Where to Begin with Graphic Novels
When people hear that Class of 2k7 member G. Neri has written a graphic novel, he usually gets one of two reactions: either a truly impressed “Really?” or a highly suspicious “You wrote a graphic novel? For kids?” So to avoid any confusion that he’s writing blood-splattered books for toddlers, Mr. Neri’s stock explanation goes like this: “A graphic novel is simply a novel-length story told in comic book format.” It’s not graphic in a violent or sexual way, but in a graphic arts way. It’s an illustrated novel. And there’s a growing trend to target this evolving medium more specifically toward teens and younger readers.
Go into any bookstore and you’ll find a graphic novel section, usually with teenagers hunched over on the floor devouring several books at a time. These books are generally superhero graphic novels or manga (the Japanese form), both of which are extremely popular and are, for the most part, fantasy-based or science fiction. But look closely, and scattered throughout the bookshelves are some of the most profound and yes, literary novels you’ll ever read. Novels about real life, about coming of age, or first love, or escaping the Holocaust, or being gay, or abused, or lonely-—virtually any compelling real-life story you might imagine.
The wonderful thing about illustrated novels is that they started with a children’s medium (comics) and turned into more of an adult medium (graphic novels like Maus, American Splendor, and Jimmy Corrigan). Now they’re coming back as a medium specifically for teens and kids. Many of these newer stories have teenage protagonists that deal with teenage issues. So it makes sense that virtually every publisher of young adult books has a graphic novel in the works or has started a new imprint just to handle this exciting medium. Even mainstream comic labels like DC have gotten into the act, creating a niche imprint in order to market original graphic novels (The Plain Janes) specifically for teen girls.
But is it literature? By most definitions, illustrated novels can fit the bill. They can be of considerable length (Blankets and The Invention of Hugo Cabret clock in at well over 500 pages). They can be literate, like the Proustian Fun Home or Paul Auster’s City of Glass. They can be insightful biographies, as in R. Crumb’s Kafka or Louis Riel, a book about the 19th century Canadian rebel leader. They can be personal dissections of world cultures and politics. Persepolis or Safe Area Gorazde illuminate cultural divides far more than any news report could. Coming-of-age memoirs? Night Fisher or Blindspot capture the raw essence of growing up in America. There seems to be a true yearning by teachers and librarians for books, illustrated or not, that are provocative and honest enough to generate discussion amongst a nation of distracted young adults. Since reluctant readers tend to prefer visuals over straight prose, many of these books can fill this void.
Books like American Born Chinese, Epileptic, We Are on our Own, and Kampung Boy not only expand the boundaries of what an illustrated novel can do artistically, they are being accepted by teen audiences and BLTs (booksellers, librarians, teachers) as legitimate YA and MG novels. Recently, American Born Chinese won the prestigious Printz Award and was runner up for the National Book Award, an unprecedented move by these significant award committees. Hugo Cabret can be found on the N.Y. Times bestseller list, while books like Persepolis, Night Fisher, and Blankets have been deemed teen classics. BLTs have seen the value and appeal of getting reluctant readers, many of whom will only look at comics, to read illustrated novels. Like Harry Potter, these gateway books can open the door to the world of reading.
G. Neri’s upcoming books Chess Rumble (a free-verse illustrated novella) and Yummy: Last Days of a Southside Shorty (a more traditional graphic novel) purposely target urban male teens and reluctant readers. The stories deal with real life issues of the street (gangs, poverty, inner city life), using characters usually not found in traditional literature.
Fellow 2k7er Ruth McNally Barshaw describes her middle grade book Ellie McDoodle as part graphic novel, part confessional journal, part wilderness survival guide. Her illustrated novel evolved accidentally from her habit of making online sketchbook journals. To her it was a natural evolution. For G. Neri, using this cinematic format evolved from being a filmmaker. Whatever people’s backgrounds, the art of storytelling has expanded exponentially with illustrated novels.
For those wondering where to start, here is a list of some top illustrated novels for middle grade and young adults. All of these books are eye-opening looks into the world around us, dealing with powerful issues like first love, religion, drugs, war, disease, sexuality, ethnicity, and history.
For a more complete picture, check out G. Neri’s online list. There you will find a remarkable range of illustrated novels appropriate for kids, teens, and adults. Pick up a few from your local bookstore or library, and the next time someone says, “Well, graphic novels aren’t real writing… ,” you can tell them otherwise.
1) Alia’s Mission by Mark Alan Stamaty (Iraqi war) MG
2) American Born Chinese by Gene Yang (racism) MG
3) Berlin: City of Stone, by Jason Lutes (German history, pre WW2) YA mature
4) Blankets by Craig Thompson (first love) YA mature
5) Blindspot by Kevin C. Pyle (coming of age) MG-YA
6) Capote in Kansas by Ande Parks (non-fiction event, writing) YA
7) Epileptic by David B. (epilepsy) YA
8) Ethel and Ernest by Raymond Briggs (history of England, love and marriage) YA
9) The Golem’s Mighty Swing by James Sturm (racism, baseball, period piece) YA
10) Houdini: The Handcuff King by Jason Lutes (biography) E-A
11) Kampung Boy by Lat (growing up Muslim in Southeast Asia) MG
12) Kings in Disguise by James Vance/Dan Burr (the Great Depression) YA
13) Latino USA: A Cartoon History by Ilan Stavans (Hispanic history) YA
14) The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea by Anne Sibley O’Brien (Korean folklore) E-MG
15) Louis Riel: A Comic Strip Biography by Chester Brown (biography) YA
16) Malcolm X by Andrew Helfer and Randy DuBurke (biography) YA
17) Maus 1 and 2 by Art Speigelman (Holocaust, racism) YA
18) Night Fisher by R. Kikuo Johnson (drugs, Hawaii) YA
19) The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson (terrorism) YA
20) Palestine by Joe Sacco (war journalism) YA
21) Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss and What I Learned by Judd Winick (AIDS) YA
22) Persepolis 1 and 2 by Marjane Satrapi (growing up in Iran) YA
23) The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (art terrorism) YA
24) Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle (life in N. Korea) YA
25) Safe Area: Gorazde by Joe Sacco (war journalism) YA mature
26) Sleepwalk by Adrien Tomine (loneliness, relationships) YA mature
27) Strum and Drang: Great Moments in Rock n’ Roll by Joel Orff (teenage slice of life, music) YA
28) The Rabbi’s Cat by Joann Sfar (Jewish issues, racism) YA
29) The Summer of Love by Debbie Drechsler (first love) YA
30) The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot (incest, homelessness) YA
31) To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel by Siena Cherson Siegel and Mark Siegel (dance) MG
32) When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs (nuclear holocaust) YA
33) We Are on our Own by Miriam Katin (Hungarian girl escapes Nazis) YA