How to Use Archetypes to Create A Graphic Novel

Add meaning to your graphic novel by using thousand-year-old archetypes with Charles Glaubitz

In Jungian theory, an archetype is described as a primitive mental image inherited from our earliest human ancestors, concepts present in our collective unconscious.

Multidisciplinary artist and graphic novelist Charles Glaubitz (@mrglaubitz) explains how we can use these literal and visual archetypes that have been used throughout the history of human literature to create a comic.

The most famous and widely-used archetype theory in storytelling is Joseph’s Campbell Hero’s Journey: a concept that describes the basic archetypes of any story.

The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll provides the perfect basis to analyze Campbell’s theory, with each step, character, and archetype marked out by the simple story played out over a few stanzas. With made-up words in every paragraph, it’s also free from the literal trappings of a typical story that might blur the lines. The made-up words also give us our imaginations free reign to interpret and create whatever imagery we wish.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

The story starts in an ordinary world where the hero lives an apparently mundane life, “the life that others want you to live but not one that you have consciously chosen,” as Glaubitz describes it.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

They meet their mentor who has already been on the journey (Gandalf, Dumbledore, Obi Wan), in this case, it is the narrator, who will guide your character on their journey.

An event calls our character to adventure, to embark on an unexpected journey into the unknown (Leia’s hologram message to Luke Skywalker, Walt’s cancer in Breaking Bad, Harry Potter’s Hogwarts letter).

He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.

They encounter trials, the bravery our character must find to go on, companions, the Tumtum tree (Ron and Hermione, the fellowship of the ring, Han Solo, Leia, and Chewie), and foes, the “manxome” Jabberwocky.

We cross the first threshold, accepting our adventure and picking up our sword to take the leap past the point of no return into a world that promises challenges and new adventures.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

The dragon’s lair, we make the difficult decision to face peril by entering into the cave to meet our destiny
Moment of despair, the pinnacle of our challenge. The battle against the big boss that will show if we are strong enough to achieve what we set out to do.

This struggle against the world and against themselves sees them reach the very bottom of the “abyss” to rise again. (Luke enters the death star and hears his tutor telling him to turn off his spaceship and have faith in his skills). The battle encompasses our internal and external struggles (Frodo v the ring, Luke Skywalker v the dark side, Harry Potter v Voldemort).

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.

Win, lose, or draw, the hero sets off, homeward bound, the hero must evaluate what they have achieved and see how they have grown.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

The return to where they started with the knowledge their journey gave them–they will never be the same again (Harry Potter becomes the father he never had, Sarah Connor goes from the damsel in distress in Terminator 1 to the protector warrior in Terminator 2).

The details might change but we find ourselves returning to this structure time and again. Understanding it can help us structure our tale and captivate our readers.

As visual storytellers, we can also use these unconscious concepts to guide how we design our characters, explains Glaubitz.

There are three main shapes we use to structure our drawings:

- Circle - soft, safe, and good

- Square - stable and inorganic

- Triangle - sharp tip evokes the danger of a thorny bush or sharp teeth and will prompt thoughts of evil and fear[/list]

These elements can imply a character’s traits before the story has even begun.

Now you know the basic theory behind these archetypes, use them to design your own characters for this famous fantastical tale:

- The hero
- The villain
- The mentor
- The environment

If you would like to learn how to write with images using archetypes and take your story and character development to the next level, create a graphic novel with Charles Glaubitz in his online course: Narrative Techniques for Graphic Novels.

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