Graphic Narrative Evaluation [LO3]

GRAPHIC NARRATIVE

Learning Outcome 3

Evaluation

This evaluation will looking into the Narrative Structure, Image Construction, Historical and Cultural Context and Production Processes of my comic and critically analyses them.

When it came to my Narrative Structure I felt it went very well with it being pretty linear and single strand. It was pretty much a journey, following Eggman as Sonic, travelling through various locations before meeting him face to face for the final conflict and climax as Eggman and Sonic meet face to face a total of three times in the comic.

However what I also felt went well was that even though the Narrative Structure was lined, it could still have open and multi-strand vibes as Sonic does say at the end “Time for Another Adventure” and it does say Episode #1: Changes as a subtle so that could allow for some openings for other narratives but there is a resolution and a teaching moral to be said at the end of the comic which Sonic addresses directly.

The only elements I felt didn’t go so well with the Narrative Structure was that motivations aren’t entirely clear as we understand Eggman transforms the properties to the rings that Sonic absorbs to make him fat but we don’t know what Eggman is doing at a space station as he is rudely interrupted by Sonic which was works quite well but can make some of the motivations unclear and cause an enigma of sorts.

With the Image Construction I felt that the form and shape was nice. The environments looked like they were stripped out of the game a lot of the time and I felt the line and tone was very detailed and kept true to the source material. The representation is mainly towards a younger audience but can still be enjoyed by an older audience which I really enjoy.

I would’ve liked colour to be incorporated in order to make the comic appear more lively and interesting but to compensate for that I decided to add tone to some of the drawings. I felt the captions were suitable and related to the characters already established personalities but I would’ve enjoyed some of the images to be more consistent as sometimes Sonic appears slim when he should be fat but I would argue the signification of that was due to Sonic travelling so far and avoiding rings on purpose, he loses weight and the transformation to Super Sonic using the Chaos Emeralds allows him to restore to his original self.

Historical and Cultural Context was something I felt went exceptionally well. There are a lot of references to the source material with direct captions to the games, characters, movements and generally the pop culture surrounding the Sonic The Hedgehog Franchise. Cultural context was something I focused on quite a lot and if you’re a fan of the series you’ll find various nods here and there to the Sonic fan base and society that will make sense to them however the historical context wasn’t something that I felt didn’t go so well. There is a mixture of old themes and character designs with the more modern designs which you’ll notice mostly with Sonic himself but in a way this was intentional in order to make it appealing and more exciting for general readers but something both fans of the old and new can appreciate.

The Production Processes included me going against time management which I didn’t feel went well as that isn’t typically one of my strong suits but I felt my creative abilities shined and was more evident than it has been in my other units and projects of the courses. I responded well to feedback and even incorporated ideas from my peers or readers of the comic as it progressed that I had adapted and felt worked well.

As a whole I really enjoyed making this comic and I felt it went very well, the story is exciting, the designs are great and have strong elements from the culture and source material, I just wish I managed my time more well and if I was to do this again, I would’ve improved drawings and added colour but it was a fun project regardless.

Words: 699