Sunday, March 29, 2009
Comics Journalism
Please describe the links, if any, between comics journalism and literary journalism. Is it possible to consider comics journalism a subgenre of literary journalism? Why or why not? You may -- in fact, should -- refer to my essay on Joe Sacco in your response, which should be completed by class Thursday.
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Since all of the recurring topics we discuss in class (subjectivity, the long view, style/voice) seem to characterize Sacco, I’d say yeah, there is a link. A clear, direct, obvious link.
After I read Christmas Karadzic, but before I read Prof. Good’s essay, there was no doubt in my mind that this could not be connected to literary journalism. We follow a literal journey of Sacco and learn more as the story unfolds. We experience such through the subjective eyes of Sacco himself. (Very (Didion and Thompson)-esque).
He places himself, and his humorous story/journey, within the context of “the bigger picture”: a dehumanizing culture. I also made a separate (maybe not separate at all) link to another subgenre: Gonzo. Gonzo itself may be questioned as to whether it is “journalism,” but I believe both to be contained within this big confusing mess of the quoted term.
So, something that I did not question prior to reading Prof. Good’s essay, was not so much about Sacco himself, but about literary journalists in general. Is literary journalism virtuous? I actually looked up the word to get the correct definition and it was defined as pure; morally excellent. Is a literary journalism story more “pure” than a story that is written with an objective attitude? I am sure many people would argue no, but I definitely don’t. One of my favorite quotes from the essay, a quote by Sacco, backs my opinion (as well as the question as to whether Sacco is a literary journalist): “I find a lot of the journalism that’s written as if you’re a fly on the wall is really sort of phony. . . . It has this pretense of being very fair-minded and removed, and that’s not true at all. I mean, an American reporter has all the framework of an American person inside him or her. And it shows in the work whether they think they’re being objective or not. I’d rather just get rid of that completely and say: It’s me, these are my prejudices, these are my doubts, and I’m writing about this, and you’re seeing it through my eyes.”
My post is getting super long, so I’ll stop there.
I whole-heartedly believe that comics journalism is a subgenre of literary journalism. As mentioned in Professor Good's essay, the virtuous journalist is someone who goes out to speak the truth, to give a voice to those who don't have one, to admit your prejudices, actively acknowledge them, which helps you tell the truth. In Christmas with Karadzic, as well as other pieces I've read by Joe Sacco, he does just this.
Regular journalism, hard news, conventional journalism, however you want to describe it, attempts to give facts without feelings, as if a person is capable of doing that. If a reporter went to cover this same topic, experiencing the same things Sacco did, the reporter would never turn in a piece that resembles Sacco's in any way, nor could he. Hunter S. Thompson was assigned to cover the Kentucky Derby, we all know how that turned out. How many other pieces do you think were written in any way like that?
Literary journalism lets writers be human. A reporter gets to be a person, just like Joe Sacco does. As Kimmy mentions, Christmas with Karadzic seems to take on aspects of Gonzo journalism. Sacco is right there in the action, and he lets the readers are well aware. He injects his personal fears, prejudices and experiences into the story, making it much more effective, making it literary journalism.
Being a big fan of newer media, there is no doubt in my mind that this is just as much a piece of literary journalism as anything else we've read in class or on our own. There are so many different ways of telling a story. Sacco never loses sight of his written words. His drawings compliment his writing, it doesn't distract the reader from the real points.
Literary journalism allows the writer to get--as Kirkhorns stated all journalists should--"close, and closer" to their subjects.It is clear that Sacco does just this. Literary journalism is also free from the constraints of conventional journalism and embraces convergence between journalist and society, journalist and subject, journalist and feelings, etc., as Prof. Good stated in his essay. Again, Sacco displays this element of virtuous journalism in his comic. Therefore, I would definitely consider Sacco's piece--and all pieces done in this comic journalism style--to be a subgenre of literary journalism. Sacco's "Christmas with Karadzic" contains the elements of Orwell's work that Sacco admires: "absence of cant, independence of mind, and sympathetic attention to the humanizing details of suffering." Isn't that what we've been learning about the past two semesters? To incorporate these elements into our writing? If comic journalism embodies these elements,it too must be literary journalism. Also--I agree with Kimmy--I found Sacco's story very Didion and Thompson-esque.
It is strange that Joe Sacco considers himself "just a cartoonist" as noted in Professor Good's essay. His work is not frivolous like Kirkhom deems most journalism. In fact, it is the complete opposite full of detail after detail which documents a real life event. Sacco's comic journalism greatly relates to literary journalism. It too tells a story based on the experience of the journalist. It is told through Sacco's eyes with his voice and his language. The details in his writing stand out a lot, but the details in his illustrations are even more descriptive. Comic journalism offers another outlet to express the events our times, which I was not familiar with before. I really enjoy how much attention was paid to every single detail in Sacco's piece. The combination of the writing and the pictures truly allows the reader to get a real impression of Sacco, as well as the image he wanted to convey. His message is powerful and it is quite obvious that he put a lot of time into the reporting and telling of the story. He is passionate and his desire is what links him to other journalists.
