Archives, Alan Moore, and the Historio-Graphic Novel

Archives, Alan Moore, and the Historio-Graphic Novel

Curation

In this article, Venezia discusses the influence of the archive on the comics of Alan Moore and proposes using the archive as a “model and method” for “reading the history” presented in similar types of graphic narratives. Ephemeral objects of history, including diaries, photographs, and other memorabilia that form archival collections abound in Moore’s comics. The comic’s unique ability to feature fragments of the past juxtaposed or placed within the space of the present and an imagined future renders the comic its historiographic quality. Venezia suggests the archival elements of the comic legitimizes its representation of history and illuminates for the reader popular cultural attitudes. In the examples given, he identifies fears of unemployment and the anticipation of the government’s demise indicating the social context and at a deeper level, the presentation of history as an archive. The importance of preserving the scattered remnants of a society as depicted in the comic is not just a narrative device; it is an acknowledgement of the archive’s power in making people aware of the present.

Venezia, Tony

International Journal of Comic Art

2010

Polk, Victoria

Journal Article

Venezia, Tony. "Archives, Alan Moore, and the Historio-Graphic Novel." International Journal Of Comic Art 12, no. 1 (2010): 183-199. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost (accessed Feb. 1, 2013).