Point of View

The graphic novel is narrated in the third-person omniscient point of view common to most comic book narrative styles. The focus shifts quickly from one character to another, often back and forth several times within a single set of graphic panes. This technique would not be possible with more traditional fiction, but with the assistance of the artwork, the shifts are easily followed. The point of view is appropriate for the graphic novel which relates a story spanning many decades and two planets, involving a very large cast of characters. Many have two identities.

The comic-within-the-comic, Tales of the Black Freighter, makes an interesting contrast to the graphic novel. The hapless seaman in that story relates his plight in the first-person limited point of view. The sub-narrative development is simple and depends upon the first-person point of view. The juxtaposition of the two points-of-view used in...