Satire and Parody in Graphic Novels

Definition

Satire is a literary form that calls attention to and ridicules human or societal failings through parody, exaggeration, burlesque, and irony. Types of satire include formal or direct satirewhere the writer directly addresses the readerand indirect satirewhich allows the audience to draw their own conclusions.

Introduction

A satirical work is defined by its intent to make a specific point, criticize a particular person or institution, or persuade the reader of a specific point of view. Satire may be humorous or painfully severe. It often contains caricatures and exaggerated impressions of people or institutions that poke fun at their faults. The didactic purpose of the author—what the author intends to teach or convey to the reader—is the most critical aspect of satire in graphic novels.

Satires are often specific to the time in which they were written. Still, because the satire aims to expose human failings, these characteristics are not bound to any one time period. Ted Rall's graphic novel 2024 (2001) satirizes George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) and, in the process, the extent to which people will go to be happy. The message of Rall's book is that modern capitalist societies have created people who would instead be told what to do and remain under a totalitarian regime rather than be forced to make hard decisions and fight for their rights. A satire should always have an obvious point to its critique and must seek to persuade its audience.

The rhetoric of satire is also an important characteristic. Rhetoric is the voice of a text, its vocabulary, and how it presents its arguments. There are three major categories in rhetoric: ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos is how trustworthy the rhetoric is; if the person is trusted, persuasive, and believed, they have a good ethos and are more likely to persuade the reader. Pathos is the passionate and emotional side of the argument, which appeals to people's feelings, desires, and beliefs regarding what is good and right. Logos is the logical side of the argument, seeking to persuade based on the facts at hand. The success or failure of a work of satire depends on the persuasiveness of its rhetoric.

Rhetoric and the Graphic Novel

In graphic novels, the rhetoric is found not only in words but also in drawings. The graphic rhetoric includes how the world is drawn, how people are drawn, the color scheme used, the size of the panels, and the color of the borders. Rall's 2024 is dominated by text with black-and-white illustrations. The people are drawn with simple faces, with two dots for eyes and one line for a mouth; this simplistic rendering emphasizes that they have given up critical thinking. The background also creates an atmosphere. On the first page, a building is painted with phrases such as "knowledge is impossible" and "exploitation is inevitable." The reader immediately knows that the depicted country uses its citizens like objects and cares nothing about democracy, knowledge, or physical or intellectual freedom. This graphic novel operates from the standpoint that democracy, knowledge, and freedom are good things and criticizes the politicians and institutions that would have people sacrifice them for controlled happiness.

Hazed (2008), by Mark Sable and Robbi Rodriguez, satirizes sorority culture. In Hazed, the characters are drawn with significantly more attention to their faces and bodies, allowing for delineation between pretty and ugly on the page. This is necessary because the story's protagonist, Ileana, transforms into an accepted sister of her sorority, changing her appearance, behavior, and goals to fit in. The exaggerated proportions of the "beautiful" sisters play on patriarchal stereotypes of feminine beauty and the damage done to women attempting to fulfill them. With more detailed artwork, the satire was more successful.

Graphic Retellings of Old Stories

Graphic novels can also create graphic retellings of classic literary works. One example is Donald Lemke and Cynthia Martin's 2008 adaptation of Jonathan Swift's satire Guilliver's Travels (1726). A minimal narrative and glossy color illustrations retell the tale of Gulliver landing on Lilliput and his shock and dismay upon waking up tied down by the Lilliputians. The picture of the giant Gulliver at the mercy of the tiny people of Lilliput makes clear the ridiculousness of Gulliver bowing to the wishes of the Lilliputians, calling attention to Swift's satire of politics. While this graphic retelling does not replace the original text, it does make an excellent companion, providing the reader with a visual, satirical representation.

Another example of a satirical graphic retelling is The New Adventures of Jesus (1969) by Frank Stack. Indeed a more controversial work than Lemke's, Stack's satire is also pointed, humorous, and an influential example of what can be accomplished in the graphic medium. Satire often tries to make people angry; if it causes controversy, it has succeeded. By satirizing such an intensely emotional topic as Jesus, Stack provides a criticism of religion and religious fervor, denouncing those who would attack, fight, and kill in his name.

