Jonathan Hennessy’s The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation tells the story of the Preamble of the US Constitution including its core components and historical context. Its visually simplified format in addition to its deliberate use of style provides a platform to make an in depth argument without using many words. He makes use of varying colors, text and particularly arranged panels to enforce the idea that the United States is an evolving nation and this is reflected in the Constitution. 

The use of atmospheric and disparate coloring in the comic has two primary effects respectively. The dull colors used throughout the work prevent the Constitution from seeming overly glorified; rough depictions of different American landscapes are used to further deconstruct the notion of a perfect society. The contrast between the warm and cooler colors is used to highlight the difference in effectiveness of different aspects of certain American systems. The warmer colors seem to represent systems that are possibly corrupt or less effective (the justice system, the housing and energy markets, the old “moral compass,” the ballot system and slavery/involuntary servitude) while cooler colors point towards those that are generally more effective (the military, the American people and the present day US government).

Another distinctive characteristic of Hennessy’s style is the way he arranges the panels on each page. The splash on the first page sort of acts as a diversion of attention from its more modern themes. The grouping together of these images helps the cartoonist create a summary of modern issues that the reader is probably already familiar with. The second page is separated by different panels, borders and several different gutters. The division of the second page allows Hennessy to more clearly state his argument by creating a discrepancy between the setup and the main points of the argument. The second page, which is a sort of Hennessy’s thesis, is aptly separated into thee main points or sections. The first, the image of a compass juxtaposed with a GPS, draws comparisons between American technological and moral development. This is especially appropriate since both followed similar timelines and both have improved exponentially over time. The gutter between the two images establishes the juxtaposition. The next gutter marks the beginning of the next point, which can be found in the central two tiers. It is clear they are to be grouped together because they both lack clearly defined borders. Hennessy makes the point that the US government has become much less self-interested over time, especially since societal notions of who should power have changed drastically. Finally, in the last tier, Hennessy offers a sort of closing statement for his argument, in which he encourages consideration of America’s morally questionable history.

The last notable element of the cartoonist’s style is his use of captions. The comic has no dialogue, thus Hennessy is left with only images and captions to make his argument. The captions are initially just a medium for a restatement of the key points of the Preamble of the Constitution. The use of captions is more effective than dialogue because Hennessy’s argument is very broad and covers a lot of issues without much room for detailed description. The comic also benefits from captions on the second page, where Hennessy is able to plainly state (although not over explain) his point while making the reader draw conclusions about the implications of his argument through background information and style.

The use of graphics to represent the United States’ founding document proves surprisingly effective at illustrating the imperfections of its implementation. The author’s style effectively communicates his opinion without making it obvious and without it losing an potency. Thus, Hennessy shows that comics can be just as useful a tool for creating an argument as any other form of literature. 