Graphic Code of Comic Books

- Graphic novels are a set of graphic signs used to tell a story
Drawn Signs 
- Unique to comic
- Easily accepted by audience can understand at first glance
- Designed to be an efficient way of telling stories
- British comics came from satirical magazine, American came from newspaper
- Gutters=gap between images
- Relationship between panels creates a rhythm
- Gutter space is active
- Only things essential to core story is shown
- Plurivectoral Flow (Past, present and future at the same time)
- Reader deviation (skipping panels)
- Not consumed like a film, in the way a director intended
- Panel co ordinates show where the eye goes direction of reader
- Reader Closure 
   Passage of time and gutter as transition device 
Transitions:
- Moment to moment, small lapses little closure needed
- Action to action, different actions needed some closure
- Subject to subject, different subjects/scene, more reader involvement
- Scene to scene, significant movement of time and space (ten years later, meanwhile)
- Aspect to aspect, scene setting transition, artist eye as camera showing aspects of that scene, montage of elements
- Non sequitar, no logical relationship between panels

Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye
Matt Fraction's Hawkeye run is one of my favourite Marvel comics. It has become one of Marvel's most successful runs which may be surprising as Hawkeye has always been considered to be a B list superhero within Marvel. Fraction brings casual humanity to Hawkeye and added a new diemension to a superhero. David Aja, a Spanish artist, adds his style to the comic creating a distinct look to Hawkeye that is setting itself apart from the standard ultra macho, air brushed modern Marvel comic look. 

In the above page, the character of Hawkeye is dealing with hearing loss. The issue is mostly told through sign language as seen on the page. By choosing not to include any spoken words by characters, Aja and Fraction put the reader in the same position as Clint Barton, unable to understand what is being said. The eyes at the top of the page break through four panels instead of choosing to just use one long panel, this could be to ad to the disjointment and confusion of the character. We then get moment to moment transitions of the text being typed out on the computer screen. This puts the reader into a rhythm of reading. The word deaf is the largest meaning that one sticks inside the readers head lingering and seen as more important than the smaller explanation of the injury, as people focus on the main diagnosis when they are told something like this in a doctors. Subject to subject brings us to a wider shot of the doctors office giving us a setting for this scene. Another subject to subject transition brings us to a conversation between Clint and his friend. The white stark background chosen over the office background to emphasise the zoning in on the subject that Clint can't understand. The sign language symbols below create a literal visual language for people that understand sign language and a instantly recognisable symbol to everyone, you can glance at the page and know a character is deaf with the inclusion of them.