For our fourth blog post, we were asked to go to the WSU libraries and find a graphic novel that appeals to us and one we can use to examine and gain knowledge out of. After doing some research and looking around I was able to find a novel that looked very intriguing. “Blue” by Pat Grant is the name of this novel, it is a story about the childhood of kids off the shores of Australia on a mission to figure out why old boats are washing up onto the banks. just upon opening the book and scanning through it, the artwork and frames are what pulled me in, with the subtle blues throughout the novel it is satisfying to look at.

But for this blog I am supposed to find examples of closures and time frames in the novel I picked, it did not take long to find some examples. For my example of closure in this book, I found a page that was connected by the same scenario but divided into different actions. Christian, the character that is being lifted in order to steal a surfboard from his father makes multiple attempts to climb up. These scenes also show Christians’ father and his lifestyle, showing that he is most likely passed out due to drinking. But the main scene that I want to focus on is the last two panels, the closing panel leaves you wondering what happened next. As Christian grabs the cigarettes, the following panel shows a motion of some sort that has the text “yoink!” this leaves the viewer curious. Did Christian fall? Is it the motion of him snatching the cigarettes? or could it mean something else? This I feel is a strong example of closure and by noticing these in graphic novels it helps you think more in-depth about what it is you are reading and the meaning behind each scene.

We were also asked to find interesting examples of time frames in our graphic novels and examine them and explain how as a viewer they help us interpret scenarios. For this graphic novel, I found a very interesting example, Christian and his friends are walking along a railroad but as the panels progress they are all connected. because even though these are 4 panels split, all 4 of them are connected because it is the same time period. PatGrant helps show this better by showing one of the characters running to catch up to the other two characters. This is a very eye-grabbing tactic that many graphic novels use, it is fun to look at and adds variety to the panels and the storytelling.