1. http://www.yalsa.ala.org/jrlya/2011/06/more-powerful-than-a-locomotive-using-graphic-novels-to-
motivate-struggling-male-adolescent-readers/
After reading through this article it has helped me to understand that graphic novels are used as a
form of advancing reading levels typically in adolescent males as the level of interest in reading
drops as you age. The test used in the article shows that the use of a graphic novel keeps interest in
reading; the images in graphic novels and short frames keep the reader wanting more. Involved
within the test was;
Adolescent Motivation to Read Profiles (AMRP)
Observations
Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) Logs
Teacher Interviews
This shows the different impact graphic novels gave to the subjects and observers, there was a clear
increase in interest and performance within all the individual areas.
http://sequart.org/magazine/42273/steve-ditko-
and-the-greatest-spider-man-story-ever-told/
This article discusses how art used in graphic
novels and comic books can sometimes tell more
of a story than a full text book. Paul R Jaissle is the
author of the article he raises points of how simple
imagery can be manipulated to affect the reader;
the image to the right shows a page from the final
chapter of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. The page
shows inner struggle and the reader relates to this
as Spiderman is described as a ‘lovable loser’ and
some teens can relate too. Stan Lee who is the
illustrator for the comics uses hand gestures as a
way of expressing emotion which can be seen in
multiple comics, the circled hand gestures show 1-
3 Despair, 4 shows
hope and 5 shows
self-anger.
There are several
points in the comic where the reader is indirectly interacted with
as it does not directly affect the story but instead manages to explain the somewhat simple struggle
Spiderman is currently experiencing .
1 2 3
4
5

2. There are also lessons which are not forced upon the reader in comics but
are present regardless because they know there target audience are
normally introverted teenage males; this means that comics are
essentially more visually
appealing visuals.
The Cel-Shaded style of games like Borderlands
works with comic books and
graphic novels. As seen in
the image the colour is two-
tone with the primary colour
and the second being the
shadow. This style is what is
going to be used in my
graphic novel taster but
applied to my own
characters.
Using myself as a part of the target audience I read
a wide selection of comics such as X-Men down to
Adventure Time. The art style varies from one comic
to the next but I have done a sample from an
adventure time comic and decided it is my favourite
art style to go ahead with.
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/feat
ures/archive/2011/08/22/a-guided-
tour-of-borderlands-2-concept-
art.aspx?PostPageIndex=2