Visual Metaphors

An advantage of the graphic nature of graphic novels is that you can also convey ideas through little visual metaphors, in which you draw things that aren’t actually physically possible but represent greater elements. The limit is only your imagination.

For example, look at this cover below from Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore and focus on what is happening to the heart tattoo and what this represents.

Here’s an example from within a comic, in which a person’s shadow is a bird cage.

While in this example, epilepsy is represented by a monster that takes control of the sufferer.

So, as you can see, graphic novels allow you to be very creative in how you communicate your ideas.