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Apr
13
So, I Read a Graphic Novel…
2011 at 11am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Published September 2008 by Oni Press (originally appeared as 12 issues between January 2006 and June 2008)
I don’t know if I should start this post with “Oh my god, I finally read a graphic novel and it. was. awesome.” or “I’m so ashamed that it took me so long to give graphic novels a shot. What’s the matter with me?” So I’m starting with both. But first, I have some ‘splaining to do.
Until I moved to Richmond and became a bookseller four years ago, my reading preferences were narrow. Lit fic, memoir, a touch of nonfiction to mix things up. Sure, I read the occasional thriller or chick lit-y beach book, and I definitely stepped outside my comfort zone to read the Twilight series and find out what all the noise was about (if you’ve been reading The Book Lady’s Blog for a while, you know how that turned out), but I had found a happy place with books, and I was content to stay in it. I liked my tiny little box, thankyouverymuch.
But then I started blogging, and blogging led to meeting all kinds of incredible people who were passionate about all kinds of books. And I could only ignore them for so long. I’ve been dipping my toes into new genres over the last few years (I NEVER thought I’d read a romance novel), but I’ve held out on graphic novels. Why?
Well, because up until a few years ago, I was laboring under the impression that graphic novels were just comic books dressed up to appeal to grown-ups and make them feel okay about reading comic books (I know, I know…believe me, I get it now that there are many, many adults who read comics and don’t need any help feeling okay about it). You know, men in spandex swooping from the sky to save lives. Guys who develop strange powers after an accident in the lab. Damsels in distress and whatnot. The proliferation of comic book-inspired movies (and the attendant swarms of adult male fans) didn’t do much to persuade me otherwise. I mean, I love a good Things Blowing Up movie as much as the next girl (and I won’t say no to Robert Downey Jr. in a pinstripe suit or Christian Bale with that husky Batman voice any day), but do I really want to read about it? And as a verbal learner who absorbs information by reading or hearing it can I really “get” a graphic novel?
Turns out I do, and I can.
I came to this conclusion the way I’ve come to many other expanding-my-reading-horizons conclusions: I realized that people whose taste I trust and who have never steered me wrong with book recommendations were all talking about graphic novels, and I figured it was high time for me to get over what I was becoming increasingly sure were my misguided notions and actually find out for myself. So I decided to read a graphic novel, then I went and bought one (for a future episode of the Bookrageous podcast), and then Josh got tired of telling me about Local and just up and shipped it to me.
Reader, I loved it.
Local is about Megan McKeenan, a young woman who leaves her home in Portland, Oregon with nothing but her backpack and a serious case of wanderlust. Each of the twelve installments is set in a different major North American city and represents a year of Megan’s life. Authors Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly did hardcore research about each city, and it shows in the illustrations. One installment is set in Richmond, and I have stood in the places they depict, and let me tell you, the level of detail (and how accurate it is) is ridiculous. Brian Wood has crafted a character and storyline that are compelling in their own right, but Ryan Kelly’s illustrations—the depth of feeling and meaning they communicate—are really what sold me.
Turns out that my concerns about not being able to follow a story told primarily through pictures were all for naught, and my misguided conflation of graphic novels and comic books is gone gone forever. So now comes the fun part: tell me what other great graphic novels I’ve been missing out on!
Related posts:
OOh, I want to read this one!
How about:
-Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (one of my favourites)
-The Impostor’s Daughter by Laurie Sandell (which got me started on reading graphic novels/memoirs)
-Blankets by Craig Thompson
-Stitches by David Small
Hmm, I seem to lean towards graphic memoirs, since all of the above are memoirs with the exception of Skim!
Of course, there’s also Fun Home, Persepolis and Maus!
avisannschild´s last [type] ..Really Random Tuesday- Giveaway Winners & Kitty Pics
Ooh this sounds really good!! Read Persepolis, it’s great!
i also have Ghost World on the way to me as we speak and am hoping to love it as much as the film!
Also (leaning varyingly towards to ‘i read comics’ side of things), the Scott Pilgrim vs the World series on which the movie was based are awesome. Also neil gaiman’s sandman series, and of course Watchmen
Some of the artwork in graphic novels is stunning. I’ve not found one that’s pulled me into the story like a normal novel does yet.
Rebecca, I really liked Allison Bedchel’s Fun Home – it turns out family dysfunction feels new again when it’s a graphic novel format. And of course, Maus is amazing, and Persepolis is great as well. Watchmen doesn’t do much for me, but I understand why people love it.
Huh – I’ve never read one, either. I have friends that tried to persuade me to read them, promised I would love them, but I couldn’t do it. You see, I also had friends that persuaded me to give “Twilight” a try. And I knew not all books were for all people.
But maybe I’ll give this a shot. Thanks for the review (and for admitting your reasons for not reading them previously – I can relate).
Congrats! I’m a recent convert. Read French Milk. It was my first.
I’ve seen this at the library and for some reason thought it was about a union. (??!!!???)
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If you like a shot of sci fi I found the art and the use of alphabet in Z is for Zombie intriguing.
