(Bio)Graphic Novels: A Medium for Biographic Storytelling
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Over the past decade, the Italian comics landscape has been transformed by autobiographical comic artists like Zerocalcare and Takoua Ben Mohamed, whose works have significantly broadened the comics readership in Italy. The success of these authors, along with the rise of the non-serialised form of the ‘graphic novel’, has also influenced the production of biographical comics. These comics offer fresh perspectives on the lives of notable figures to a diverse audience. The unique narrative mediation by comics authors makes this genre particularly intriguing for examining how verbo-visual storytelling techniques are used to reflect and convey real-life scenes and experiences. This article delves into the biographical storytelling approach through a close reading of three graphic biographies authored by women and focused on female figures, Lei. Vivian Maier, Virginia Woolf, and Io sono Maria Callas, to explore how biographical narratives can be crafted to tell compelling life stories.
Source: Italian Studies
Author: Manuela Di Franco
Institution: Ghent University
Language: English
Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: European Commission
Award: G5510581390
OpenAlex ID: W4402875374