I chose to write about graphic novels because I have little to no experience with this genre. Since working at the library, I continue to be amazed at the growing interest in these books by all ages. I was surprised to find out how much has been written about this genre. I had no trouble finding sources. I will try to condense my paper as much as I can without losing the important points.
A History of the Graphic Novel
The Graphic Novel has become very popular among all age group, adults, teens, and young children as a great source of entertainment. It is appealing because the novel is a combination of words and larger than life illustrations which meet the needs of all readers on whatever their reading skills entail. It is different than a comic, whose storyline is told through a series of events like periodicals, while each graphic novel tells a complete story. Comics have the stigma of being materials for kids, while graphic novels are seen to be more of an adult type read.
In 1938, with the publication of ACTION COMICS#1, Superman made his first appearance. Since comics were in such demand, there was not much call to produce graphic novels. But in 1950, IT RHYMES WITH LUST, by Arnold Drake and Leslie Waller was considered to be the first popular printed modern graphic novel, which they referred to as a “picture novel”(Pinkley & Casey, 2013).
While in the United States, comic books were seen as a children's market, foreign countries, like Japan grouped their readers on different levels. Manga comics were first produced as individual issues, and then became an album type comic books. Manga was published in multiple genres, targeting specific ages and types of readers. It was a major graphic novel genre in the late 1990s in America (Tychinski, n.d.).
In 1978, Marvel Comics produced the first original mass-market trade paperback graphic novel, THE SILVER SURFER: The Ultimate Cosmic Experience by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (Tychinski, n.d.) A CONTRACT WITH GOD: and Other Tenement Stories by Will Eisner was one of the most important early examples of the graphic novel in the United States which showed the demand for a more sophisticated comic by the public (Murray, 2017). It was considered by many to be the first true graphic novel (Pinkley & Casey, 2013). The novel is a narrative told with pictures and text and is a story about the human condition, the struggle of people trying to get ahead, and the struggle of others to survive (Pinkley & Casey, 2013).
There was a surge of so-called adult comics in the mid to late 1980s which included TheDark Knight Returns(1986) by Frank Miller, Watchmen(1986-87) by Alan Moore and David Gibbons, illustrator and Maus: A Survivor’s Tale(1980-86) by Art Spiegelman (Murray, 2017). Watchmen was noted as being the first collected series graphic novel, designed to only last a limited number of issues (Murray, 2017). It still is one of the most best-selling graphic novels of all time. MAUSis the biographical story of Spiegelman's parents in World War II during the Holocaust, which was nominated for several literary awards, and in 1992 received a special Pulitzer Prize. The most successful graphic novel series in the United States so far has been Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN series (Tychinski, n.d.).Successful movies such as Spiderman, X-Men, 300, V FOR VENDETTA and Watchmen based on original comics and graphic novel series, have favorably increased the general public's awareness and opinion of comic books here in the United States (Tychinski, n.d.).
Graphic novels are also often referred to as a genre, but everyone in the comic industry and graphic novel fans will quickly correct this. They are a medium and within the medium, there are different genres with many themes, styles, and stories that can be communicated through them (Pinkley & Casey, 2013). The labeling of graphic novel genres seems to continue to evolve and develop as the medium grows. In 2007, Michael Pawuk defined nine genres within the medium of graphic novels: Super-heroes, Action and Adventure, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Crime and Mysteries, Horror, Contemporary Life, Humor, and Non-Fiction (Pinkley & Casey, 2013).
Graphic novels have the same features as a novel which are a plot, setting, conflict, and characters (Murray, 2017). Over the years, graphic novels have evolved in becoming an essential part of the popular culture, plus an integral aspect of the literary community. Despite the fact that graphic novels have been criticized for aiding to juvenile delinquency, blamed for their portrayal of violence, and been overlooked to claims of poor physical quality, they are now acknowledged as a valuable resource for educators, librarians, and other professionals (Pinkley & Casey, 2103). Graphic novels contain artwork and text; they also have meaningful themes and allow readers of all ages to develop critical thinking, learn visual literacy, and improve comprehension and literary interpretation skills (Pinkley & Casey, 2013).
Works Cited
Works Cited
Graphic Novels. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.illustrationhistory.org/genres/graphic-novels
Murray, C. (2017). Graphic Novel. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/art/graphic-novel
Pinkley, J. & Casey, K. (2013). Graphic Novels: A Brief History and Overview for Library Managers. Library Leadership and Managers, 10. Retrieved from https://journals.tdl.org/llm/index.php/llm/article/viewFile/7018/6233
Hi Eugenie! I've found graphic novels a good way to interest reluctant readers. In the past my library viewed them as Children's material and kind of poo pooed them.That's changed, we now encourage all ages to check them out. Our collection has gotten large and diverse enough that most ILL requests we receive are for our graphic novels.
ReplyDeleteMy kids are huge graphic novel fans and the novel Narwhal and Jelly motivated my first grader to really start reading! I think they are great additions for all libraries and now I know way more about the beginnings! Thanks for your work on this!
ReplyDeleteHi, Eugenie:) I love this post and as I am not necessarily a big reader of visual art if there are not dragons on the cover, I appreciate the brief history of different types--especially the inclusion of non-English analogues! I recently read an article about the categorization of graphic novels and other works and I wonder if it has had any resonance with what you have read on the subject for your paper?
ReplyDelete(https://www.npr.org/2016/11/17/502422829/the-term-graphic-novel-has-had-a-good-run-we-dont-need-it-anymore)
Rivkah,
ReplyDeleteYou might want to check out Pinkley and Casey article. I just copied this to show the additional positives and uses of graphic novels by academics as a serious medium.
In addition to developing and fostering important learning skills, graphic novels have uses and applications in higher education and can supplement the collections of academic libraries as well. Lorena O’English outlines four primary reasons for the inclusion of graphic novels within academic libraries: “as a subject of study in themselves, to support the curriculum across subject boundaries (including foreign language study), on a “how-to” basis for personal and professional development, and for leisure reading.”
Some graphic novelists are professionals in other disciplines and create graphic novels to support their area of expertise. For example, Jay Hosler, an evolutionary biologist, publishes graphic novels that focus on various facets of evolutionary biology.41 Thomas Juneau and Mira Sucharov argue that graphic novels are an effective pedagogical tool for teaching international relations and political science