Why do comics and graphic novels get such a bad rap?
Earlier this year, while the theatrical release of Watchmen was going closer, I ran out and picked up a copy of the graphic novel it was based on. To incentivize myself to actually finish it before the film’s release, I made the task one of my new years resolutions. I completed the book and have sought out a few more graphic novels because of my experience with it. I am now convinced that, in the right hands, comics and graphic novels have the potential to be a far better story-telling medium than most traditional text-only novels.
A lot of people look at this medium as a lesser form of literature. Sure, the text is usually a lot simpler and you’re really only reading little snippets, so I can see how it takes less reading skill to follow the story. The thing is, technical difficulty doesn’t necessarily make something better. The genius of comic books and graphic novels is that they branch far beyond text. There is a visual representation that allows the author (and illustrator) to play with tropes in film that can’t be communicated through a book.
In cinema, the director can tell an entire story just through the way he frames his shot. He can have several different events taking place in a scene, without having to actually take the time to explain what is happening.
Additionally, words on a page are generally just that. Flat text on a boring page. Graphic novels allow the actual text on the page to change and morph to fit the situation. For example, I just finished a Noir Detective graphic novel where in any time the main character spoke with internal dialog, the text switched to cursive handwriting that looked like it was being entered into a journal. In other sections of the story, characters speaking over one another literally have their speech bubbles covering each other. Rather than the author having to use the words “interrupted Andrew…”, we can simply see the characters literally talking over one another.
As I read through the few graphics novels that I own, I can’t help but constantly be amazed at the way the story is told. I’ve been trying to get into reading more, but I don’t often find the time to set aside to get in the right mood for reading. Graphic novels, on the other hand, have such a beautiful filmic quality to them that it really keeps me captivated and involved. I’m all for imagining the story myself, but there’s just something about being able to see the look on a character’s face when they experience something in the story. I just wish more people would give the medium more of a chance. I think they’d really be impressed.
posted by Christopher Schnese
