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Comic Journalism

By ShockeronShockSt


Pyongyang by Guy Delisle opens up a view of North Korea that most people in America would never know about. Delisle’s descriptions and illustrations flow together perfectly to illuminate what life could be like in North Korea. His text to image correlations are phenomenal. In particular, the final two panels of page 25 show something I would never expect to see in any city. He describes the emptiness of the streets and even mentions that there are “no old folks chatting” or milling about because of the sterility of the city. The image of the police officer may not say but does imply that this is something that is encouraged or even enforced in North Korea. Could you imagine walking down the street and not seeing a single soul? Most of the movies I’ve seen would tell me that a zombie apocalypse happened if that’s the case, but that’s just normal life in North Korea according to Delisle.



Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics describes the different types of word to picture correlations that are used in graphic novels. One of these types of correlations that I wouldn’t expect to see in a journalistic comic book Is the parallel combination in which the “words and pictures seem to follow very different courses without intersecting” (McCloud). However, page 14 of Pyongyang shows Delisle and his coworker, Sandrine eating, but talking about something that is completely off-topic. They are discussing someone walking backward down the street and how that is a normal form of exercise around town.  The panels with the two men eating have nothing to do with their conversation, but the words still draw an image into the reader’s mind. It’s a neat concept to use in a graphic novel because the author/illustrator gets to tell two stories at the same time.



Using comics or graphic novels to convey journalism or real facts is an unbelievably well-chosen medium because not only can the journalist write their story, but they can SHOW their readers what they are talking about. Using the graphic novel as a medium for journalism introduces a level of realism that just using words can’t hold a candle to. While the use of illustrations may make it seem LESS real to some if it is done well it can really draw the intended pictures FOR the readers rather than letting them paint in themselves in their mind. It would also aid in reducing the possibility of misinterpretation that can easily occur through just words. Personally, I would definitely read any journalism that was written in the form of a comic or graphic novel, but maybe that’s just me!

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