SJoCA 1 1 Article Hague

7/27/2019 SJoCA 1 1 Article Hague

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BEYONDTHEVISUAL:THEROLESOFTHESENSESINCONTEMPORARYCOMICS

ByIanHague


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SCANDINAVIANJOURNALOFCOMICART(SJOCA)VOL.1:1(SPRING2012)

98

INTRODUCTION

Comics,writesScottMcCloudinhisseminalwork UnderstandingComics,isamono-sensory

medium.Itreliesononlyoneofthesensestoconveyaworldofexperience(McCloud1993,89;

emphasisinoriginal).Inmakingthisstatement,McCloudconciselyenunciatesanassumption

thatunderpinsmuchofourunderstandingofthemediumofcomics,andconditionsnotonlythe

waysinwhichwedothinkaboutourobject,butalsothewaysinwhichweareabletothinkabout

it.Wetendtoconceptualisecomicsasavisualmediumoravisualartform,ameansbywhich

storiesaretoldusingpicturesand(sometimes)words.Ratherthanunderstandingcomicsasfully

realisedphysicalobjects,weviewthemasverylimited,exclusivelyvisualentities.AsRogerSabin

pointsoutinanessayonthedifferencesbetweenprintedcomicsandelectronicones:Itseasytoforgetthatwereadorratherusecomicsinaveryphysicalway(wetendtothinkofthemas

beingtwo-dimensional,butinfacttheyexistinthreedimensions)(Sabin2000,52).Hegoeson

todiscusssomeofthepropertiesofprintedcomicsthatareoverlookedbysucha

conceptualisation:

Theycanbebent,rolled-up,roughlyopenedorwhatever.Theycanbeheldindifferentways:

cradledinyourhandorgrippedattheedges.Weknowhowfarintoacomicweveread

becausewecanfeelhowmanypagesareleft.Therearealsosmells:ofdust,glueandpaper.

(Sabin2000,52)

WhatSabinscommentshereemphasiseisthatthepurelyvisualconceptionofcomics

exemplifiedbyMcCloudsremarksisnotawhollyvalidone.Comicsarenotimageswithout

materialsubstance,theyarephysicalobjectsthatweinteractwithinphysicalways.Whetherthey

involvethemanipulationofpaperinaprintedcomic,ortheuseofamousetoeffectchangesin

imagesonacomputerscreen,wearestillrequiredtoconnectwithcomicsinwaysthatgobeyond

thevisual.

Indeed,itisoftenthecasethatthenon-visualelementsofacomicscompositionhavethe

greatesteffectsuponthereader.In2002,MelGibsonconductedaseriesofinterviewswithcomic

readers.Shenoted:

Patternsemergedininterview[sic]regardingmemoriesofcomics[...]readersoftenwantedto

checkdetails,testingmemoryagainstoutsidesources.Furtherdiscussionincludedtitlesand

narrativesalongsidephysicalaspectsofthetexts,includingpaperquality,feel,scentandsize .

(Gibson2008,151152;myemphasis)


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Whileitistruethatthenarrativeelementsofthecomicsasexpressedbyvisualcomponents

attainedapositionofprimacyhere,whatGibsonsresearchmakesobviousaretherolesplayedby

theothersensesinreceivingandformulatingtheidentityofthecomicinthereadersmind.

Thoughitwouldclearlybesomewhatfoolishtosuggestthatcomicsare notvisualinnature,itis

fairtoassertthattheyarenot onlyvisualinnature.Thesensesotherthansightcanhavepowerful

effectsuponthereader,communicatinginformationandcontributingtotheformationof

memoriesandemotionsaroundcomicsinwaysthatsightcannot.Inrecentyears,ithasbecome

clearthatcomiccreatorsandpublishersaregrowingincreasinglyawareoftheseeffects,andare

workingtoincorporateoremphasisethemwherepossible.Inthisarticle,Iwouldliketoconsider

someofthewaysinwhichthishasbeentakingplacebydiscussingaselectionofexamplesthatI

willrelatetoeachofthefournon-visualsensesinturn,beginningwithtouch.Althoughthis

selectionisnotintendedtobecomprehensive,itshouldgiveanideaofsomeofthewaysinwhich

thevarioussenseshavebeentakenupbycomicscreators.

