The Graphic Novel

In class this semester we have focused a lot on various film adaptations. Of the adaptation we actually watched, Watchmen and Ghost World, it became clear to me that much of the graphic novel is lost in translation. This is not to say that I did not enjoy them or that they did not have any value. I just feel that some of the most interesting things about the comics were lost or edited out in the movies. In my opinion the form and use of symmetry was by far the most fascinating and meaningful element within Watchmen. These elements were not really included or stressed in the movie the way they were in the novel. In Ghost World the random cast of characters and the apparent lack of a storyline – the series of random conversations and events, as well as the idea of nostalgia are all kind of muted in the movie. There is much more of a focus on outside characters, less nostalgia, and a much more distinct storyline.

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Nearing the end of our Graphic Novel class, there’s been a wide array of topics discussed. From superheroes to teenage girls and to space odysseys, we’ve traveled the full spectrum. Yet one constant that seems fairly obvious, and at times overt, is the broad use of sexuality. Yes, my male hormones may cause me to pick up on this a bit more than others, but sex is everywhere!

Okay, obviously sex sells, and that’s indisputable, but for nearly every comic to display it just seems a bit odd to me. So that got me thinking: why is there so much sex in comics? Heck, there’s even an anime fetish out there! Yet not wishing to veer into the world of comic porn, I’ll focus in on graphic novels.

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After reading Daniel Clowes graphic novel Ghost World I noticed some similarities to J.D. Salinger's work Catcher in the Rye. Both works follow the "coming of age" that happens as teens mature. Themes of sex, relationship, and destiny are addressed in each work yet, while these two works share a number of similarities, there are certainly major differences.

Focusing first on the similarities, an reader can see that Enid, like Holden, is at odds with herself and the world around her. Both characters are confused about what to do with there lives, and long to be kids again. Both have trouble getting along with others, and are constantly rebelling against those who are in authority over them. Despite these similarities though there is one major plot point that makes these situations different: Holden Caulfield is a boy and Enid Coleslaw is a girl.

Now before I go any farther I would just like to state for the record that I am not saying one gender has it harder or better, nor am I pretending to know what it is like to be an adolescent girl. I do know what it is like to be an adolescent boy, and I had two older sisters growing up so I know a little via watching and listening. My following statements are generalities, and are open to exceptions. Now on to the argument.

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Ghost World is a graphic novel that the graphic novel class was supposed to read for Wednesday. It is about two high school girls who go on different adventures. The two girls are Enid Coleslaw and Rebecca Doppelmeyer.
In the first chapter the author, Daniel Clowes, introduces the concept of Ghost World and the two main characters. The two girls were talking to each other about Enid’s meeting with a weird guy named John Ellis and an ex catholic priest named Tom. Tom had computer generated artwork from john showing a picture of a young girl naked and tied up with a rope.

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The last graphic novel that I have read for class is called Ghost World (GW) by Daniel Clowes. GW is a critically acclaimed novel following the lives of two teenage friends, Enid and Rebbecca. These girls are cynical, whiny and judgmental in nature. Actually in many ways their interactions remind me of how my sister and her best friend from high school interacted, except my sister and her friend were less catty than Enid and Rebecca.

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Whether intentionally or not, it seems that many of the comics we have looked at over the course of the semester have had major themes of symmetry and duality. The "Fearful Symmetry" chapter in Watchmen has been discussed repeatedly, and recently we have examined two comics that represent themes of duality through visual symmetry, albeit in a much less complex manner than Gibbon's entirely symmetrical panel compositions.

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