Guts: A Graphic Novel

Readers may find it strange to conceive of graphic images as a literary device. However, the author uses the drawings in the narrative to achieve effects similar to those a novelist might achieve with nuances of words. The graphic images making up the entire narrative of Guts are simple cartoons. Telgemeier does not use screening to add depth or hatching to add realism. Though the accurate proportions of the figures, the complexity of multiple images in a panel, and the consistency of the drawings reveal the author’s professionalism, it is clear Telgemeier intends for these images to be almost childlike. This is partly so they will resemble the pictures Raina drew as a 10-year-old. The simplicity of the drawings is also engaging, inviting the reader to follow the flow of the story from one visual crescendo, through peaceful scenic frames, to another powerful scene.

Telgemeier uses very simple graphics to suggest her characters’ full range of emotions. With closed eyes, a great smile, and a spread-fingered wave of an open hand, the illustrator captures the supreme confidence of Amara, Raina’s sister, on her first day of kindergarten (33). With two huge, oval eyes, no eyebrows, and a tiny, upside-down “U” of a mouth, the artist portrays Raina's uncertainty about attending a party with her