Immersive narrative : creating an extensive webcomic experience

Abstract

This research project is concerned with the statement ‘Immersive Narrative. Creating an Extensive Webcomic Experience’. It delves into the construction of a mobile phone based digital graphic novel of which the main scope is to make innovative use of available digital tools in order to express a narrative in a more effective way. The genre being tackled for this project is the psychological horror. The practical element of this work was carried out through a mix of 2D animation that engages upon scroll, strategically embedded within the regular, vertically-set webcomic to further immerse readers in the psychological narrative. The study was sustained through research of the genre of psychological horror and its impression on the audience within a number of media such as films and books, as well as through research of the medium of webcomics, investigating their diverse history as far back as the creation of sequential art and current applications. Besides being academically researched to be embedded within a valid context, the project was investigated through practice, therefore, experimentation with different media was conducted in order to gain the desired effect. The outcome of this research project was the creation of a website, set around a hybrid psychological horror webcomic.