Alan Moore and Satire

Alan Moore wrote two of the most famous graphic novels that define satire in the mediumWatchmen (1986-1987, with artist Dave Gibbons) and V for Vendetta (1982-1989, with artist David Lloyd). In both cases, the characters are in a dystopian world brought about by society's laziness and fear. In Watchmen, the idea of saviors is criticized through the failings of the retired superheroes, and humanity's penchant for destroying itself also comes under attack. In particular, Western concepts of imperialism are incorporated into the character of Ozymandias. At the same time, the Comedian represents the morally questionable identity of the American cowboy. Watchmen successfully critiques and rewrites the superhero genre, raising questions about the wisdom of allowing a few compelling people to protect the world. The success of Moore and Gibbons's work demonstrated that graphic novels could question morality, ethics, government, and heroism more effectively than any other medium.

V for Vendetta, meanwhile, satirizes the conservative political environment in England under Margaret Thatcher, who served as prime minister from 1979 to 1990. An Orwellian world controlled by dictator Adam Susan and his secret police, the Fingermen, the graphic novel's version of London, is a dark and vicious place. Through the story, Moore critiques society's fears of death, insecurity, and war. The world of V and V himself demonstrates that running from fear can lead to a fate as awful as the nightmare.

Despite a handful of predecessors, such as Stack, Moore was the first author to demonstrate the satirical power of the graphic novel in many ways. Both V for Vendetta and Watchmen met with critical success and helped to reshape the graphic novel medium. Film adaptations of both titles, released in 2006 and 2009, respectively, have also demonstrated their enduring relevance to society and government issues. Moore's works critique the ideology of fear and totalitarian government while promoting individual responsibility and consciousness, serving as examples of the satirical potential of the graphic novel.

Graphic novels have become important mediums to showcase contemporary social issues. The Bitch Planet series of graphic novels (2014-2017) takes place in a dystopian world where non-women who refuse to live as second-class citizens are sent to prison. What if Wishes Could Be Bought and Sold? (2023) is a satirical graphic novel set in an Arabic society. The work satirizes economic inequality and the commercialization of seemingly everything of value. It portrays a world where even wishes must be purchased.  

Impact

The use of satire in graphic novels has created a separate genre from superheroes, crime stories, and fantasy or science fiction. Within the safety of the much-abused and often ignored medium of comics, satirists have critiqued religion, country, and their readership. The importance of satire's move to the graphic novel lies in the necessity of this critique. As readers are bombarded by billboards, movies, books, and music, they are in danger, as always, of forgetting the ideology and values embedded in everything around them. Satire in graphic novels keeps people honest as readers, writers, and thinkers. Graphic satire has also reshaped public opinion, as in the case of political cartoons, and finds itself ideally situated to change ideas of morality and ethicality in popular culture. Because graphic novels are the home of dystopias, utopias, superheroes, and jokes, the satirizing of superheroes in titles such as Watchmen also calls into question what people find heroic and, by association, what they find moral. This is a lofty ideal for satireo question an ideology and also change itas Moore and Gibbons's work didis proof that satire is a defining force in cultural ideologies.

Bibliography

Chute, Hilary and Ed Park. "The Best Graphic Novels of 2021." The New York Times, 10 Dec. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/12/10/books/best-graphic-novels-2021.html. Accessed 15 July 2024.

Gharib, Malaka. "This Graphic Novel Imagines What Would Happen If You Could Buy and Sell Wishes." NPR, 11 Jan. 2023, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/01/11/1148253567/what-if-you-could-buy-wishes-an-egyptian-fantasy-comic-does-some-wishful-thinkin. Accessed 15 July 2024.

Griffin, Dustin. Satire: A Critical Reintroduction. Lexington, University Press of Kentucky, 1995.

Ogborn, Jane, and Peter Buckroyd. Satire. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Radtke, Kristen. "Seven Great Graphic Novels That Go Beyond Words." The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2024, www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2024/02/graphic-novels-book-recommendations/677516. Accessed 15 July 2024.

Sabin, Roger. Comics, Comix, and Graphic Novels. London, Phaidon Press, 1996.