One of the last century's biggest contributions to literature is the graphic novel. Say what you want about comic books not being real literature but graphic novels are a large part of how people do their reading these days. The graphic novel advantage over a purely textual novel is that it offers a greater view into the writer's mind.
There is some debate over what the definition of a graphic novel is. Is a graphic novel just a comic in a novel-length format or is there room for reprints of a serial comic book in a collection to be a graphic novel. Some people, including artists in the field, feel that graphic novel is a pretentious title and that "comic book" has always been the most appropriate title.
The essence of a graphic novel is for a reader to pick up a volume and be able to read a complete story. For this reason, Tintin books are graphic novels. They are part of a larger series, but they have a self-contained story in every volume. A volume of Y: The Last Man does not have a self-contained story but is part of a larger work and is not a graphic novel.
Watchmen is often declared to be the best graphic novel of all time, but under a stricter definition of the term, it could not be considered because it is a reprint of a twelve-issue limited series collected in a trade paperback. However, these days most people experience Watchmen in graphic novel form. Individual issues are not widely available and it is much cheaper to buy the collection than to get back issues.
Typical manga series are not graphic novels, however there are exceptions. Yoshihiro Tatsumi's autobiographical manga A Drifting Life is longer than the average serialized manga series at 840 pages and is a great read.
The advantage of a graphic novel over a serial comic book is the increased room for pacing. Instead of having to break up the story for digestion over a certain number of issues, the creators can pace the story more naturally, making it feel more literary. A comic mini-series such as Kingdom Come that has become a graphic novel also has some advantages going for it. It can focus on a story without being concerned about the continuing adventures of the characters after it is completed.
Great White Toys, Comics and Games manager Tony Gambato says he believes that graphic novels combine the best of the written word with striking visual context.
"You get the story all in one sitting - it is complete more or less," he said of the format's advantages.
According to Gambato, graphic novel sales are on the rise compared to single issue sales, but single issues are not dead. Interest is currently quite high in single issues after DC Comics' recent relaunch of all of their titles. As readers are able to start from the beginning, they are willing to collect the monthly issues for instant gratification.
However, Gambato thinks that as the earlier single issues become harder and harder to find that graphic novels will start to gain more ground as readers wish to read those stories.
Gambato says that he notices the late teens to early 20s age group currently buying the most graphic novels.
"I think they're a little more Internet savvy, they're checking out sites and seeing the recommendations on those sites. And then the material is sometimes geared towards that group."
As for what's popular right now, Batman is a big draw. Readers can be picky about what they read though, just having Batman in the title doesn't cut it. Gambato says that readers look for certain names when looking for Batman stories to read and actively search the Internet to find popular and positively reviewed stories. Currently Batman stories by Scottish writer Grant Morrison are very popular.
Zombies are also popular, the "flavour of the moment," according to Gambato. Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead series has a large fan base and has even spawned its own TV adaptation.
Graphic novels aren't just about superheroes, they can be about anything the creators come up with. Jeff Lemire's Essex County tells a story about ordinary people in a sleepy Ontario county. Journalist Joe Sacco has done a series of graphic novels about his experiences in the Bosnian War and his travels through the Middle East. Art Spiegelman's Maus about his father's experiences as a Jew in Nazi Germany won a Pulitzer Prize.
Don't dismiss graphic novels on the concept alone. They're a lot like text novels, you just have to find the right subject and the right genre and eventually, you'll find you're waiting for your favourite creative team to release their next work.
