Monsters are Real (In the Diegetic World)

Would you like to impress your friends with fancy terminology to describe comic books? If so, you’re in the right place! This post will discuss three ideas concerning comics narratives. Keep reading and you may learn something.

The following ideas will be applied to a single page (plus one panel) of the debut issue of Sanitarium, which is titled “Monsters Are Real.” The comic is published by Guardian Knight Comics, written by Bryan Ortiz, James Hartz, Evan Boston, and Scott “Diablo” Marcano, with illustrations and lettering done by Juan Romero.

Now onto the theory! In their book, The Power Of Comics, Duncan and Smith describe what is deemed the sensory diegetic, the non-sensory diegetic, and hermeneutic images. Let’s tackle them in that order.

First up is the sensory diegetic. The word “sensory” denotes the senses, and “diegetic” stands for narrative; therefore, putting the two words together is simply a fancy way of saying “the parts of the story world that are visually represented.” I say “visually represented” because comics are a visual medium—sounds, smells, tastes, and textures must be communicated visually for the reader.

The poster and desk in the first panel, the door in the fourth panel, and the bruises on Steven’s arm are specific examples of sensory diegetic. More generally, character interaction and the occurrence of any event is also sensory diegetic. 

Sensory diegetic is contrasted with non-sensory diegetic and hermeneutic (extra-diegetic) images. 

Next up is a bit of a grey area, attempting to distinguish a clear barrier between non-sensory diegetic and hermeneutic images. Non-sensory diegetic is when the comics medium is used to convey information, most commonly regarding a character’s mood or thoughts. Examples include a washed out/single-colour background to communicate a mood, or displaying emanata (from “emanate”), lines that stem from or surround a character to indicate surprise, anger, joy, etc. Below is the final panel on the preceding page, which includes such a background with emanata. 

That is a perfect example of non-sensory diegetic, which, again, is using the comics medium to convey information that is not literal to the characters. The background doesn’t suddenly flash a vibrant orange and no lines explode from Steven’s head. It is simply how the character’s inner state is communicated to the reader using the affordances of the comics medium. 

Finally is the hermeneutic element in comics, which involves information addressed to and intended solely for the reader. This would include any narration/voice-over. 

The best way to distinguish non-sensory diegetic from hermeneutic images is to ask yourself, “Are any of the characters privy to this knowledge?” In the single panel above, Steven is aware of his emotion, and so is his teacher. This makes it non-sensory diegetic. 

However, narration is generally intended for the reader only, making it hermeneutic. The characters hear no omniscient voice dictating their lives. 

So hopefully you learned something from this blog post. Don’t forget: sensory diegetic is the world of the story, non-sensory diegetic is the world of the story, too, but communicated specifically through conventions established by the comics medium, and hermeneutic elements assist the reader only (the characters are unaware of these elements).

Now pick up a comic book and think about what you’ve learned!

-Jamie Adam