NEWS: Graphic Novels Grow Up

CULTURE: Graphic Novels Grow Up

The New Yorker's Peter Schjeldahl profiles the art of graphic novels in "Words and Pictures: Graphic Novels Come of Age." The lineup includes the likes of Chris Ware, Harvey Pekar, Marjane Satrapi, Will Eisner, and Joe Sacco. While Schjendahl asserts the work of graphic artists like Ware may be challenging, he suggests that the "colonizing of the territory" of graphic novels has only just begun.

Yeah, what that guy said.

Neil Gaiman calls them "comics", and that's good enough for me. "Graphic novels" always struck me as a euphemism for people in denial. "Comics" is a perfectly honorable word with a wonderful traditiom, and, as far as I'm concerned, the phrase "graphic novel" was coined for people who A) would never read comics anyway or B) have an overinflated ego. It was coined to differentiate between "art" and Batman and Superman. Well, Batman and Superman are art, too. Some kind of person would say "Well, I've read some 'graphic novels', but I don't read comics." Probably the same kind of person who might read the New Yorker. So... yeah.

Comics.


P.S. No offense to you, Susannah. I'm addressing the source article.

[Edited on Oct 14, 2005 by Keith]

And him too.

That was beautiful.

Well said, and I agree with you completely.

The first comic book I ever owned was a graphic novel. It was Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns". I tend to call long comic books or "collected volumes" graphic novels. I do so, not out of seeing comics as being childish or anything, but mostly because I want more to a storyline. I'd rather have all the issues in one collected volume than have so many shorter books to track down. I just simply want the the whole story at once or as much as I can at a time. I don't mind Miller's individual volumes of Sin City beacuse those books are 200+ pages long and the stories can be read more or less in any order.

It reminds me of that Mitch Hedburg joke where he talks about the drugs he'd get from one of his friends. One time he gave Mitch his medication for ADD which resulted in him having an extra long attention span. "People would tell me a story and it would end and I'd get all mad and shit! Like 'cmon man! There's got to be more to the story than that! C'mon I'm on drugs here!"

I always kinda thought comics were what sold monthly (or whatever) and graphic novels were sorta special editions that contained many more pages. As in "Amazing Spider-Man" would be a comic, but if the exact same people got together and made a considerably longer comic, using the same art, etc, that would be a graphic novel. I have the "Death of Gwen Stacy" which contains several (I think 4 or so) key comics in that storyline, it seems to me a graphic novel because it acts like one comic even thought it is awe inspiring in length.

I don't know if that made any sense...

If I knew how to use the image function I would probably put a bunny with a pancake on its head here, in response to what I just wrote.

That is a terrific intro to taking comics seriously.

My understanding is that the term for a collection of issues in one volume is "trade paperback".

And for the love of God, call them comics. There's no shame in it.

Graphic Novels have been touted as "artistic breakouts", "cutting edge", "comics for adults" or any number of blah, blah, since Will Eisner. It's nice and all, but it's the same "news" story, repackaged about every couple of years by some knucklehead that finally walked into a Barnes & Noble or Joe's Comic Shop in search of this week's column.

I took a course on comics and read a wide variety of them, and by the end I had pretty much the same opinion them as I did before I took the class: comics are for people who read comics. It's a legitimate art form and everything, but it's got a major diversity problem.

[Edited on Oct 14, 2005 by Jeff_Fries]

the only reason there is such a diversity problem here in the us is because it has taken us this long to take comics seriously. hence renameing them graphic novels. it lends them an air of dignity but, a rose by any other name, and all that.

but if you look at look at the manga of japan. you see a diverent type of comic for any and every type of intrest. granted we don't see the diversity so much here in the us, mostly we see tentacle beasts. but over there they have something for everyone. weather its sports, soap operas, teeny bopper romances, or spy detective comis.

Wow. I've had this converation at least ten times with the other librarians at work. The only difference is I'd pepper the argument by calling a co-worker "Porkchop."

We shouldn't have to justify the medium with a new name.



[Edited on Oct 14, 2005 by Jehu_]

They're not serious. Even when more adults read them mid-century, it was mainly horror/sci-fi/crime stuff from EC.

[Edited on Oct 14, 2005 by Jeff_Fries]

Its just that the nerds of the internet have taken over, and they just want to ejaculate all over the masses.

I dont know how much prettier I could have said that?

[Edited on Oct 15, 2005 by Rested]

If celebrating comics equals nerd-jaculating all over the masses, then I don't wanna be right!

Regardless of whether or not graphic novel is a valid term, I'm always happy to hear stories like this. Hopefully, it will lead to some great comic artists getting more recognition and support. Anything that helps the art form grow is fine by me.

Heartily agree. I think more comics should make it out there into larger markets... Brian Michael Bendis' work with "Jinx" and "Goldfish", David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Jeff Smith (Bone), Adrian Tomine (strangely not mentioned in the article...Optic Nerve), Los Bros Hernandez (Love And Rockets), Terry Moore (Strangers In Paradise), Paul Pope (THB, 100%, Escapo, The One Trick Rip-Off), Marc Hempel (Gregory)...I mean, there are tons of books out there that should be in bookstores to help reach an audience that's waiting for this stuff.

And I sir, agree with every damn author you mentioned. It's really amazing how much great stuff there is out there when the audience is so small. There is so much vitality in the comics community.

Another excellent example.



[Edited on Oct 14, 2005 11:17PM]

Gooooooood pick That's a hardcover waiting for me to pick it up!!!

Tell me about it, eh? And that's only from the guys in comics. I haven't even gotten to the girls yet...

Edited to add the list of women creators in the world o' comics: Jessica Abel (artbabe), Lea Hernandez (Clockwork Angels), Becky Cloonan (Jennie One; East Coast Rising), Phoebe Gloeckner (The Diary Of A Teenage Girl), Chynna Clugston (Blue Monday), Jill Thompson(Scary Godmother), Raina Telgemeir (Babysitters Club), Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, Inu Yasha)...comics are friggin' cool.

[Edited on Oct 15, 2005 1:51AM]

I actually prefer the term Graphic Novel when referring to more literary works. I think it's important to make a distinction between monthly superhero books and something by Chris Ware or Craig Thompson.