Colors vs. B&W in "New Kid" and Observations from the Semester

        Before diving into my superlatives for this semester, I want to talk about a detail of structure I found interesting in Jerry Craft’s New Kid. While I was reading the graphic novel, I really enjoyed how Craft incrementally juxtaposed the normal colorful pages that depict the overarching third-person narrative with black & white sketch-like overlays that showed Jordan’s first-person perspective of particular events. One instance that stood out to me was Jordan’s rendition of his journey to school and how he uses the metaphor of being a chameleon to relate how he morphs into different appearances as the bus travels through different neighborhoods. Before Craft inserts this two-page spread from Jordan’s point of view, he sets the audience up by showing Jordan talking with his family and then embarking on his way to school for his second week. By inserting Jordan’s viewpoint, Craft adds an additional layer of meaning and commentary to the themes of prejudice and racism that persist throughout his graphic novel. As Jordan goes through different neighborhoods, with different types of people accompanying him on the bus, he changes his look to fit in with the crowd; whether it be acting cool for the kid’s in his neighborhood, being able to relax and be himself with total strangers, or put on a presentable, posh, innocent, appearance to throw off the white people’s innate prejudice when he is in Riverdale. Jordan’s perspective ends in a moment with two girls commenting on how civilized Jordan looks as he leaves the bus before he enters the school. This minute detail at the end displays the finale of Jordan’s daily transformation as he transitions from impressing his local friends and peers to trying to impress his school peers. 

The effects of these digressions from the overarching narrative have differing effects depending on the circumstance in which Craft implements the technique. In this instance, it highlights the underlying prejudicial themes of the work before diving into a chapter at the school dealing overtly with these themes while showing how prejudice such as this extends beyond the perimeters of the school and permeates every facet of life for people who experience it. It also humanizes the laboring aspects of bearing this societal weight. It is one thing for Craft to display the prejudice of Andy Peterson in the third person. It is another thing to hear directly from Jordan how exhausting it is to have to alter his appearance to fit in with different crowds just because of the way he looks. The audience feels Jordan’s oppression sees its effects on him, in turn giving the account more pathos than just seeing it through the third person.

This has been an enlightening semester studying humor. Though it was not how any of us wished it could have been, I still believe I have gained a great deal from this course and the material we studied in it. What stood out to me this semester was the necessity for nuance and context in order for humor to achieve its potential beneficial aspects. Both the portrayer and the one who hears/experiences the humor must understand its intent and the context surrounding the humor for it to have a positive impact on an individual. Humor can have a harmful impact as well, however; I have learned that, too. If its intent is off base or if the person who receives the comedy misinterprets it, it may have a negative consequence. In learning this, I have come to realize that in its written form, it is all about the author being able to accurately portray their voice through their writing. Everyone’s manner by which they express humor in person is different and unique. It is a combination of their voice, demeanor, body language, intonations, and other hidden factors that our psychological development has conditioned the human psyche to be privy to and pick up in order to interpret the humor. Thus, translating that to the written form presents difficulties that do not likewise arise if an author attempts to write non-fiction or technical writing. The voice must be able to connect with the reader and allow them to react with a trust of understanding intent and context. If the voice is weak, too subtle, or lacking character, the writing will be left with a feeling of something desired and with an opening for misinterpretation from the author’s initial intention.