The Art of Trauma: Abstraction and \u27Locke and Key\u27

Graphic novels have been studied primarily by historians and narratologists, with outcomes that demonstrate how graphic novels are historically and educationally significant; however, the art has received minimal attention within art historical contexts. The abstraction found in the art of graphic novels has become increasingly common in our modern visual culture, and therefore, merits closer study. Locke and Key, a winner of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, is an exemplar of the sophistication possible in graphic novel art. The stylistics decisions made by Rodriguez – including the manner in which the characters are depicted and what images are shown within each panel – makes the art effective. Art historical formal and stylistic analysis are used to identify patterns, stylistic variations, and character depiction. Rodriguez develops the art of Locke and Key deliberately throughout the series to indicate the process of trauma and healing that the Locke children move through. This meaning is derived through the artistic shift from abstraction to increased realism. Specifically, he creates art that reveals the characters\u27 emotional and mental growth. One character moves through a liminal stage, a message that is barely presented in the story, but is reaffirmed and cemented through the way that she is depicted. These techniques make the art not simply illustrative, but communicative based on its own integrity