Comics and Narration

This is a groundbreaking and insightful exploration of the fundamental elements of the comic book. The follow-up to the ground-breaking The System of Comics - in which the leading comics theorist Thierry Groensteen investigated how the medium functions, and introduced the principle of iconic solidarity - Comics and Narration takes Groensteen's analysis even further, using examples from a very wide range of comics, including the work of Chris Ware and Robert Crumb. He tests out his theoretical framework by bringing it up against cases that challenge it, such as abstract comics, digital comics and shojo manga, and offers insightful reflections on these innovations. This volume also covers three areas not covered in the first book - the role of the narrator, both verbal and visual, and the particular issues that arise out of narration in autobiographical comics; the question of rhythm in comics, and the skill demonstrated by virtuoso artists in intertwining different rhythms over and above the basic beat provided by the discontinuity of the panels; the relationship of comics of contemporary art, conditioned by cultural history and aesthetic traditions.