Somehow Local slipped past me, but I’m picking it up at the library tonight! I always keep an eye on the Entertainment Weekly list of 10 best graphic novels. Some are the superhero variety, but most aren’t. My favorite finds from the last year: Special Exits by Joyce Farmer, French Milk by Lucy Knisley, and How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden. Persepolis is a modern classic and worth a read too!
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This looks good. Yay for finding another genre to read. I’ve only read a few graphic novels and BLANKETS is my absolute favorite of them. So amazing.
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I could take over all your bandwidth recommending great graphic novels but check out Joe Ollman’s Mid-Life (Drawn & Quarterly). Its fiction with a healthy does of autobio details. but its also an hilariously unsettling portrait of male mid-life crisis.
I am a freaking addict. Pyongyang was my favorite last year. Also Fun Home for dysfunction and lesbianism, Stitches, or oooh! The Stand is now being made into a graphic novel in various installments. American Widow. Maus. French Milk. Anything Shaun Tan. Lord I could go on forever. Congrats on discovering this new continent. If you ever have a reading slump now, you are healed in an hour or less.
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Thanks!
Anything by Shaun Tan! But, read The Arrival first!
Second for Bechdel’s FUN HOME.
Since you are a lit fic person at heart, a cool experiment is to read Auster’s CITY OF GLASS then the graphic novel adaptation by David Mazuchelli. Both are interesting in their own right, but looking at the same material in both forms is fascinating.
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Josh and Jenn have been raving about Bechdel as well, so this actually makes FOUR strong voices for it. Guess it’ll have to be next on the list.
Logicomix: An Epic Search For Truth. It may sound like it’s all about math but it’s really not. What it actually is is an excellent biography of mathematician/philosopher/pacifist Bertrand Russell. I don’t have a math background, and I was captivated by it.
Asterios Polyp. A superb work by David Mazzucchelli that’s a bit difficult to categorize. It’s won numerous awards including the first L.A. Times Book Prize for graphic novels.
Oh I can’t believe I forgot to mention Shaun Tan. The Arrival is fantastic!
avisannschild´s last [type] ..Really Random Tuesday- Giveaway Winners & Kitty Pics
I’ve had almost the same experience–thinking that I wouldn’t be able to follow or enjoy graphic novels/memoirs, then finally dipping into them because so many people I trust love them. But I still have trouble reading visually. It’s not that I can’t enjoy it at all, but it makes the story harder for me to process. I’ll only read one if it comes VERY highly recommended.
On that note, I did enjoy the only one we’ve put out–Kiss & Tell by MariNaomi. I think the reason I got into it was because it’s a coming-of-age memoir of the author’s romantic experiences. I was really able to relate to the subject matter, so I was able to overcome my difficulties with reading visually.
The way you are feeling now is how I felt a year ago when I read about 16 graphic novels. I read a whole bunch right at the beginning of the year for the graphics novel challenge. I don’t do the whole superhero or manga thing, but have really enjoyed many of the graphic novels I’ve read: Maus I and II; the Aya series; Pride of Baghdad; and more.
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Another vote for Craig Thompson (Blankets is a wonderful book) and Alison Bechdel. And Persepolis is a masterpiece.
And then there’s the most powerful one I’ve read, and, as one of the earliest, perhaps the most influential: Maus, by Art Spiegelman.
Joe, you’re killing my TBR pile, here!
Graphic novels are definitely a delight to read! Images can be as powerful as the words!
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Isn’t it awesome to get turned on to a new medium?? I recently made what I guess is the next step after yours, moving from novels and graphic novels to loose comics. I have a box and everything now.
Anyway, I second much of what has been said here–Fun Home, Sandman, Shaun Tan, Watchmen–but my #1 suggestion is to go to your local comic shop and tell the employees what you’re interested in and see where they can point you. Some comic shops are still kinda scary, but most are staffed by friendly and extremely knowledgeable people who will take, “I like Jane Austen and unicorns and family sagas” and turn it into a killer recommendation.
You might also want to check out the Fables series by Bill Willingham (a modern twist on familiar fairy tale characters), which is pretty big right now, and if you at all read Archie comics when you were a kid you should pick up the current “Archie: The Married Life…” series. Archie as drama.
lalalala I got wordy in my first ever comment, sorry!
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Pick up a copy of the Best American Comics 2011 (or any previous volume) anthology. There’s such a broad variety of writing, art and narrative contained therein that you’re guaranteed to find new avenues of exploration.
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Ooh ooh, so many good ones! Persepolis by Marjane Sartrapi, We3 by Grant Morrison, Scott Pilgrim and Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O’Malley (also published by Oni Press), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore (SO many literary references, absolute genius). And if you want to dip your toes into the superhero waters while sticking with good quality, then the deserved classic is Watchmen by Alan Moore. I never thought I would get into this genre but these days I am almost as happy in a comic shop as in a bookshop!
I recommend : Rutu Modan’s 2 graphic novels “Exil Wounds”, “Jamilti”:
http://www.leblogdelamirabelle.net/notes-de-lecture-bd-graphic-novel-reviews/anglophonegraphicnovels/underground-in-japan-and-israel
Mirabelle´s last [type] ..Book review- « Exit wounds » by Rutu Modan