Terra Bajraghosa1, Budi Irawanto2, Seno Gumira Ajidarma3
Abstract
Photographic imagery is an element that appears only in a small portion of comics but is thought to have a particular function in building the story plot. Storytelling became a crucial element in the creation of independent comics in Indonesia after 2010 so they could reach a wider audience. The warmth of humanity's tale intersecting with stories of everyday life reflects on the readers, who immediately find a connection to the tale. In comics titled 'Pupus Putus Sekolah' by Kurnia Harta Winata and 'Left Behind' by Azisa Noor, which were created and self-published by the creators themselves, photographic imagery is presented as part of a visual narrative that bonds the relationships and reduces conflict between people, without losing its ability to remain entertaining.
This study aims to investigate the visual rhetoric of photographic imagery in independent comics with humanity stories. The photographic imagery examined in this research is illustrations that represent photographic media and not scene visualization using photographic techniques. This study uses a qualitative method, with descriptive analysis based on a visual rhetorical approach, to see the symbolic ability of photographic imagery in constructing the meaning of comic stories.
The result of the study showed that photographic imageries in independent comics were presented with the same illustration depiction style as the characters in the story through a photo framing code, whether in the form of a frame or a smartphone screen. The rhetoric of photographic imagery carries out visual descriptions that function as 'given information' in a sequential series, without which a comic story would have a completely different meaning.
Keywords: independent comic, photographic imagery, visual rhetoric, humanity
Full Text
Reference
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