TOUCH

Aftersight,touchisperhapsthemostobviousofthesensestoplayaroleinourconscious

understandingsofcomics.AsImentionedearlier,wealmostalwaysinteractwithcomicsinsome

tactileway,whetherthisisthroughtheturningofapageortheclickingofamouse.Indeed,soembeddedinthecomicsreadingexperienceistouchthatitcanseemstrangewhenitisabsentor

different;readingcomicsinagalleryorevenonawebsitecanattimesbeunsatisfactorybecause

theyseemtolacktherealityofthetangibleobject.AsJonathanRehasremarked,[...]

eyesightonitsowndoesnotalwaysenableyoutodistinguishappearancesfromrealities,and

whenindoubtitiswisetocallonthesenseoftouchtosettlethematter(Re1999,20).Atthe

mostbasiclevel,thefeelofacomicbookinourhandscanassureusofitsexistence,itsreality,

andperhapsifwearecollectorstheauthenticityoftheobjectinourpossession,butthereare

morecomplexwaysofintegratingthesenseoftouchintoourunderstandingofcomics.

InArtSpiegelmanandChipKiddsJackColeandPlasticMan:FormsStretchedtoTheirLimits!,

whichcombinesnumerousfull-pagereproductionsofColesworkonPlasticManwithalong

biographicalessaybySpiegelmanthatfirstappearedin TheNewYorker,designerKidd

masterfullymanipulatesmateriality(SpiegelmanandKidd2001).Thedesignapproachtomewas

obvious,heremarksinGarySpencerMillidges ComicBookDesign,whatifPlasticManhad

turnedhimselfintoabook?(Millidge2009,128).Accordingly,thebookfeaturesaplasticcover,a

hugevarietyofpaperstocksandtextures,androundedcorners.Theeffectofthisistomakethe

readingexperienceverychangeableandinconsistent;thereaderisregularlyremindedthatthey

arereadingabookbecausetheirsenseoftouchisactivelydrawnintothereadingprocess,and


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throughthistherealitiesuponwhichJonathanReremarkedarecontinuouslybroughtbackto

thereadersattention.Wecannotsimplylookatthecomicsonthebookspagesandseethemas

visualnarrativesbecausewearealsorepeatedlytoldbyoursenseoftouchthatthisisabook,

eventhatthisisapagethatisverydifferentfromthosethatcamebeforeitorwillcomeafterit.

ThischangeabilityisideallysuitedtothecharacterofPlasticMan,whosesuperpowerisan

inhumanmalleabilityheisabletostretchandtransformhimselfintooutlandishshapesand

sizesapowerthatisreplicatedwithinthebookitselfandaccessedbythereaderthroughtheir

senseoftouchjustasmuch,ifnotmorethan,throughtheirsenseofsight.Thisemphatic

physicalityisfurtherstrengthenedbytheselectionofmaterialsemployedinthebooksdesign.

Whiletheinteriorpagesaremadeofpaper(albeitwithvaryinglevelsofthickness,smoothness

andglossiness),thebookscoversareplastic;preciselythesamematerialthattheprotagonistis

supposedtoresemble.Itdoesnotsimplyrepresentplastic,itisplastic,andtouchhereservesto

negatetheabstractionrequiredofthelookingindividualbyevokingadirectlinkbetweenthe

readerandtheworkthatcannotbereplicatedbyanyothersense.Plasticityasaconcept,and

plasticasamaterial,permeatetheentireworkandservetostrengthentheexpressionsof

narrativethereinwithoutsimplyrestatingthem.Wearepresentedwithatactileexperiencethat

exceedsthevisualonewithoutoverwhelmingit,andinthissensetheostensiblyconventional

bookformattranscendstheroleofasupporttothevisualimages;thevisualcomponents

supportthetangiblejustasmuchasthematerialelementssupportthevisual(Groensteen1998,

1081).

