It's enough to make Batman sigh with envy -- graphic novels are the big boys of comic books, grappling with the human experience in ways the Caped Crusader could only dream of. How much do you know about the art of graphic novels?
In the comic book world, what's a trade book made up of?
comic books from several publishers
multiple comic books bound together
the funny pages of many Sunday newspapers
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You can't stop with just one! In a trade book, you can read multiple issues of a series at once because they're bound into a single volume.
Panels, gutters and drawings are all part of the process of reading a graphic novel, but you have to absorb this kind of art in proper sequence for it to make sense.
What was one of the first comics to be named a graphic novel retroactively?
"The Sandman"
"A Contract with God"
"The Day After"
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So be it!"A Contract with God" wasn't called a graphic novel when it was first published in 1978, but subsequent editions were labeled with the phrase.
Is Superman going to save the world again? A graphic novel might go there, but more likely, these works will explore deeper life issues than superhero clichés.
Why do some graphic novel fans take offense when people call the novels comic books?
Comics and graphic novels are entirely different mediums.
They love Hollywood, and only graphic novels are made into movies.
They want graphic novels to avoid stereotypes associated with comic books.
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I prefer the term graphic literature, thank you very much. It's not just snootiness -- by using the term "graphic novels," some people hope to dodge comic book stereotypes.
Some academics who study graphic novels say that these kinds of books should be considered what?
an advanced genre of comic book
a type of time-lapse film
their own type of medium or art form
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It's like a song for your eyes! Well, not really. Graphic novels are a form of sequential art that deserve their own category, according to some people.
Why do some students with learning disabilities like dyslexia have an easier time reading graphic novels than traditional books?
Graphic novels are only a few pages long.
The sparse text and graphic nature helps them understand the story better.
They can skip the words entirely and still comprehend the book.
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If only college textbooks had illustrations on every page. Struggling readers often pick up on the interplay between words and graphics to comprehend the storyline more completely.
These days, school librarians often do what with graphic novels?
put them on a list of censored titles
fight to include them in libraries
make nice fires
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Just make sure you don't call them comic books! Many librarians are strong advocates for including powerful, literary graphic novels in their libraries.
Why do many fans of graphic novels abhor Hollywood movies based on these books?
They don't think graphic novels translate well into films.
Movie directors purposely ruin the plots of graphic novels.
Theater popcorn is just way too expensive.
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Just as devotees of any artistic work are naturally critical of screen adaptations, fans of graphic novels rarely feel that the world they envisioned as readers is properly represented by filmmakers.
Why do some people dislike the term graphic novel?
They think it’s a snooty term for what are essentially comic books.
They don’t like racy subject material, which the name implies.
They're terribly disappointed to find illustrations instead of graphs in the books.
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Everybody’s a critic. Some folks don’t like the term "graphic novel" because they believe it feeds into the stereotype that comic books are "low art," whereas graphic novels are supposedly "high art" (and not comic books at all).
