Compare and Contrast Framing: Maus II and Essex County, Book Two, Ghost Stories

Photo By: Hannah Parker

Photo By: Hannah Parker

 

Throughout this semester of this course, we were to choose three additional graphic novels from a list to read from. My first choice, that I eagerly selected was Art Spiegelman’s Maus, A Survivor’s Tale Part II, And Here My Troubles Began. After reading Part I, I was intrigued and adamant to know what the rest of Vladek’s story consisted of. Although, for this particular blog my mission is to compare and contrast frame usage of Spiegelman’s Part II of Maus, and that of Jeff Lemire’s Essex County, Book Two: Ghost Stories. Though both books are very much different in style and story a few comparisons could be made about frame usage. 

 

Comparisons of frame usage:

Both Spiegelman and Lemire use mostly simple closed square or rectangular frames for their illustrations and text. 

The authors both use large frames, especially

Lemire, to give the reader a more detailed close up view.

      They both briefly use actual pictures or drawn pictures within the frame or  the area surrounding it to tell their stories. When Lou LeBeuf from Essex County, finds his and his brother’s old scrapbook, the reader sees an illustrated image of a scrapbook with photos and memorabilia. Spiegelman shows an actual photo of Vladek, and drawn photos surround his frames.  

 

  Contrasts of frame usage:

  Lemire uses up a lot of space with his frames, where as Spiegelman’s frames are very close together, unified and crowded.

       In Book Two: Ghost Stories, there were a lot more close-ups on the character’s faces, and almost hardly any close-ups in Maus Part II. 

      
          




             Lemire uses a lot more one-page frames than Spiegelman.

I think that Art Spiegelman uses these types of framing methods because there is much more dialogue between the characters than in Essex County. Also, it may be conceptual that his frames are so crowded and tight because that’s how his father, Vladek felt, cramped and crowded during his rough times during the Holocaust. I also think that Jeff Lemire uses large images because it allows him to shows a lot of movement, or action packed scenes in his novel.