WhereJackColeandPlasticMan representsaveryspecificuseofmaterialtoindicateaparticular

concept,touchcanalsoservemoregeneric,thoughthatisnottosaylesseffective,functionsas

well.AsMelGibson(2008)haspointedout,thefeelofacomicspagescanbeimportantin

establishingitsidentityinthereadersmind,andpublishershavetakenfulladvantageofthisfact,

oftenissuingmultipleeditionsofworks,whichhavevaryinglevelsofculturalandeconomic

cache.Oneneedonlylooktotheriseofthetermgraphicnovelandthepresenceofcomicsin

bookshopstoseethevariouswaysinwhichphysicalformatcaneffectchangesinhowthe

mediumistreated.Theprocessofmodifyingacomicsphysicalformattingtoachieveparticular

effectshasperhapsreacheditszenithinthehuge,heavy,slipcasedhardcovereditionsofDC

ComicsAbsoluteline,whichareprintedonaveryhighqualitypaperstock,andfeature

additionalparatextualelementsthatwouldnotbefoundinlessexpensiveversionsofthesame

title.Inproducingsuchitems,DCComicsisabletoassigntothetactilepropertiesofhardness,

heavinessandsmoothnessalevelofeconomicandculturalprestigethatisnotaffordedtosofter,1

Groensteen(1998,108)usesthetermsupportinhisdefinitionofacomicstrip,writing:Iwoulddefineacomicstripasavisualnarrative,astoryconveyedbysequencesofgraphic,fixedimages,togetheronasinglesupport.


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lighter,rougherworkssuchasindividualcomics.Furthermore,itindicatesthatthoseworks

whichpossesstheformersetofqualitiesaredeservingofpreservationandrespect,something

thatthelatterqualitiesdonotnecessarilyimply.Tactilepropertiesofthiskindarethereforeable

toplayapartinreflectingandcontributingtothecanonisationoftheworksintheformatas

classicsofthemedium.Withoutwishingtoappeartoocynical,Isuspectfewwouldarguethat

Superman:ForTomorrow ,GreenLantern:RebirthorthefirstsevenissuesofDangerGirlareof

historicalornarrativesignificanceequalto WatchmenorSandman,buttheirinclusioninthe

same(verylimited)publishingformatdoesaffordthemaculturalcachethroughphysical

substantiality.

Propertiessuchashardnesscanserveotherfunctionsaswell,andifweturntoanotherworkbyArtSpiegelman,IntheShadowofNoTowers ,wecanseesomeoftheseinuse(Spiegelman2004).

IntheShadowofNoTowers isSpiegelmansresponsetotheattacksontheWorldTradeCentrein

NewYorkonthe11thofSeptember2001.Itcomprisesaseriesoftendoublepagecomicspreads

thatwereoriginallypublishedintheGermannewspaper DieZeit,andanappendixprovidinga

briefhistoryofAmericannewspapercomicsalongwithaplethoraofexamplepagesandstrips.

Whatisparticularlyinterestingabouttheworkisitspublicationformat:itisalargeboardbook

printedonfairlyhardcardboardpagesratherthansoftpaper.Producingtheworkinthisfashion

makesapowerfulstatementbecausethehardnesshereservestosuggestpermanenceandsignificance.Spiegelmanpresentstheeventsof9/11asphysicalmemoriesthatareliterallytoo

hardtoefface,justastheblackonblacksilhouetteoftheWorldTradeCentrethatservesasthe

bookscoversuggeststheever-presentabsenceofthetwintowersthemselves.Inmakingthebook

physicallyhard,hegivesthememoriesapermanence,whichreflectsthepermanentchanges

wroughtuponAmericansociety,andtheAmericanpsyche,bytherelativelybriefbutsignificant

eventsofthatday.LauraMarkshaspointedoutthat:Toappreciatethematerialityofourmedia

pullsusawayfromasymbolicunderstandingandtowardasharedphysicalexistence(Marks

2002,xii),andthisisparticularlyevidentin IntheShadowofNoTowers .Bymakingthework

unusuallyinflexible,andindeedunusuallylarge,Spiegelmanforcesthereadertoremainawareof

its(oftenuncomfortable)presenceintheirhandsoruponthetableinfrontofthematalltimes.

