Violence and the media have been sharing a long history together. This is primarily because people have always been interested in the question whether violence in the media increases the aggressive potential of real human beings. Although this question, according to Kunczik and Zipfel, cannot be answered satisfactorily, great parts of the world’s population blame violence in the media for being responsible for the sway in our nowadays society (399). Nonetheless, violence rapidly gains more and more importance in the pop culture which also affects the productions of media corporations (Ahrens 125). Action and horror movies often cause rushes to the cinemas and theaters worldwide. Bookstores sell thousands of thrillers every year and the names of authors such as Steven King or John Sinclair are famous throughout the globe. However, also smaller markets like the comics market are crowded with whole series containing a huge amount of violence and are, therefore, recommended for mature readers only. One graphic novel which “filled itself to the brim with violence, cursing and things most would never dream of publishing” (Batson, “Vertigo – The Birth of an Imprint”), is Vertigo’s Preacher (see fig. 1) by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. The protagonist, priest Jesse Custer, accidentally merges with a mysterious creature called Genesis. From that point on, he possesses the power of God. Together with his ex-girlfriend Tulip and the Irish vampire Cassidy, he starts a horrible and dark journey across the USA in order to find God, who has abdicated heaven’s throne. As already mentioned, Preacher contains a lot of violence which makes it according to Korsun “the most intense adult comic in ages” (44). Hence, the “intensity of violence is located to a large extend in the degree to which it is presented as immediate an impactful on the viewer” (King, “’Killingly funny’” 129). Nevertheless, King also argues that a huge amount of immediate violence can distract the audience (“’Killingly funny’” 129).
To keep their comic entertaining, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon had to establish certain narrative techniques which helped them to distance their readership from Preacher’s violent content. This leads to the circumstance that Ennis’ and Dillon’s work does not only contain hostile violence, but also a more humorous, almost kind violence.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Establishing a distancing framework
- The convention of strong first impression in Preacher
- Black humor in Preacher
- Exaggeration of violence in Preacher
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper explores how the creators of the graphic novel Preacher, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, utilize narrative techniques to distance their audience from the intense violence depicted within the story. The paper focuses on analyzing the ways in which humor, exaggeration, and genre conventions contribute to creating a more entertaining and engaging experience for the reader, despite the graphic nature of the content.
- The use of genre conventions to create a familiar atmosphere and distance the audience from the violence.
- The role of black humor in mitigating the impact of violent scenes and making them more palatable for the reader.
- The effectiveness of exaggerating violence as a strategy for distancing the audience and creating a sense of absurdity.
- The importance of understanding the audience's familiarity with genre tropes in recognizing and appreciating the use of distancing techniques.
- The potential for the analyzed techniques to be applied to other media beyond comic books, such as movies and television shows.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the topic of violence in media and its connection to the question of whether it influences real-world aggression. It then focuses on the specific example of Preacher, highlighting its graphic nature and the authors' use of narrative techniques to manage the intensity of its violent content.
- Establishing a distancing framework: This chapter delves into the various narrative techniques that creators of violent media employ to make their work enjoyable for the audience. It discusses the importance of genre conventions, the role of black humor, and the impact of exaggeration in mitigating the negative effects of extreme violence.
- The convention of strong first impression in Preacher: This chapter examines how the convention of strong first impression is utilized in Preacher. It analyzes specific scenes where new characters are introduced, showcasing how the authors use visual elements and brief dialogue to create a lasting impression of their brutality and intensity.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key terms and concepts explored in this paper include graphic novel, violence in media, narrative techniques, distancing effect, genre conventions, black humor, exaggeration, strong first impression, Preacher, Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon, and reader engagement.
- Citation du texte
- Kim Frintrop (Auteur), 2014, Entertaining Violence. Distancing the Audience from the Violent Content in Garth Ennis’ and Steve Dillon’s "Preacher Book One", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/296202
