As the headline of an article on BookRiot.com about the value of graphics novels reads, this is a reminder that they are “real” reading.
Graphics novels may appear to be just comic books, but they are far more than that.
In fact, if you’re a fan of movies, you may be surprised how many film adaptations have been made from graphic novels. Movies such as Sin City, 300, Ghost World, V for Vendetta, Tank Girl, Red, Atomic Blonde, Road to Perdition, Cowboys and Aliens, Hell Boy, the Academy-Award-nominated The Joker and many more all have their roots in this oft-misunderstood genre.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a graphic novel as “a full-length (esp. science fiction or fantasy) story published as a book in comic-strip format.”
This form of visual literacy uses the interplay of text and illustrations in a comic-strip format to carry the narrative forward. While they can be one-offs, a character or characters may appear in further novels, no differently then the Alex Cross or Jack Reacher serials. They explore a broad range of themes in both fiction and non-fiction formats and use a wide variety of art styles to do so.
Many, including Gene Luen Yang’s fantastic graphic novel American Born Chinese and David Small’s graphic memoir Stitches, have earned a number of impressive awards, such as the Printz Award for teen literary merit and the National Book Honor for Young People’s Literature.
Most importantly, studies indicate students who struggle with reading or with English as a second language improve substantially when text is paired with sequential art. So, really, if you see your teen reading a graphic novel and you start to wish they were reading a “real” book, remind yourself that graphic novels are, in fact, real reading.
Airdrie Public Library has an eclectic selection of graphic novels, stop by and discover them for yourself.
For more information on all our programs and services, visit airdriepubliclibrary.ca, call 403-948-0600 or drop by and get your free library card.