Thereisnoescapingthisblackboxofencrustedmemoriesandhistories;itissomethingthat

mustbedealtwithandthoughtabout,despitethefactthatthiswillnotalwaysbeacomfortable

process.Hemakeshistoryliterallytoohardtocrumpleupanddisposeofaswemightotherwise

dowiththeseeminglyephemeralnewspapercomicstrip,whichisusually[...]consumed,then

discarded[withthenewspaper](Carrier2000,63).Atthesametime,asenseoffragilitydoes

inhereintheformatduetothesubjectmatter;justasthetwintowersthemselvesappearedtobe


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solid,stableconstructionsthatwereunlikelytodisappear,thebookitselfisfarfrom

indestructible.

SMELL

Touchisnottheonlymeansthatcreatorshaveattheirdisposaltogeneratestrongmemoriesof

andconnectionstocomics.AswesawinRogerSabinsveryvividdescriptionofthecomicreading

experience,whichemphasisedthepresenceofthescentsofdust,glueandpaper,smellcanalso

haveaparticularlypotenteffectuponthereader.10,000timesmoresensitivethanthesenseof

taste,smellisapowerfulmeansoflinkingcomicandreader,andhasanumberofpossibilities

opentoit,manyofwhichstemfromthestrongconnectionsbetweenitandthememorycentresofthebrain(BBC,n.d.).AsWalterBenjamin(2003,335)succinctlyputit:Ascentmaydrown

entireyearsintherememberedodoritevokes.Wehavealreadyseenevidenceforthe

importanceofsmelltothosereadersinterviewedbyMelGibson,who,whengivenacomicfrom

theirpast,smelledittoseeiftheirmemoriesofitsaromawereaccurate.Smellhereservesasa

connectivethread;rarelyobviousbutconstantlypresent,andittakesonlythemerestrenewalofa

particularscenttoinduceinthereader(orsmeller?)afloodofmemories,emotionsand

experiencesdrawntogetherbythetwoinstancesofaparticularsmell.

Yetdespitethepowerthatsmellcouldhaveincomics,ithasrarelybeenusedwiththeconscious

intentionofconveyingmeaningand/ornarrative,andthereasonsforthislikelystemfromthe

difficultiesinherentinitsproperties.Essentially,whendecidingtoemploysmell,creatorsare

facedwithachoicebetweentwothings:controlandlongevity.Ontheonehand,thecreatormay

wishtodevelopasortofsemioticsofsmell,acodifiedsystembywhichsmellsaredeployedinthe

narrative.Forexample,theymightliketohaveaparticularpartofapagesmellofroses,orusea

scratchandsniffcardthatthereaderwoulduseatparticularpointsinthenarrativetogivethem

asenseofthearomaofaparticularscene.Thistypeofdevicehasbeenusedinothermediainthe

past.JohnWaters1981film PolyesterwasproducedinOdorama,whichmeantitcamewitha

scratchandsniffcardthatviewersweretoldtouseatcertainpointsinthefilm.Asimilardevice

wasusedinthe1986videogameLeatherGoddessesofPhobos .Scratchandsnifftechnologyhas

alsobeenemployed,albeitinarelativelylimitedfashion,incomicsaswell.Earlyprintingsofthe

mangaseriesAntiqueBakerybyDigitalMangaPublishing(20052006),forexample,featured

scratchandsniffcovers.AscomicshopownerChristopherButcherremarkedinanarticleonthe

series:


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Eachvolumewouldhaveanewscratch-and-sniff,strawberries,chocolate,allmeanttoentice

youintothebakingworldwithin.Nomangapublisherhaddonesomethingthatclever,tothat

point.Itwasprettycool,andgotpeopletalking.(Butcher2010)

AsButcherscommentsheremarkup,however,scratchandsnifftechnologyincomicsisstill

somethingofanovelty,andisnotfeaturedinmany.Furthermore,althoughcontrolled,

manufacturedsmellsofthetypesemployedinscratchandsniffofferameansbywhichcreators

cancommunicatespecificideastothereadership,theydonotlastaparticularlylongtime.A

scratchandsniffcardofthetypeusedin Polyesterdoesnotlongretaintheodourswithwhichit

hasbeenimpregnated,andthiscanbesomethingofaproblemifthesmellismadeacritical

aspectofthework.Ifthereadermustsmellsomethingtounderstanditsmeaningwithinthenarrative,thenthismeaningwillbelostassoonasthesmellfades.

