THE MIGHTY JOHN!
: AN ANALYSIS OF AUTOBIOGRAPHIC COMICS
Wil Eisner thought that the most exciting development in field of comics was that of the autobiographical title (Eisner W, “Streetwise” Autobiographical stories by comic book professionals. TwoMorrows Publishing (2000) p1 ). The format allows exploration of serious issues and the “authentic” voice of the author lets the reader feel the creators intentions. When done correctly the final result is personal, moving and effective. But, with great power comes great responsibility. The following work consider the techniques that make such autobiography believable and whether or not the readers should believe it. The first thing considered is identity: what are the creators trying to sell. Next, we consider caricature: how do the authors sell us their vision. Finally we will look at truth and ask do these techniques work? To answer this question some classics from the field of comics literature are considered, in addition to this a self created comic, The Mighty John, will graphically illustrate the key elements that will be considered within this paper.