Under Construction @ Keele 2017 Under Construction @ Keele Vol. III (3) | Page 58

from consideration as a comic, as previous work by Groensteen and Will Eisner, to
name but two critics, has shown.
5,6
MALM’s lack of writing does not rule out a
language beyond its images, however. Comics theory has often explored, in the
terms of linguistics, the boundaries of language and the aspects of texts that create
meaning despite occupying a space between language and images. There are three
examples in MALM that stand out: numbering, symbols (primarily lines and arrows),
and the positioning of images and symbols in relation to each other. I will briefly
address the first two examples before exploring the third in more detail.
There are three sets of numberings within MALM which affect its claim to
“comicdom” in two distinct ways. The first and second sets of numberings are the
pagination and the instructional numbering. These have a minimal effect on
meaning, except to coerce the reader into a pattern or mode of reading. The third set
of numberings is slightly different, in that it accompanies certain elements within the
text (most obviously demonstrable on pages 8 and 9). These numbers are the
identifiers of the individual components within the chest of drawers and allow for
easy reference in case of damage or loss. However, these have minimal impact on
reading mode or meaning construction as well as having no functional equivalent in
traditional comics and are therefore noteworthy but of less interest. What these
numberings do demonstrate is a fundamental difference of purpose between the
manual and the traditional comic, in that MALM is not fundamentally meant to be
read, except in particular circumstances. This inclusion of largely redundant material
is, while hardly fatal to MALM’s claim to comics status, of concern, something which
we will return to when discussing MALM’s paratextual elements.
Lines and arrows are also used within MALM to direct the reader, but have a
more pronounced effect on meaning than the numbers. Page 10 contains both: lines
in Instruction-1 indicate the direction of the placement of screws and an arrow
indicates the direction of rotation for the screw driver. While comprising elements of
images, these features help to shape meaning and, at the same time, mirror drawing
techniques often seen in cartoons, suggestive of movement and action. While these
techniques are hardly unique to sequential art forms, they have a specific impact
within them, helping the reader to fill the temporal gap between images by
suggesting a narrative. The meaning of the lines and arrows is partly created by
5
6
Ibid., 13.
Will Eisner, Comics and Sequential Art (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008).