All the last sons: A stylistic remediation of comics into prose

Macho, Jonathan 2025. All the last sons: A stylistic remediation of comics into prose. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This Creative Writing PhD is divided into two parts: a prose novel drawing on narrative traditions and stylistic characteristics of the comics medium, resulting in what Drew Morton has termed a ‘stylistic remediation’ of comics into prose; and a thesis exploring storytelling possibilities shared by both mediums because of their material qualities and socio-cultural histories, in other words, their shared ‘affordances.’ The novel, All the Last Sons, centres on a comics character jettisoned as a baby from a dying comics universe into a universe of prose. Now an adult, he struggles to reconcile the medium he was born into and the medium he has made his home. This conflict is conveyed through various stylistic effects which are associated with comics. The critical component is divided into three chapters, each focusing on two interrelated concepts and how they can be used as storytelling devices in both comics and prose. The first, ‘Words and Images’, challenges reductive assumptions about how words and images can be used in both mediums, before exploring how the distinction between them has been blurred in contemporary Anglophone comics and prose examples. The second, ‘Space and Time’, considers how space and time are conflated on the comics page in panels and their contents, resulting in markers that can be used to measure the passage of time in-narrative and influence the pace of readers. It also posits how time and space might be brought together in prose. The third chapter, ‘Figure and Ground’, introduces the concept of ‘figure-ground perception’ and explores how comics creators and prose writers can attempt to foreground details for their readers or hide them in the backgrounds of their narratives. It then demonstrates how stories distinct from the main narrative, or ‘sub-narratives’, can be hidden in the background of comics panels using an example from an ongoing shōnen manga. Finally, the thesis’ conclusion reflects on my own creative work in relation to my theoretical arguments, demonstrating how my stylistic remediation succeeds by taking advantage of the affordances shared by comics and prose, and suggesting how future projects, creative and critical, could take my work further.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > English, Communication and Philosophy
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PR English literature
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	12 May 2026
Date of Acceptance:	May 2026
Last Modified:	25 Aug 2026 22:08
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/186866

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