The Marriage of Art and Text

Over the course of this semester I’ve found that when comics are done well they can create a riveting story that’s visually appealing. As both an artist and a creative writer, the medium of comics has always had a special draw for me. It seems to me in many ways to be the best of both worlds where you can use both word and image to engage readers. I’m a very visual person, so sometimes just reading something might not have the same effect as actually seeing it, but also as a writer I know how sometimes words can have an effect that might not be able to be portrayed visually. So, combining words with art allows both to play off each other’s strengths and to limit each other’s weaknesses. Of all the comics we read this semester I believe Watchmen uses words and images together most successfully. In the Watchmen, the images and text all feel like they serve a purpose and a deeper meaning than what’s just on the surface. Both image and text work towards advancing the plot and challenging readers to comprehend the many layers of the story and complexities that arise. There are so many examples of this, but one that always comes to mind is when in Chapter IV page 8 when Dr. Manhattan, before he has his superpowers, gets ripped apart to his skeleton. This image is so powerful and is able to reference the Rorschach tests that appear throughout the comic in a subtle, but moving way. This image paired with the words, “the light is taking me to pieces,” is very striking. Using words to describe the image would fall flat or make the comparison to the Rorschach test seem too obvious. But, if there were no words in this comic the jumping back and forth through time found in this chapter would be incredibly confusing. Overall, I think that a comic book can be just as engrossing as a novel as there are infinite ways that text and image can interact. While I don’t ever see comic books ever completely replacing novels, I really believe that when done right a comic book can accomplish many things that a novel can and even go beyond the restrictions that words can create.