BORDERLINES: ENCAPSULATION, SPACE, AND MEANING IN GRAPHIC NARRATIVES
BORDERLINES: ENCAPSULATION, SPACE, AND MEANING IN GRAPHIC NARRATIVES

Summary/Abstract: Graphic narratives depend on a distinctive interplay between visual segmentation and reader cognition. Central to this process are encapsulation, or the selection and framing of moments within panels, and closure, or the interpretive act by which readers connect these moments across spatial gaps. This article examines how encapsulation structures narrative space in comics and graphic novels and how these spatial configurations generate meaning. The paper argues that encapsulation is not merely a technical device but a fundamental narrative strategy that shapes temporality, subjectivity, and reader participation. Through an analysis of panel borders, gutters, and page layouts, this study demonstrates that meaning in graphic narratives emerges not only from what is shown but also from what is omitted and from how it is spatially organized.

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