

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Resolution

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Step 2: In a small group, you will need to make a few decisions. You will need to decide on

§  a title

§  orientation format

§  narrative stance

Title

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Orientation Format (How will you introduce the story to your reader?)

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Narrative Stance (1st / 3rd person, Will you have a narrator explaining the action?)

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Step 3: Individually, you need to decide how many panels you will need for your strip.

(Think: Title, Orientation, Main Events/Complications, Conflict, Resolution) You will also need to decide how you will organize your panels. Consider:

§  number of panels

§  sizes of individual panels

§  gutters (will they all run parallel?)

Step 4: SKETCH a storyboard. Use a full page. Dialogue is not needed for this part of your planning. Who and what will be in each panel?

START SKETCHING!!

Step 5: Creating your narrative comic. Once you have completed all the preparation activities, you are ready to create your comic. You may draw your comic by hand or use an online comic creator. You may use the sites below to help you get started.

http://www.tooning.com/ - a good site to help you draw cartoon figures

www.bitstrips.com – a good site to create comics

ALSO:

http://www.stripcreator.com/make.php, http://www.toondoo.com/,