Analternativetothecodifiedsystemofsmellisthatofanaturalsmell,i.e.asmellthatis

naturallyemittedbythematerialofwhichaparticularworkiscomposed.Itseemsprobablethat

thesearethetypesofsmellsthatwereappreciatedbytheindividualsinMelGibsonsstudy,and

theyarelargelyunderstoodtobeincidental.Insomeinstances,relevantsmellsmaybepresent,as

isthecaseinJackColeandPlasticMan,andevenmoresointhelaterworkPlasticMan:Onthe

Lam!(Baker2004),bothofwhosecoversemitrichplasticaromas,butitisprobablethatthisis

morebycoincidencethandesign.ItseemssomewhatunlikelythatDCComicsbeganwiththe

smellsandworkedfromthere.Nevertheless,thereisevidencetosuggestthatcreatorsdoinsome

instancesseektoselectmaterialsfortheirworksthatwillhavetherightodour.Therecently

launchedUKsmallpressanthologySolipsisticPop providesanexcellentexampleofsuch

attentiontodetail.WritingonthepublicationswebsiteinNovember2009,thebookseditorand

publisherTomHumberstoneremarked:

OnthedaySolipsisticPop launched[...]peoplewerewalkinguptooffertheirsupportand

feedbackforthebook.Themostpopularphrasebeing:

Yougotthesmellright!

Thiswashearteningtohear.Believeitornot,Idgonetoalotoftroubletomakesurethe

bookhadthatjustprintedaroma.Itwaspartofthereasontheanthologyexisted.

(Humberstone2009)

ForHumberstone,itisnotenoughtosimplyproduceacomicasaphysicalobjectwithout

thinkingaboutwhyheisdoingso.Theremustbeareasonforcreatingaprintedcomicrather

than,forexample,adigitalone.Inthinkingsocarefullyaboutthephysicalcharacteristicsofcomicsasobjects,itisnaturalthatHumberstonecametoconsiderthesmelloftheprintedpage


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tobeacriticalelementoftheworkbecausethesmellsofdust,glueandpaperthatwerenoted

byRogerSabinarenotcurrentlyaccessibleinthedigitalenvironment.

Indeed,itisprovingsomewhatdifficulttodevelopsmell-basedtechnologiesthatarefeasiblefor

thedigitalera.Haptictechnologysuchasforcefeedback,touchscreensandvibrationsystemsare

alreadyinexistenceandhavebeenusedtoenabledigitalcomicstohaveaneffectuponthe

readerssenseoftouch.Perhapsthehighestprofileexampleofthistypeofinteractiontodatecan

befoundinRobotComicsadaptationsofBryanLeeOMalleys ScottPilgrimgraphicnovelsfor

certainmobilephonesunderthebannerofScottPilgrimsPreciousLittleApp (OMalley2010).

Theappemploysphonesvibrationcapabilities,forexamplewhenaphoneisringinginthestory

orwhenanimpactoccurs.ThisprovidesverydifferenttactileexperiencestothoseIdiscussedearlier,butitnonethelessrepresentsaconsciousandeffectivemeansbywhichdigitalcomicscan

communicateviatouch.Smell,however,hashadnosuchsuccessinthedigitalarena.Perhapsthe

mostpromisingpieceoftechnologytohavebeendevelopedsofarisadevicecalled,somewhat

dubiously,theiSmell,developedbythecompanyDigiScentsatthebeginningofthe21stcentury.

