Matt Madden offers an interesting post on adapting haiku to comics as an exercise in one of his classes, sharing some of the results. It looks like a fun exercise! Working through the decision about what the structure should mean in a visual form is a nice exercise in itself (relative panels size? Panel number?), before they even get to creating new comics. The solution Madden hit on of conforming the number of lines to the rule of syllables (5/7/5) sounds overly literal at first, but the result was actually quite evocative–I think I may challenge Tym with a go at some pieces in that vein.

Madden also linked to Imaginary Encounters (NSFW), a project by an Israeli creator named “Mysh” who is creating a lengthy series of comics, all with text in the haiku form, about queer romance and sexuality. The work is quite intimate and lovely, and while the structural conceit is a simple one, it is very effective in keeping the pieces focussed and sharp.

(And a hearty BOOOOO to Facebook for banning it as porn. It is not porn, though if drawings of penises give you the vapors, it’s definitely not for you.)