An open multilevel classification scheme for the visual layout of comics and graphic novels: Motivation and design

Analytic interest in comics, graphic novels and similarly visual media is currently experiencing considerable growth. In order to pursue empirical investigation of such media, it is useful to explore how data of this kind can be made accessible for the application of established empirical methods, such as linguistic corpus analysis. Many forms of communication have already benefited from data-driven analytic procedures, and it is logical to consider how this might also be the case for visual media. However, comics and graphic novels raise some unique challenges for this endeavor because a substantial component of their communicative effect is achieved by variations in their visual appearance and spatial organization. Schemes capable of capturing the spatial organization of visual media are to date limited largely to geometric descriptions and so are of limited value for more interpretative analyses. In this article, we set out a detailed classification scheme for the visual appearance of comics, graphic novels, and similar media that focuses particularly on their spatial ‘layout’ to make this facet of their meaning accessible to corpus-based quantitative and qualitative analyses.

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