TheideawasthattheiSmellwouldtakedigitalrecipecodesfromwebsitesandthenuse

chemicalsinsidethedevicetosynthesisearomasthatwouldbeemittedfromagrillonitsfront.

Thoughaninterestingconcept,itwasultimatelyunsuccessful,andin2006itwaslistedby PC

Worldmagazineasoneofthe25worsttechproductsofalltime(Tynan2006).Untiltechnologydevelopsfurther,itseemsthatsmellwillremainanaspectofprintedcomicsthatcannotbe

replicatedindigitalones.

Theimportanceofthisshouldnotbeunderestimated.Thedevelopmentoftheinternetasa

meansofdistribution,bothlegalandillegal,hasaffectedthewaysinwhichcreatorsthinkabout

theirfield.Astheinternetprovidesaccesstoavastquantityofmaterialataverylowcosttothe

consumer(orevenatnocostatall),creatorswhodependuponthesalesoftheircomicsfortheir

livelihoodsarebeingforcedtofindwaystocompete.Thismeansthinkingmorecarefullyabout

theuniqueanduntranslatableelementsofthephysicalform,andstrivingtoproduceobjectsthat

aredesirableasobjects,ratherthanfunctionalascontainersforvisualcomponentsbutofonly

limitedaestheticmeritinandofthemselves.Whereimagescanbescannedinanddistributedas

digitalfilesonline,thetextureofabookscoverandthesmellofitspagescannotbereplicated;

theseelementsarethereforebecomingincreasinglyimportantforcreators,andarenolonger

relegatedtosecondarypositionsbehindtheirartworkandwriting.2

2IamindebtedheretoBryanTalbot,whomarkedupthesignificanceofthisaspectoftheinternetsinfluenceatComicain2009.


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HEARING

Ifthereisoneareainwhichdigitalcomicsdoperhapshavetheupperhand,itisindealingwith

thesenseofhearing.Toreturnbrieflyto ScottPilgrimsPreciousLittleApp ,inadditiontothe

vibrationfunctionsalreadydiscussed,theappfeaturesmusicandsoundeffectsonthebookstitle

screensandatrelevantpointswithinthestories.Conversely,inprintedcomicstheuseofsound

asaconsciouslydeployeddeviceforexpressingmeaningisrare.Althoughtheopeningand

closingofabookandtheturningofpagesdogeneratenoises,thesetendnottobeassociated

withanynarrativeelementsperse,thoughitisnotinconceivablethatasufficientlyinventive

creatorcoulddevelopsomemeansbywhichthephysicalityoftheobjectitselfcouldproduce

meaningfulsound.Morecommonistheproductionofsoundthroughsomekindofassociatedobject,whetherthisisanintegralcomponentofthecomicornot.

19682008...N'effacezpasnostraces!byDominiqueGrangeandTardiisanalbumintwosenses

oftheword:firstlyitisabandedessinealbum,andsecondlyitisanalbumonCD(Grangeand

Tardi2008).TheCDpresentsaselectionofanti-establishmentsongscomposedbyGrangeinMay

1968.Althoughthewordsofthesongsareinsomecasesreproducedmoreorlessdirectlyinthe

book,themusicandthevoicearenot,andthereisthusafairlysignificantdifferencebetweenthe

twoelements.Yettheyarephysicallypackagedtogetheranditisnotdifficulttoseethatthebook

issomewhatincompletewithouttheCD.Thepublisherswebsiteasserts:Adoublereadingof

thisbookisessentialforthereaderwhohasthetaskoflisteningtoDominiqueGrangessongs

withtheireyesfocusedonTardispictures3(Casterman,n.d.).Suchananalysiscallstomind

CharlesHatfields(2005,32)descriptionofcomicsasanartoftensions.Heassertsthatoneof

thetensionsinvolvedinthereadingexperienceisbetweenthesequenceandthesurface.The

page,heargues,functionsbothassequenceandobject,tobeseenandreadinbothlinearand

nonlinear,holisticfashion(Hatfield2005,32).Thesequenceiscomprisedoftheindividual

panelsunderstoodassingleimagesapprehendedintheirreadingorder.Thesurfaceisthepagein

itsentirety;itisnotwhatweread,butwhatwesee.Comparethiswiththefollowingextractfrom

