Poetry relies on rhythm and pacing. The meaning is felt, both with the words and there imagery and with the flow of each syllable; the positioning of each line and stanza; the hardness or softness of the consonants, and the selection of rhyme and pattern.
Graphic novels also demand their own pacing. Each page and panel requires enough text to pull the reader through the story line while allowing room for the artwork to stand on its own. Within those panels the number of boxes can guide the reader through larger chunks of artwork, or distract them entirely.
Blended together, these art forms can contend, contrast and complement each other, all at once. I wanted to see if it was possible for them to dance together.
Early in Fit the First, the text placement and pacing establishes that stanzas and even lines will be broken up. However, at this point, I tried to stay true the Lewis Carroll’s original intent for the flow of the poem—only breaking up text where the punctuation seemed to indicate that it was appropriate
This didn’t last long. By the time we get to Fit the Second, the Bellman’s demand for dramatic flair starts to break apart text into separate boxes within panels (indeed, he can’t even seem to contain himself inside a panel). In Fit the Third, his insistence on interruptions starts to take it even further.
And after our narrator seems to regain some modicum of control in Fits four and five, it all seems to fall apart again in the fragmented surrealism of the Barrister’s Dream.
But where the pacing really gets interesting, and where I’m particularly proud of this adaptation is Fit the Eighth. The excitement of the discovery moves quickly, then the pacing slows to a crawl in the final act. You can feel the slow deliberate agony of the waiting, searching, and finally resignation. I absolutely love the way this turned out.
