Electronic Highways
Graphic novels
Wonder what all the interest is in graphic novels? Do you have the impression they are all violent and dark? Not sure who the audience is for them? Wonder if they are actually novels?
Actually, the term “graphic novel” identifies a format and can be fiction, nonfiction, history, fantasy or any other genre. Graphic novels are similar to comic books because they use sequential art to tell a story. However, unlike comic books, graphic novels are generally stand-alone stories with complex plots. The artwork and writing in graphic novels is usually extraordinary. Will Eisner, Frank Miller and others lead a long and impressive list of writers, artists, pencillers, inkers and colorists who bring this format to life for the reader.
Manga (the Japanese word for comic) originated in Japan and are read by people of all ages. They include a broad subject range: action-adventure, romance, sports, historical drama, comedy, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, horror and more. Many might be more familiar with superhero stories, such as Batman, Spider-Man or Captain America, who have their adventurous stories told in comic book, as well as graphic-novel format. There also are personal narratives and nonfiction titles, such as Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, American born Chinese by Gene Yang and Maus by Art Spiegelman. For kids, the Powerpuff girls and even the Rugrats have made it into graphic-novel format.
And if you haven’t read a graphic novel, chances are you’ve seen one realized on the big screen. If you saw “Road to Perdition,” “300,” “Ghost World,” “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” or “V for Vendetta,” you’ve seen a film adaptation of a graphic novel. The comics come to life in the movies, too. Just look at how these movies perform at the box office.
The UB Libraries and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library are involved with the project Get Graphic: The World in Words and Pictures. This is a community-wide, two-year project designed to introduce teens, parents, librarians and teachers to the extremely popular literary format of graphic novels. The project includes visits by graphic novel author and workshops on graphic-novel design. Teens will be inspired to write their own stories in the graphic-novel format and their pages will be included in a book to be published in 2009. The UB Libraries’ own Michael Lavin, a librarian who is a graphic-novels expert, has compiled several library guides to help navigate through the graphic-novel and comic book world.
The main lobby of Lockwood Memorial Library has a display bookcase of graphic novels available for borrowing with your UB Card. So grab a graphic novel and enjoy the art and writing of this popular format. You might even find yourself giving one or more as gifts this holiday season.
—Jennifer Brand, University Libraries
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