Diss and the graphic novel : an international and South Afrcian exploration

Abstract

The first part of this submission is a graphic novel entitled “Diss”. The novel is set in South African in the near future, and is based on Dante’s “Inferno”. The work also draws on various ancient mythologies and works of fiction. Essentially, this graphic novel is a reflection on contemporary South African society, as the reader travels with the main character, Dirk, through the rooms of a club in the South African capital, Pretoria. The club contains the nine circles of hell, and leads Dirk to discover aspects of himself that he has suppressed, such as his mother’s brutal murder. He meets his three guardians from ancient Egyptian mythology, who are also the keepers of the hallway. He further has to confront the three aspects of the Queen of hell, based on the three archetypal aspects of woman, who tempt him into letting go of a memory. At the climax, he is confronted with the queen herself, who, craving the taste of Dirk’s pain, tries to remove the memory from him by force. Throughout “Diss” Dirk’s best friend Gugu travels with his, and acts as his moral guide in the club. The second section is entitled “The graphic novel: an international and South African exploration.” The research essay explores the definitions and background of the graphic novel, and looks at how the genre can uniquely explore aspects of time and space, myth and intertext and hybridity and cultural production. To illustrate these aspects the essay explores definitive works in the genre, namely “Maus” by Art Spiegelman, “The Sandman” series by Neil Gaiman, and “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi. The essay further looks at the history of African comics, and, more specifically, the graphic novel publication industry in South Africa. Lastly, the essay explores the possibilities of the graphic novel within the multimodal classroom, particularly in how the genre can be used in promoting literacy.