The power of Pictorial imagery is not bound to specific cultures by spoken language or the written word. Indeed, this kind of communicating can be universal; visual representations of shared human experience.
Legends, myths, fables, folk tales, epics, novels, newspapers, biography and history. The most basic level of human discourse is story. We use it to understand the universe. Its symbols and archetypes are hardwired into our collective unconscious.
Story remind us who we are and inspires us to become something greater.
Graphic storytelling has given us insight into the past.
Put into this perspective, the old saw that a “picture is worth a thousand words” is an incredible understatement. Images that have lasted for millennia allow us to communicate with the dead (albeit, it is a one-sided conversation!).
Today, it is understood that images are the easiest way to present information in a way that everyone can understand it.
So, I guess I should not be surprised that my own work for Rotary International has taken on a life of its own. Champions of Rotary’s charitable causes keep finding creative uses for my artwork as a way to educate and reach new supporters worldwide. It’s very exciting.
And if you still doubt the power of a comic book to communicate important messages with history-making results, I guess you have not heard about the comic book that helped inspire the revolutionaries in Egypt!
Considering Egyptians’ long history of graphic storytelling, I, for one, am not surprised at all!
While we’re on the subject, if you happen to be in the New York area on March 1st, you should head down to the Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art (MOCCA), where master storyteller Larry Hama will be teaching a class on the Principals of Graphic Storytelling for Comics. Larry is a cool guy who has written a bunch of great stuff for comics, TV and film. It ought to be very interesting, and if I were back east I’d definitely check it out.
I love a good story. Who doesn’t? I'll have more to say on this subject soon...
PRINCIPLES OF GRAPHIC STORYTELLING FOR COMICS
Instructor: LARRY HAMA
Tuesday March 1 7:00-9:00 PM
Admission $40 | $35 for MoCCA Members
facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150180015038646
