Ripple effect
Mrs. Ramya Sethu Ram M.E
A small letter about stories that speak through pictures, words and your imagination.
Dear Young Reader,
Have you ever been happily reading a comic when someone looked at it and said, “That’s just a comic.” Maybe you didn’t think much of it at the time. Or maybe you did. Maybe, for a tiny moment, you wondered whether it really counted as reading.
I want to tell you something. You don’t have to be embarrassed about the kind of story you enjoy.
But before we decide whether comics “count”, let’s look at what actually happens when you read one.
Look Again
Open a comic. Don’t read the words yet. Just look at the pictures. A boy is standing near a door in one picture. In the next, the door is open and he is running. You weren’t shown everything that happened. So what did you do? You guessed.
• Maybe he heard a noise.
• Maybe someone called him.
• Maybe he was late.
• Maybe something completely different happened.
The comic didn’t give you every answer. Your mind filled in the space. Now look at the character’s face. He says, “I’m fine.” But he doesn’t look fine. His shoulders are bent. His eyes are looking down. There is something about the picture that makes you pause.
You begin to wonder. What happened? Is he telling the truth? What will he do next?
You have only been looking at a few pictures. But already, you are reading.
Words Are Not the Whole Story
When we think about reading, we often imagine rows of words on a page. And yes, words matter. A lot. But stories can give us information in other ways too. A picture can show you that someone is frightened without saying, “She was frightened.”
• A tiny object in the background can give you a clue.
• A character’s expression can change the meaning of a sentence.
• Even the size of a picture can tell you something — a small picture might make you slow down and look carefully, while a huge picture might make a moment feel important.
You notice these things without anyone telling you to notice them. That’s part of the fun. The Part Between the Pictures. There is something I especially like about comics. What happens between two pictures? Sometimes you know. Sometimes you have to imagine it. And sometimes you are not completely sure. That little space between the pictures can be full of possibilities.
Imagine this: in the first picture, your character is sitting quietly in the classroom. In the next picture, they are standing outside in the rain. What happened?
• Did the bell ring?
• Did someone call them?
• Did they leave because they were upset?
• Did they simply forget their umbrella?
You get to make a guess. And perhaps the next picture will tell you whether you were right. Or perhaps it won’t. That is where your imagination steps in. You aren’t simply being shown a story. You are helping to build it. So, Who
Decided What “Real Reading” Looks Like?
Maybe someone has made you feel that a “proper” reader is someone who sits quietly with a very thick book. Perhaps they finish hundreds of pages. Perhaps they read long novels. That’s wonderful if they enjoy it. But why should your reading have to look exactly like theirs?
• You might love a comic because you can see the world of the story.
• You might enjoy the quick conversations between characters.
• You might like searching the pictures for tiny details.
• You might enjoy laughing at a joke hidden in the background.
• You might read the same comic again because you noticed something you missed the first time.
That is your way into the story. And you don’t need to apologise for it.
