Abstract
ABSTRACT This article focuses on the adaptation of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s graphic novel The Killing Joke. While the original graphic novel is heralded as a foundational text in the artform, audiences and critics alike were less enthusiastic about its adapted form as an animated film release in 2016. This study explores how shifts in medium can alter what rhetorical scholar Kenneth Burke terms frames of acceptance, or how audiences relate texts to their everyday lived experiences. I offer an analysis of both forms of The Killing Joke examining how the different mediums articulate specific frames for audiences to interpret. Ultimately, this article argues that certain mediums offer audiences more opportunity for self-reflection, which helps explain why some adaptations of graphic novels fail to satisfy audiences. This study offers scholars a new lens in which to research adaptations of graphic novels and comics.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
