Department of English

 The medium of comics, a combination of text and graphics, has enabled artists to produce a wide range of work, from silly cartoons to serious, thought-provoking novels. Comics’ multimodal approach to creativity is thus both an opportunity and a challenge for any would-be writer/artist.

In Word and Picture: Creating Comics in Prose and Verse, you will explore the reaches of this multimodal art form and make comics of your own. Whether you wish to tell stories or simply investigate the poetics of word and picture, this course will enable you to produce comics within a like-minded peer group for mutual critique and support.

Did you know that Penn’s library has one of the largest collections of comics in any university? You’ll get to work with this tremendous resource as you study comic art over the past century and produce a formal analysis of a classic piece from the past. You’ll participate in lively class discussions about the evolution of the medium. And of course, you’ll be making comics, both solo projects and collaborations with other students.

No background in writing or drawing is required; come and discover your inner graphic artist.