POWER: Graphic Novel Zine

For this project, the students in Professor Goff’s ENG 201.03 (Introduction
to Literature) collaborated with the students in Professor Van Kerkhove’s
ART 224.01 (Mixed Media), to create a Zine that explored the idea/concept of
POWER.
In the ENG 201 course, students have been exploring various literary
approaches as they apply to several graphic novels read throughout the
semester. In the ART 224 course, students have been developing a visual
language utilizing mixed media processes
The goal for our collective Zine was to be inspired by the notion of POWER
as it relates to five particular literary approaches (psychoanalysis,
Marxism, gender studies, postcolonial, deconstruction) while echoing the
graphic novel medium by creating and publishing a finished product
consisting of images created by the ART students, which were inspired by
text written by the ENG students.
The source of inspiration for the ENG students was the graphic novel Maus
by Art Spiegelman, a groundbreaking portrayal of his father’s experiences
during the Holocaust that earned Spiegelman the Pulitzer Prize.
For the project, students in the ENG class chose an episode from Maus that
related to the theme of POWER and also connected with their chosen
literary approach. Then, they retold/recreated that episode from another
character’s point of view in a way that clearly represented the essence
of the literary approach using an appropriate form of literature (poem,
conversational dialogue, paragraph, 1st person rant, 3rd person narration,
etc.).
The text was then passed on to the ART students who worked in groups to
create images inspired by the different forms of text while implementing
some of the techniques learned in the course.
In the ENG 201 course, students have been exploring various literary
approaches as they apply to several graphic novels read throughout the
semester. In the ART 224 course, students have been developing a visual
language utilizing mixed media processes. Exploring the process of layering
and editing visual information artworks are memorable and cohesive.
Short for Magazine or Fanzine, a zine is a
Do-It-Yourself (D.I.Y.) Publication That can be made
& Shared by Anyone. It can contain original
writings, artwork, photographs & More. They
can be photocopied or Printed; small or BIG; Simple or Complex; written,
typed or drawn; & on any subject the creator cares about.

Index
Chapter 1 - Deconstruction Approach
Writers
Macie Molina
Nathaniel Stubblefield
Nicholas Jacobs
Erin Bower
Illustrators
Yenan Qian
Abdullah Al Hattab
Luke Brust
Chapter 2 - Gender Studies Approach
Writers
Maddie Olson
Anjaleigh Hart
Victor Cave
Mitch Kramer
Nick Hughs
Illustrators
Kaitlynn Litteral
Abdulaziz Alaziz
Fahad Alsahli
Chapter 3 - Marxism Approach
Writers
Illustrators
Brittany Holbrook
Kelsey Hock
Dale Martin
Kyle Doss
Valkiery Velez
Jamie Sevenish
Ahmed Alebadan
Kathleen Isaac
Chapter 4 - Psychoanalysis Approach
Writers
Illustrators
Amanda Rock
Breanna Steiff
Nicolas Jones
Ashley Uzomba
Christian Tiell
Brett Spencer
Mohammed Aljasser
Ashley Osbeck
Chapter 5 - Postcolonialism Approach
Writers
Illustrators
Nathan Insley
Darian Hugo
Zuri Outlaw
Ruthie Wyant
Sydney Forristal
Nathan Mulgrew
Kelsey Hock
Mohamed Almakki
Zihao Yang

CHAPTER 1

The music wasn’t there. I could’ve told you that from
the beginning.

All you could hear
was the marching,
completely
synchronized.

The only music we could hear was the warning shots, fired to
tell us to stay in line.
The guards screamed over all the sound, hoping for us to
hear them.

Music would’ve been so comforting in that moment. Any noise
that didn’t mean to harm us was needed.
We felt the fear in our bones, much like how music dives into
your soul. Even if the orchestra had played, we never would’ve
known.

Our conductor that day was the military, pushing us to move as one.

They wanted us to know that we were in the minor chord. We
followed the lines of the staff, dark and straight.
Any note that stepped out of harmony was the first to be
removed.

I know it was written in the books, but it wasn’t there.

CHAPTER 2

Tug of War

but how am I
supposed to compete
with a rich girl

who could have
whoever she wants
but of course
she wants

CHAPTER 3

A small bulge beneath a shirt, right above the hem
And two men too thin to fill them.
Within the shadows they crept
Exchanging the goods that they kept
All to themselves.
Communists I could scream
What fiends.
Stealing the soup
For all day they itched
But at dinner never did they flinch
Clean shirts they did wear
But what else can bear?
What can I obtain?
If I refrain
From telling all I know
About the Frenchman and the Jew
Who like me needed to eat too?

Who
like
me

CHAPTER 4

It happened out of the blue one afternoon. Without
any warning, without any opposition, it was raised.

It was so red, as if someone had died just to make it.
With this blood stained cloth whipping in the wind we
all knew that we were no longer free.

Our compliance is what caused this, it was so easily
taken away. This is when people begin disappearing.
The local store owner has not been seen for days.

People are starting to get restless. We know not what
is to come, but we all know it was because of that
flag,
and the people who stand behind it.

Something
is in the
air, and it
is sure not
the smell
of roses.
There it
was,
staring
right in
front of
our faces.
The flag of
terror and
our worst
nightmare.

We could feel the emotion in our stomachs that our lives
was going to be changed, not for the better, but for worst.

We knew what was there to come, but we just wasn’t
looking forward to it. We don’t know how we are going to
survive this new era of change that was upon us.

CHAPTER 5

It was the winter of 1944, a very
cold one in Poland, and all of us
kids were outside playing

At this point, Jews were gone from
our neighborhoods

Mom and Dad said they were all
living in one place for our safety
But to us,
Jews weren’t actually people...
If we found one, we must report
them for reward

“But don’t get too close” Mom would say,
“The Jews will catch you and eat you”
So this day, my close friends and I saw a
man walking towards us

We could sense something was off, you could tell, then, we knew what he was “Help, A Jew!”
we all screamed and ran for mom and dad

“Heil Hitler!” he said confidently,
but he still looked
uncomfortable.
They approached the man, slowly,
and he looked frightened

Mom asked
where he was
traveling to and
where he came
from, she was
scared too

He quickly, but calmly explained himself
assuring us he wouldn’t hurt us
Mom didn’t call for help, and we trusted
her judgement
The man left, but still, us kids talked
about how strange it was that this man
“wasn’t Jewish”

I never saw the man again, but I think about him, if he got to
where he was going...if he was alive...