Comics and Heteroglossia

This chapter explores the concept of ‘heteroglossia’ as it might apply to comics production. After adopting the word from Bakhtin, the chapter explores in particular its uses by Martin and White as a component of ‘appraisal’ in language, investigating the ways in which a range of voices might be incorporated in comics form. Using concepts drawn from Michael Halliday, it establishes that there is phylogenetic and ontogenetic dialogue of voices behind comics, before concentrating on the logogenesis of the comics text in the use of hypotactic as well as paratactic forms of image relationship. It argues that the engagement of the reader in mutual text construction, and the necessary incorporation of multiple viewpoints and voices in the text, support the interpersonal and evaluative functions of the comics text.