Task 1 - Research into story writing techniques & historical/contemporary comics, graphic novels & illustrations

Graphic Novel -  A graphic novel is a book that is in the same format as a comic book, but is much more detailed and usually lasts about 1 book, unlike comics. They can be fiction or non-fiction. Manga is sometimes included in the term, but not everyone can agree whether it should be.

Example: Sword Art Online: Aincrad Vol 1
Sword Art Online: Aincrad is a Light Novel and a Manga written by Reki Kawahara and published by ASCII Media Works, that spans 2 volumes.

(Source)

Story
The story begins in the first arc, Aincrad. The year is 2022, a new VR technology called the NerveGear has been released, which can simulate the user's senses and allow them to control their characters with their minds. The game Sword Art Online was released with the device, but it was limited to only 10,000 copies. 
On the day of release, after all the players have logged into the game, they find that they cannot log out. It is later revealed by the creator of both the NerveGear and SAO, Akihito Kayaba, that this is not a bug, and is in fact a 'feature'. He explains that to be able to log out of the game, the players must clear all 100 floors of the floating castle Aincrad, but if they die within the game, the NerveGear fries their brain and kills them in real life.

The story follows a player by the name of Kazuto Kirigaya (Kirito), who was one of the lucky 1,000 people to take part in the Closed Beta.

Environment
The place that this story takes place in is called Aincrad. It is a massive floating castle made up of 100 floors, with a boss battle at the end of each. All players begin on the first floor, which is the largest, and must reach the castle on the 100th floor, which is the smallest. Each floor is vastly different from the last, it could go from a large field of flowers, to a frozen wasteland. The only way to access the next floor is to use the stairway that can be found at the end of the dungeons, at the back of the boss room.

(Source)

Sword Art Online: Phantom Bullet
Sword Art Online: Phantom Bullet is a Light Novel and a Manga written by Reki Kawahara and published by ASCII Media Works, that spans 2 volumes.

(Source)

Story
This story begins in the 3rd arc, Gun Gale Online. The year is 2025, 1 year after SAO was completed. Kirito is asked by a member of the Virtual Division, in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, to investigate strange occurrences within a VRMMO called Gun Gale Online (GGO). Two players have been killed by a mysterious person using the name 'Death Gun', and after the players are shot in-game, they mysteriously disconnect from the game.

Environment
The novel takes place in both the real world, and the post-apocalyptic Earth inside Gun Gale Online. All of the non-populated areas are barren wastelands, ruined cities etc.

(Source)

SBC (Space Battle Cruiser) Glocken is the capital city of Gun Gale Online. It was originally a ship that was used to escape (and return to) the Earth when it was turned into a wasteland long ago. This is the main player hub in Gun Gale Online.

(Source)