Comics journalism is literary journalism. It uses all the vices that we use in writing stories, except it's also aesthetically pleasing. In Professor Good's essay, he comments that Kirkhorn defines journalistic imagination as “'the grasp of things in their wholeness, the constant search for connections.'" It "produces 'the kind of comprehension of society, the larger disclosures,' essential to democracy." Kirkhorn, as Professor Good writes, believes we need literary elements to not add superfluous detail, but to tell a story with heart and truth. To help the readers grasp the story, we need hyperbole, similes, metaphors, pictures, added elements that move the story along and help us visualize the feelings and emotions so we can ultimately reach a deeper truth.
Joe Sacco's comic isn't Garfield or Peanuts or used just for entertainment purposes or the Sunday paper. It digs deeper into a story and uses imagination to expose a truth.
Comics journalism could definitely be considered a subgenre of literary journalism. On the basic level, like writing in a creative non-fiction style, comics let you express yourself in a non-traditional way that only a handful truly appreciate or understand. I think it is a reflection of someone who encompasses all the ethical qualities of a serious journalist because the creation process is that much more personal. It must have taken forever to create the images and organize the information in a way that was coherent and made sense; that got the point or message across. The creator must have cared deeply and believed in what he was portraying to take those painstaking steps and this is something that many writers of traditional or conventional journalism don't exhibit today.
To write a basic news story or even a feature story the writer doesn't seem to form any connection to the subject, as is evident because many times the reader (well at least I) am bored and also doesn't feel a connection to the story. It is stressed that emotions stay out of journalistic pieces but to abandon that convention and let emotion lead the way makes for a much more revealing and deeper analysis and portrayal. No matter how hard a writer tries, there is always some emotional connection deep inside somewhere and when you choose to tap into that, that is when a quality piece comes out; in my opinion.
In Prof. Good's essay, Sacco was quoted as saying, “The main benefit is that you can make your subject very accessible,”... “You open the book and suddenly you’re in the place." That should be the ultimate goal of someone creating literary journalism (and even conventional journalism); your subject should be transported to whatever place you're describing because that is how they gain the level of understanding necessary to do your piece and its subject justice. I think Sacco's statement is the clear indicator that comics journalism can, in fact, be lumped into the genre of literary journalism as it is the ultimate mode of transport. Creating images also allows for further depiction or explanation of a topic because the writer's own emotions, feelings, opinions can be evident in the way they draw certain things or lay them out, adding to the overall message and making it more powerful and apparent. Comics journalism is in your face so if you were to try your hardest to forget what you'd just read, I think something would linger with you.
There is a big heavy metal chain connecting comics journalism and literary journalism. First, when reading Sacco's comic, I found that most of his writing could stand alone, without the comics, yet was enhanced immensely by it. I think with Sacco's work your are refreshingly greeted by those ancient ethos of journalism. His writing is solid and concise, simplistic yet descriptive. He uses dialog casually and pertinently. I think the accompanying essay really breaks down what makes this type of journalism not only valid but a golden example of the genre. It goes on to say that the writer makes no illusions about the presence of himself as a part of the reporting. By inserting himself into the narrative, he gains the trust of the reader by relinquishing the pretension of omniscience. We see he has opinions and biases and agendas and thinks about other things other than the main story here and there (i.e. Jugoslava). These all put the story in the pantheon of great journalism, and maybe it's because i've been taking this class for 2 semesters but It rarely crossed my mind to consider this something other than great journalism. Yet there is also an element which I think makes it even greater. Sacco's compassion toward humanity and his desire to tell others stories. Despite inserting himself into the narrative, we can see that there is a true desire to tell what is really going on, and to reveal the human condition in areas which the people have little or no voice. I see that as his greatest accomplishment and what makes these comics exceptional.
When I started reading 'Christmas with Karadzic' I realized that this comic is a bit different that the one I used to read in my teens. Although I was looking at the drawings I actually felt like I am reading an essay. I did not realize that comic form can be a part of literary journalism until I have red Prof. Good's essay.
I strongly believe that comic is a great way to tell the story. As Sacco said himself: “The main benefit is that you can make your subject very accessible.” It reminds me of things we try to learn during the literary journalism class- sometimes the simplest way to tell the story is the best.
I agree with Prof. Good: "seriousness of tone isn’t necessarily commensurate with seriousness of purpose."
'Christmas with Karadzik" to me is a great piece of Gonzo journalism- Sacco speaks in first person, placing himself within the story and trying to get, as Kirkhorns said "closer, and closer."
