Memoir Comics

Overall, I think writing personal memoirs can be a very effective way of autobiography, if it’s done correctly. Writing through comics can give visual representations to things that would otherwise have been left up to the reader’s interpretation. It displays exactly what the writer was thinking instead of having you guess. Comics can also add humor in unique ways that normal writing can’t. They can make a story interesting, that otherwise might have just been a boring day. Having something to look at while you read actually puts you in the story a lot more than just normally reading a book.

“Blankets” and “Pyongyang” are two great examples of pulling off comic memoirs. In “Pyongyang”, there’s a very sarcastic and opinionated tone the entire comic. This isn’t displayed through just the writing though, it’s the way that the writing corresponds to the pictures. For example, there’s a box titled “Looks like we’re in for a great time!” containing a man with a terribly dull and serious look on his face. In “Blankets”, the author uses the pictures in the comic to connect directly to the metaphors in the writing. The beautiful imagery of being blinded by the sun and of the snow melting fit in extremely well with the story line and the things the main character is going through.

There tends to be pros and cons with all forms of writing. One con about comic book writing a memoir is that important ideas might get cut out for lack of physical space. For a comic to look well there shouldn’t be a huge amount of writing and no room for the picture, so it creates a limitation. This also means the author has to pick and choose the things that go into the comic; you can’t necessarily convey every single idea. Some people might also find comics “childish” or prefer not to read them, limiting the range of audience the author can have. Although all of these things might take away from comic book writing a little bit, I still find it an extremely effective and entertaining way to write a memoir.