Shhh silent comics!
What is a silent graphic novel?
Last week we looked at Graphic Medicine and I mentioned Giant, by Mollie Ray as not only being graphic medicine but also a silent graphic novel. The question I’m answering this week is;
“What is a silent graphic novel?”
It’s not really all that complicated, silent graphic novels are stories told — pretty much — entirely through images. Sometimes called wordless comics, they might include a speech bubble or a caption, however the story is mostly told via a sequence of images.
You could even ‘read’ a silent graphic novel written by someone who speaks a language entirely different to your own!
Silent comics aren’t a new concept. Indigenous Australians were using images to tell stories over 50,000 years ago! Look at Greek friezes, Egyptian hieroglyphs. History is littered with examples of wordless stories. So why not take a look and see what a silent graphic novel might have to show you?
Link: Andrew Benteau of Black Panel Press, an indie graphic novel publisher based in Canada, has some fantastic examples of silent graphic novels. Some of which I need to see for myself!
“In this age of constant distraction, there’s something great about being able to quiet your mind to a point where even your internal dialogue has disappeared.” - Andrew Benteau, Black Panel Press
Read: There are lots of brilliant examples of silent graphic novels. Described as a masterpiece, The Arrival by Shaun Tan is a definite must read. The Flamingo by Guojing is another that weaves magic without words. Do you have any favourites?
Thanks for coming along with me these past few weeks. I’m taking a little break until January 2025. Make sure you’re subscribed so you know when I’m back sharing the graphic novel love again!
The first question I’ll be answering for 2025 is; My kids / students read graphic novels too quickly! What can I do?
Stay safe until then!
Karen
Have a question about graphic novels? Have a graphic novel you love and would like to share? Drop me a line, I’d love to hear from you.
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Pre-order Inked, a middle grade graphic novel by Karen Wasson and Jake A Minton