graphic novel

Graphic Novel Subject Guide

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Graphic Novels Subject Guide
Spring 2010 – Nova Scotia Public Libraries
The Misunderstood Medium
It is important to understand that the terms “comics” and “graphic novels” describe a medium rather than a genre. The difference is that a genre is a type of story, with certain rules that it must follow in order to fit into that genre. “Westerns,” “mysteries,”
“romances” are examples of genre.
A medium is a form of expression like movies, novels or poetry. Essentially, a medium is just a blank slate with no rules governing what it can be used to do.
Until recently (the last 10-20 years), comics in North America were mostly tied to a tiny handful of genres, largely aimed at children and adolescents. These included superheroes, funny animals, and some cartoon humour (Archie, etc.).
Now, there is a wide range of titles, subjects and genres available for young and old in the graphic novel format.
Why should children and teens read comics?
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Graphic novels and comic art are attractive to children and teens for recreational reading. The compelling visuals and unconventional stories in many comics and graphic novels are a big draw for the library’s younger patrons.
Graphic novels increase reading of non-comic books. Whether they are choosing a comic or a prose novel, the very act of sitting down with a book and reading it helps young people retain information, experience new situations through the story and become more likely to turn to printed material for fun and recreation.
Graphic novels attract reluctant readers. While comics and graphic novels are not just for reluctant readers, the combination of words and text can help challenged readers build confidence as they move through a story.
Graphic novels help develop language skills and promote literacy. Comics powerfully attract kids and motivate them to read. Many public libraries have built up graphic novel collections and found astounding interest from young people. At the same time, comics can reach reluctant readers as well as providing rich, complex plots and narrative structures to satisfy advanced readers.

Providing young people with diverse reading materials, including graphic novels, can help them become lifelong readers.
Why should adults read comics and graphic novels?
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Because “comics” is not a genre, it’s a medium. Very often, people believe that
“comics” is a genre, a kind of story, which is only aimed only at children. But it

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isn’t. It’s a medium of storytelling and art, like film, novels, poetry, sculpture, painting and architecture – it’s just more misunderstood than any of those media.
There are all kinds of comics stories for all ages – including adults. Besides just superheroes and talking animals, comics can be anything from autobiography, non-fiction essays, crime fiction, fantasy, science-fiction, medical thrillers, mysteries, family sagas, political fiction, spy stories, romance and satire. There are comics for all ages and all tastes, and we want to find the ones for you!
Read the hit movie of next year before it comes to theatres! There is a reason that many of the blockbuster and critically-loved movies of the last few years started out as comics – that is where the freshest, most interesting stories are to be found, and Hollywood knows it! From movies you may know were comics first
(Watchmen, The Dark Knight, Hellboy) to ones you might not have known about
(A History of Violence, Wanted, 300, 30 Days of Nigh, Whiteout), the most cutting-edge stories anywhere are in graphic novels.
Speed-reads. Your time is precious, and, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Why not enjoy a complete and fulfilling story in comic book form over the course of one night rather than a week or a month?
Share a story with your kids. Graphic novels are often “all-ages” reading in the best sense of the word. Read an Owly or Bone comic with your preschooler or elementary-age child, or take turns reading New X-Men or Scott Pilgrim with your middle-schooler or high-schooler.

What is “Manga,” and how is different from other comics?
Manga is the Japanese word for comics, and they are extremely popular with today’s teenagers, in all kinds of genres. Being from a different culture and background, they frequently use a very different system of visuals and symbols from Western comics. They also usually differ in format – whereas the vast majority of Western comics are magazine-sized, Manga are in a smaller digest-sized format, usually printed in black-andwhite, and are often between 150-300 pages in length.
Are graphic novels for reluctant readers?
Graphic novels are for everybody, but one of the medium’s biggest selling points is that it is less-time consuming than other print media, thus often attracting kids who are considered “reluctant” readers. Studies have shown that the combination of less text, narrative support from images, and a feeling of reading something other than what is assigned by teachers often relieves the tension of reading expectations for kids who are not typical leisure readers, and lets them learn to be confident and engaged consumers of great stories.
But stories told using comics can be as profound and aesthetically rewarding as anything in prose or film. And although you might read a graphic novel quickly the first time through, you very well may find yourself lingering over a single page, or panel, or word when you re-read it to uncover the complexity of the craft.