My thoughts of the comic, in connection with the essay, lie within James' comment. I totally agree with what he says but to go further into the detail of my own thoughts of it, I agree that comics journalism is definitely related to literary journalism because it exemplifies what Michael J. Kirkhorn's essay states literary journalism is. Kirkhorn makes the connection to journalistic virtue and his ultimate idea is "that journalistic virtue requires journalists to assume responsibilities not normally associated with journalism," as quoted from Good's essay.
Joe Sacco's journalistic virtue comes not only in words but in illustrations, which for me connects to Kirkhorn's idea of "assuming responsibilities not normally associated with journalism." Before reading Christmas with Karadzic and Good's essay, I saw comics as forms of visual entertainment and never really associated them with journalism. But it's Sacco's use of words along with those illustrations that prove me wrong. That combination includes the literary journalism aspects that should be included, like the writer's release of objectivity. The writer includes his feeling, belief, thoughts, ideas and purpose, but in a way that readers can relate to and understand.
Comics journalism could certainly be a sub-genre of literary journalism, although I think it wouldn't be held the same way as other genres. It has the same character and counter-journalism components as other genres of literary journalism. Sacco's "Christmas with Karadzic" was an interesting piece to say the least. The writing is very informal and draws us in at the very beginning. Sacco does a good job at presenting facts and timelines within his piece. It documents. My only problem with the piece is that it seems strange to talk about the Bosnian War through comics. In a way, one could see it as a slightly nonchalant or even disrespectful, to use comics to discuss a war criminal and an event that left thousands of innocent people dead. Yet on the other hand, tragic events bear the fruit of art and this is an example of that. It is an alternate way to express a story that had consistently been discussed is such a "hard news" manner. Moreover, Sacco brings a level of emotion to the piece and ties in human elements relating to the war and genocide. Comics journalism is literary journalism - the writing is sufficient enough is categorizing it as such, and the comics add another offbeat element.
There are blatantly obvious connections between comic and literary journalism--it's the baby of it, they have the same nose and family gene of good hair.
While a brilliant journalist can make the audience feel the movement of their characters by connecting scenes and actively writing, the comic journalist does so by moving frame to frame, showing frozen movements in time that allow us to follow the action. The literary has dialogue, the comic has speech bubbles. The literary journalist writes in a way so the audience knows how a subject feels in a situation, while the comic journalist has techniques like making smaller frames in a sequence as Prof. G mentioned, or using stepping stone text boxes that show a line of thought.
Sacco's story absolutely fulfills Scott McCloud's mention in Prof. G's essay of how black and white renderings allow the story to be communicated more clearly. His crisp drawings do not mask the seriousness of the situation, and I don't think that comics in general cheapen severity. Sacco maintains "independence of mind" and that "sympathetic attention" to human suffering, even if it is in a traditionally childlike medium.
The b&w of the comic, similar to the black and white of lines written by any number of journalists, are still packed with color so bright you need sunglasses just to get through.
Kirkhorn mentions that journalists must be completely wrapped in the action of their stories in order for their stories to have any true power or meaning. Sacco is not just writing in first person, but gives you an image of himself in Christmas with Karadzic, therefore never trying to maintain some facade of objectivity, just like Thompson or Wolfe. He is not only writing, but he is a character in his own story, propelling the action, not just documenting.
I would definitely consider comic book journalism to be a subgenre of literary journalism. Comic book writing is a distinctly succint style of writing that really lends itself to journalism. Short sentences and ideas are then brought to life and further detailed in the pictures that accompany those words.
"Journalistic imagination, which Kirkhorn defines as “the grasp of things in their wholeness, the constant search for connections,” produces “the kind of comprehension of society, the larger disclosures,” essential to democracy"
This quote from Professor Good's essay sums up how I feel about comic book journalism. It is an extension of journalistic imagination. I'm afraid that if I could draw all of my pieces would turn out like Joe Sacco's.
First off, I loved Sacco’s comic journalism. For the shear pun of it, I think it should be called “graphic journalism.” I think that has a nice ring to it. Moving on, Sacco does display many characteristics of literary journalism. He has a strong amount of immersion reporting. That is really why it is such a great piece. Opinion also is rapid throughout the piece. This creates some of the best moments in the story, too. The humor was truly great. In many ways, this seemed to follow the Gonzo form. Maybe not fully, but it surely reminded me of it. There is just a blunt honesty to his piece. The fact that this isn’t fiction and includes facts makes it a strong case to be included in literary journalism. This is much more than a child’s comic book. It has news worthy facts and experiences. Just seeing how they went about trying to interview Karadzic was interesting. This piece was kind of the story behind the story. It also seems more truthful, because of the biased stance the writer displays at times. Not only were the drawings great, but it was also a solid written work. I could have had no illustrations and still loved the piece. I have to check out more of this style in the future.
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