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Wednesday reading experience #37

Read a graphic novel. If you are not already a fan of comic strips and/or comic books, you might be surprised to find just how sophisticated they can be.

Graphic novels tell a story in graphic form, using the images and minimal text style of comics to convey what a regular novel does in words alone. The term is used about stories too long to publish in one single edition of a comics magazine, and describes both works originally published in book form and works originally published in episodic form in comics magazines and later collected into book form.

There is some debate as to the exact definition of a graphic novel, but for the purpose of this blog post let’s define a graphic novel as a book containg a single long story or a collection of shorts stories with a common theme or setting, told in graphic form.

I can personally recommend:

By Neil Gaiman and various artists:
  • The Sandman series
  • The Books of Magic
  • The Death series (spin-off from Sandman)
  • Stardust (also a traditional novel and a movie)
  • Coraline (children's book. Also a movie)
  • The Daughter of Owls
  • The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch
  • Harlequin Valentine

By others:
  • Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman
  • When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs
  • The Lucky Luke books by Morris & Goscinny
  • The Astérix books by Goscinny and Uderzo
  • Some of the Tintin books by Hergé. While some of the books are racist and offensive in other ways, others are just pure fun.
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Comments

Dorte H said…
I like many comic books, but one of my favourites is Raymond Briggs, When the Wind Blows (1986). It is about the consequences of atomic war, and it is funny, sad and full of tarblack humour. Besides, it conveys a wonderful sense of atmosphere.
September 16, 2009 2:53 pm
Anonymous said…
Hal Foster's Prince Valiant comic strip is being republished and I got my hands on a copy - outstanding! More volumes are to follow, we are told.


(Note to Bibliophile: The Amazon link is for your information only. Please delete as necessary.)


http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Valiant-Vol-1-1937-1938/dp/1606991418/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253118417&sr=8-1
September 16, 2009 4:33 pm
Bibliophile said…
Dorte, did you see the movie? Very moving and downright scary.

Anon, I clean forgot about Prince Valiant. I loved those stories when I was a kid.
September 16, 2009 9:14 pm
Dorte H said…
Yes I did, but many years ago. First of all I remember the very sad ending.
September 17, 2009 11:32 am
Geetali said…
I loved Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis". It depicts her childhood in Iran during and after the revolution. It is a candid and somewhat sardonic look at Iranian society. Strongly recommended, if you're interested in that region and its culture.
September 21, 2009 1:47 am
Bibliophile said…
Thanks, Gallimaufry. That's another good one I forgot about. I loved the film.
September 21, 2009 9:23 am
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