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“Comics are just words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures.” – Harvey Pekar, author of the National Book Award-winning graphic novels Our Cancer Year and Ego & Hubris.
The Fundamentals
These are the comics that inevitably come up when people use the tired cliché (albeit a true one) of “Comics – they’re not just for kids anymore!” These are books that have gained mainstream acceptance as literature.
All budding experts in the field of Graphic Novels should be familiar with them – think of them as the Casablancas and Citizen Kanes of the comic book world.

Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel (Memoir)

The Sandman (12 volumes) by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by various
(Fantasy/Horror)

City of Glass by Paul Karasik, illustrated by David Mazzuchelli, based on the novel by Paul Auster (Psychological Drama/Mystery)

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud (Art theory)

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller (Superhero/Political
Satire)

Graphic Novel Subject Guide
Watchmen by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons (Superhero/Scifi/Crime)

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Memoir)

The Complete Peanuts by Charles Schulz (Humour)

BONE by Jeff Smith (Adventure/Humour)

MAUS: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman (Memoir)

Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware (Historical fiction) What genres are out there?
Action/Adventure: Naruto, Tintin, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Autobiography/Memoir/Biography: Persepolis, MAUS, American Splendor, A Contract
With God, Blankets, Louis Riel

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Crime/Mystery: Criminal, Scene of the Crime, JINX, Goldfish, Whiteout, 100 Bullets,
Scalped, The Spirit, Gotham Central
Drama/“Slice-of-Life”: Box Office Poison, Tricked, Strangers in Paradise, Ghost World,
Skim, It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken
Espionage: Fire, Queen and Country, Super Spy, The Nightly News, Secret Warriors
Fantasy: Bone, The Sandman, Death: The High Cost of Living, Fables, Usagi Yojimbo,
Castle in the Sky, Hellboy, Thieves and Kings, Zombies Calling, The Umbrella Academy,
Death Note
Historical Fiction: White Rapids, Pride of Baghdad, Stuck Rubber Baby, Jimmy
Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, Berlin
Humour: Bizarro Comics, The Simpsons, Wimbledon Green, Skeleton Key, Why I Hate
Saturn, Scott Pilgrim, Ranma ½, Chobits, Fruits Basket
Literary Adaptation: City of Glass, Beowulf, Macbeth, Hamlet, Gulliver’s Travels, Romeo and Juliet, Kidnapped, Little Women, Treasure Island, Moby Dick, Parker: The Hunter
Non-Fiction Essays: Understanding Comics, Making Comics, A People’s History of
American Empire, Comics and Sequential Art
Science-Fiction: Y: The Last Man, Planetary, V For Vendetta, We3, Transmetropolitan,
Ex Machina, Star Wars
Superhero: Ultimate Spider-Man, Batman: The Killing Joke, Kingdom Come, Runaways,
Astro City, All-Star Superman
Web Resources
News and Information:
Comic Book Resources (http://www.cbr.cc) – Award-winning comics news.
Sequential Tart (http://www.sequentialtart.com) – Comics from a feminist perspective.
Bleeding Cool (http://www.bleedingcool.com) – News, editorial and comment.
No Flying No Tights (http://www.noflyingnotights.com) – Resources for all-ages comic book reader advisory.
Newsarama (http://www.newsarama.com) – Comics news.

Graphic Novel Subject Guide
Free Comic Book Day (http://www.freecomicbookday.com) – Annual promotion of reading and sharing comics in libraries and comic book stores.
Strange Adventures (http://www.strangeadventures.com) – Award-winning Atlantic
Canadian comic retailer and comic literacy advocates.
Comic Publishers:
DC Comics - http://www.dccomics.com/dccomics/
Marvel – http://www.marvel.com
Dark Horse - http://www.darkhorse.com/
Fantagraphics - http://www.fantagraphics.com/
Drawn and Quarterly - http://www.drawnandquarterly.com/
Top Shelf - http://www.topshelfcomix.com/
Dynamite - http://www.dynamiteentertainment.com/
VIZ Media - http://www.viz.com/
Slave Labor - http://www.slgcomic.com/
Oni - http://www.onipress.com/
Boom - http://www.boom-studios.net/

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