FerdinanddeSaussuresACourseinGeneralLinguistics:

Unlikevisualsignals[...]whichcanexploitmorethanonedimensionsimultaneously,

auditorysignalshaveavailabletothemonlythelinearityoftime.Theelementsofsuchsignals

arepresentedoneafteranother:theyformachain.(deSaussure1983,70)

3

TranslationbyHayleighNash(2010)fromoriginaltext:UnedoublelecturedecetouvragesimposedoncaulecteurquiauralatchedcouterleschansonsduCDdeDominiqueGrangeleregardrivsurlesdessinsdeTardi!


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In19682008...N'effacezpasnostraces!,TardiandGrangemanipulateasimilartensiontotheone

describedbyHatfield,butthistimeitisbetweentheprintedworkastheobjectorsurface,which

issolid,permanentandstable,andthemusicasthesequence,whichisfleetingandephemeral.

Auralityhereexpressesinatemporallydeployedfashionthatwhichvisualityexpressesspatially.

AswasthecasewithJackColeandPlasticMan(seeabove),theaudibleexperienceexceedsthe

visualonewithoutoverwhelmingit,andthetwoelementsareabletoworkinconcerttogenerate

apiecethatisgreaterthanthesumofitsparts.

Whenthesolidityofthesurfaceisentirelyabsent,however,itbecomesquestionablewhetherwe

arereallydealingwithcomicsatallandonecomicartist,BenKatchor,hasproduceda

particularlychallengingcase.Hehascreatedaseries,JuliusKnipl:RealEstatePhotographer radiocartoons,audiofilesdistributedviatheinternetinRealPlayerformat(Katchor,n.d.).Theyhave

novisualcontentwhatsoever,andaccordinglywouldmeetresistancefrommostdefinitionsof

comics,butKatchorhimselfisarenownedcreatorofcomicsandthecharacterofJuliusKniplhas

appearedinnumerouscomicsandcollections.This,ofcourse,makesthemnomoredefinitely

comicsthanalunchboxfeaturingapictureofSupermanis.Butmoresignificantly,thefactthathe

hascalledtheseworkscartoonsgivesanindicationthatKatchorconsidersthemtostand

alongsidehisotherJuliusKniplproductions,andisanimplicitindicationthattheyshouldbe

includedamongthatcanon.Acceptingthatimplicationisnotaneasytaskformostcomicsreaders,whoremainweddedtotheconceptofvisualityasadefiningcharacteristicofcomics,and

BartBeatyhasprovidedsomeanecdotalevidencetosuggestthatmostofhisstudentsare

unwillingtomaketheleapinthiscase(Beaty2009).ButwhetherweacceptKatchorsaudio

outputascomicsornot,theyneverthelessrepresentanexcitingdevelopmentforthefield

becausetheychallengeus,inaveryexplicitway,toacknowledgeboththepresenceandthe

potentialoftheothersensesinthemedium.

TASTEOfallthesenses,tasteisprobablytheonethathasbeenleastheavilyinvolvedintheproduction

ofmeaningincomics.Themostcommonmeansbywhichtastesareincorporatedintocomicsis

aspartoftheparatext;confectionaryitems,forexample,areregularlyfeaturedasfreegiftsin

childrenscomics.Yetthesetastestendtobefairlygeneric,andalthoughtheymaybepackagedin

suchawayastomakethemrelativelycongruentwiththenarrativesofthecomic,thelevelof

meaningwearecapableofgleaningfromthemisunlikelytobemuchgreaterthanthatwhichthe

film-goerderivesfromthepopcorntheyeatatthecinema.Nevertheless,ifacomicweretobe

regularlypackagedwiththesametypeoffood,itisprobablethatamorespecifictypeof

associationwoulddevelop,andreadersmaywellcometotreatthetasteofthatfoodinasimilar


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SJoCA 1 1 Article Hague