Choices in Graphic shorts

Having never read a graphic short story before, I had no idea what I was in store for. I was presently surprised by the form and the content of each of these short pieces. The economy of words and the emotions brought forth by the pictures was amazing.

The variety of graphic short story surprised me. Not only can one tell completely different types of stories, but they can be told in varying ways. “Aubery” was a story with in a story. Laurie J. Proud, used the story and rumors of the kid they named Aubery to frame a story about her father that isn’t fully expressed. This works for me because of the mystery surround Aubery, the not-knowing of the father’s story is okay because Aubery serves as a metaphor of not knowing the whole story. The economy of words in this story is something to be admired especially because the pictures really tell the story.

“Cat Sitter” used mainly pictures and humor to get the point across. I thought it was funny and it really showed the power of placement of things. For example the decision to have the letter found after the cat starched the sitter and the letter to have blood on it was quite ironic and therefore funny. Also a cat in a crown wins every day in my book.

I thought the use of flashback was amazing in “Paint.” It help illustrate the point that in this form setting is literally seen and not told. For example, we talk a lot about grounding our readers when we shift in time and place. In paint the color of the protagonist’s hair, served as that grounding. Subtle changes made to the attire and face let the reader know where we were in time. Also, I don’t know if it was because the colors were so bright, but it was really easy to feel the love in that piece.

Out of all the short graphic short story the dark stunning brilliance of “In Room 208” stood out to me the most. It was hauntingly beautiful and it is complex and full of layers. I loved how the pictures seem to come full circle. If we look closely, the landscapes on page 77 and 81 look eerily similar. Which is on purpose because nothing is wasted in a graphic short story. Every letter counts, every stroke of the pen, every shade of color, is all purposefully used to convey the thought and emotion.  I enjoyed how deliberate it was in terms of the choices that were made. Not only the words used, but where they were placed on the pictures. Specifically on page 80 where the image of the couple faces after being in bed so long are staring to grow into each other, the picture is cute into three sections and the lines “When we grew” “too fat” “to move” are placed above each section, a rhythm is and it heightens the drama, and lifts the tension.  The choices made in Room “208” and all the pieces simply blew me away.

Best,

CF Pinto