{"id":2378,"date":"2026-03-09T12:31:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T19:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abjohnson.net\/teaching\/?page_id=2378"},"modified":"2026-08-26T06:30:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:30:41","slug":"cfs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/abjohnson.net\/teaching\/courses\/cfs\/","title":{"rendered":"Comics – Film – Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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COM 395 | Comics-Film-Story<\/strong> | Fall 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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This page is still a little under construction, as I continue to convert it from its classic 1-month intensive format to a full semester format. But it’s getting pretty close. Watch out for purple highlights that mean I still have details to fix.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Useful Links<\/strong> Course Blog<\/a>, UU Canvas<\/a>
Make Flash work<\/strong> in your browser: with Ruffle<\/a>
Comic Maker<\/strong>: Comic Life<\/a> is free for 30 days, and might be a tool that would help with your Visual Text project. But don’t start your trial until you’re ready to build some pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jump to a Week: <\/strong>Week 1<\/a> – Week 2<\/a> – Week 3<\/a> – Week 4<\/a> – Week 5<\/a> – Week 6<\/a> – Week 7<\/a> – Week 8<\/a> – Week 9<\/a> – Week 10<\/a> – Week 11<\/a> – Week 12<\/a> – Week 13<\/a> – Week 14<\/a> – Week 15 & Final<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


Comics-Film-Story (CFS)<\/strong> is a course about what happens when people make visual images and design integral to the stories they tell. We\u2019ll look at graphic novels and comics, including works by Lynda Barry (merging the art of the essay and the art of collage), Joe Sacco (who renders his war-zone reporting in comic book form), and Brian Michael Bendis (creator of Jessica Jones and writer for many Marvel titles). We\u2019ll wonder if these sorts of texts, in all their unusual shapes and sizes, will be the last vestige of print publishing in the age of digital content. We\u2019ll consider how images\u2014alone, juxtaposed, and in sequence\u2014can be used to tell stories and send messages. We\u2019ll explore (and develop) critical vocabulary helpful for talking about visual texts. We\u2019ll also be thinking a bit about transmedia storytelling\u2014what happens when a story or set of characters jumps willy-nilly from one medium to another (think especially of The Matrix, <\/em>a story told in feature-length movies, graphic vignettes, animated shorts, and video games). Along the way, you\u2019ll try your hand at creating some visual narratives of your own (but artistic talent is not a requirement for the course\u2014only the willingness to do some thoughtful play with storytelling images).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spoiler Alert<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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If you haven’t watched The Matrix<\/span><\/em><\/a>, you should watch it before Week 12<\/strong>, so as to avoid spoilers, if you mind spoilers. (The big Matrix<\/em> spoiler is a doozy.) <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Assignments to Anticipate\/Breakdown of Scores<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Final<\/mark><\/strong>: A Theory of Visual Text + Visual Text Project Reflection + Translation (30%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Visual Text Project<\/mark><\/strong> (20%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Single-Image Visual Poems<\/mark><\/strong> (10%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Blog Postings<\/mark><\/strong> <\/mark>(20%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Participation (10%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. All Other Daily \/ Small Scores (10%)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Things Can Change, a Bit…<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Note that I may add or alter links for reading and viewing as we go. Also, note that while I do a lot of work to keep links and linked documents up to date, the Internet is full of tricks and inconsistencies. If needed\/required links are broken or documents are not available when you try to get to them, it’s your<\/strong> responsibility to let me know that the links aren’t working or the documents have disappeared. Send me an email<\/a> right away if you have trouble getting to any assigned online text or document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Pre-Course Reading<\/mark> (Before Day 1)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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    This light reading was assigned (via email) to give us a jump on things. It’s due at class time on the first class day. I promise no quiz, but also that having done this reading will make the first couple of days more meaningful. Prime your brain!<\/p>\n\n\n\n