You will be creating a page for a graphic novel based a scene or sequence from A Midsummer Night’s
Dream. Think like a graphic novelist. You need to consider what to leave in and what to take out. What
can you show visually so that you don’t need Shakespeare’s extended dialogue? Consider how the
reader will hear emotions and sound. How will you handle the concept of time in your six-panel
(minimum) illustration. You might want to review the Understanding Comics chapters that we have
covered so far in our class.
Before you get started, take some time to brainstorm and plan your page. Plan out what you will use in
the specific panels. How will you lay out your panels? What type of bubbles will you use? Will you have
splashes or bleeds? Narration? Use key words to help you plan your page.
This is the rubric by which I will evaluate your illustration:
Ideas and
Content
Layout and
Approach –
use of space
and
organization
Use of Color
(optional—will
not be figured
into grade—
included for
your information)
Visual effects
Editing effects
Text Effects
4
Comic successfully
conveys ideas from the
play
3
Comic uses names and
some actions from the play
2
Comic incorporates
names from the play
1
Comic incorporates no
ideas from the play
Comic is well planned,
significantly organized,
purposeful use of all the
graphic novel effects
Comic shows signs of
planning and uses of most
of the graphic novel
effects
Comic shows signs of
planning and a few of
the graphic novel
effects
Shows no signs of
planning nor
organization. No use of
the graphic novel
features
Includes 6 panels
Includes 6 panels
Includes fewer than 6
panels
Includes fewer than 6
panels
Comic lacks color and it is
not an intentional choice.
Comic shows use of
purposeful color in
multiple ways to show
intensity, time, mood,
characterization,
Comic shows use of
purposeful color in a few
ways to help reader
understand characters,
mood, emotion, intensity
Comic shows use of
color but unclear on
purpose.
Comic has no nonpurposeful white space.
Background and visuals
are significant and add
to the story. Use of
panels are purposeful.
Comic shows critical
editing of the
sequence’s barest
essentials. Moves the
reader forward to next
scene without confusion
Comic includes multiple
types of bubbles and
frames, onomatopoeia,
punctuation, and font
selection for specific
purpose
Comic has very little to no
non-purposeful white
space. Panels are filled.
Includes a variety of
panels.
Comic contains little
non-purposeful white
space in panels
Has one type of panel
Comic contains significant
amounts of nonpurposeful white space in
panels. Uses basic 6
panel layout.
Comic includes key points
from play, limited use of
narration box
Comic relies on
narration box to give
most details but
covers key points from
play.
Comic included too many
details from play in
written format that could
have been presented in
other ways.
Comic includes bubbles
and frames, punctuation,
as well as onomatopoeia
for story-telling effect.
Comic includes basic
bubbles as well as
onomatopoeia in
panels
Comic includes one type
of bubble. Doesn’t show
use of text features for
story-telling effect.
Conventions
Comic contains no
grammatical or spelling
errors. Uses some
vocabulary words
Comic contains a few
spelling errors but no
grammatical errors
Comic contains
several spelling and
grammatical errors
Comic appears not to be
proofed because many
spelling and grammatical
errors.