Discussion: Graphic Novels
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| Original Image by Anthony Ryan |
Last week involved another epic library trip, and I came
away with an awesome haul of interesting looking books. Amongst the many genres
in my stack, I added a new one this time: graphic novels. I’ve never actually
tried a graphic novel before, though I’ve read comics like Tintin and Asterix and Obelix.
Graphic novels were really introduced to me by people like Cait@PaperFury, and
now that my library is finally starting up a collection, I figured it was time
to give them a go for myself.
Having read all of one graphic novel since said epic trip, I
have a few initial thoughts about graphic novels. For me, it was a very
interesting experience. I’m not used to my books having so very few words in
them. Looking at a page with six words and twelve pictures is a little strange,
but at the same time, having the colourful pictures made a nice change.
However, I also found interestingly enough, that I wasn’t as immersed in the story
world in the graphic novel as I am in a book. I think it’s the fact that the
scene is laid out before me rather than requiring effort on my part to imagine
it all. Hmm, does that mean that I prefer to work hard while reading?
I still have five more graphic novels to try before I make
up my mind about whether I like them or not. But I would love to know your
opinion. What do you think of graphic novels? Have you ever read any? If not,
would you? Have you any good graphic novels to recommend to me?
16 comments
I adore graphic novels; I think they're a really cool way to reinterpret old stories and maybe even tell new ones. I feel like in some ways it better immerses me in the story world, because you can draw so many more details than you can describe, and depending on the artist, there are a lot of ways to create POV changes, inner monologues, foreshadowing, and a bunch of other little twists. It's fantastic, in my opinion! I think my favorite graphic novels are Olympians by George O'Connor and the Artemis Fowl series based on the series by Eoin Colfer—they're both gorgeous and fantastic renditions of the stories they were drawn from. :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to see an Artemis Fowl graphic novel and see how the story is reimagined in images. They do say that a picture is worth a thousand words. I think what I would need to use to in graphic novels is stopping to look at them. That seems to be a special skill one needs to develop to truly enjoy one. I've read a couple more since I wrote this post and I find that the style of the art has a lot to do with how much I enjoy and get out of the book as well. So many elements that go into making a successful graphic novel!
DeleteI've never been able to really get into a graphic novel. Not that I've tried many, but I've always just loved to read. I didn't even like them when I was younger. I think it's great that people can tell stories with pictures and a minimal amount of words, but I'd stand by my opinion that novels make for a much richer reading experience. But, to each his own taste. :)
ReplyDeleteI do love how novels are filled with words. When I opened my first graphic novel I was shocked at just how few words there actually were. My eyes naturally want to skip over the images, which makes the reading experience a little difficult at first. I definitely agree that the rich words of a novel make for an amazing experience. There's something about a beautiful description that I personally can't get from a picture. It's probably personal preference though.
DeleteThere are novel-to-graphic novel adaptions, and there are graphics novels where it originally was-- and still is-- only a graphic novel. I agree with Ally about how novels do give a richer experience to story telling, because the imagination part is being lit by what you are reading and you don't have to go through the dilema of thinking, "Huh, that's not how I pictured it." There are some graphic novels though, the ones that are stands alones and are soley a graphic novel, some of them are quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteIf you had to read more graphic novels, I'd suggest Bone (it originally was a comic series morphed to a graphic novel, but nether less interesting, but let me warn you it does get dark in the last several installements) or Amulet. Amulet though, the concept is interesting, but the story can sometimes drag and the release dates take forever.
xoxo Morning
I think I have the most problem with book to graphic novel conversions. I've tried one of each kind so far, and I was disappointed to see how much had to be cut out to make it fit. Of course, I understand why it had to happen, but it gave me the impression (right or wrong) that graphic novels need to be simpler than novels. I'll have to investigate some more graphic novels and see if I can get a real feel for them. Thanks so much for the recommendations. Both sound really cool. I'll have to check them out as soon as I can find some.
DeleteI love graphic novels, though I have not read many of them. I love the pictures and worlds they create; one day I should love to collaborate with a graphic artist to write a graphic novel!! I really enjoyed one graphic novel version of the Hound of the Baskerville. It was dark and creepy! I liked the new perspective on a familiar story!
ReplyDelete~Jamie
Ooh, The Hounds of the Baskervilles would be really cool to see in graphic novel form. The pictures have a great potential to create an awesome mood, don't they? It would be an interesting experience to write a graphic novel. I've tried picture books, but I'd be interested to try writing a graphic novel myself one day. If you ever get the chance though, you should definitely go for it.
DeleteI actually haven't been reading graphic novels and I think that's because I haven't found the right one. I'm a 3 way split between visual, auditory and kinisthetic when it comes to learning so i know I CAN read graphic novels, I just have to do some exploring!
ReplyDeleteI think finding the right graphic novel can be very important in wanting to read them. I almost think that there more elements to consider when liking a graphic novel. For me, art style is very important. I find it hard to enjoy things when I don't like the art style. Hopefully you find a graphic novel that catches your eye. I'm sure you'll enjoy it when you find it!
DeleteI've been dipping my toes into graphic novels. I tend to avoid the comic-book style ones like Spiderman, Batman, etc. and go for the more artful ones like Chopsticks, But I Really Wanted to be an Anthropologist and The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt. It's completely different than reading a novel, but I find it "cleanses the palate" if you will. I enjoy taking in different art forms that all tell a story; it's refreshing after a ton of novels.
ReplyDeleteI really do want to try so more "traditional" style graphic novels though. It will definitely be a reading goal for the summer:)
I'm not such a big fan of comic-book style graphic novels myself. I've seen some, but they never tempt me in the slightest to pick them up. Those graphic novels sound pretty cool though. It's interesting seeing stories told in other ways, isn't it? I think it's a bit like reading a novel in verse, a different experience, but incredibly valuable at the same time.
DeleteI tagged you today on my blog to list ten of your favorite screen characters! :)
ReplyDelete~Jamie
Thanks for the tag Jamie. It looks like a fun tag!
DeleteI haven't read graphic novels before, mainly because they're so hard to get at a good price. I can think of a couple of scifi, etc., books that I would love to read in graphic format. I don't suppose it'll be a format I'll be reading soon, but it'll probably be worth trying out -- any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried many so far. My favourites have been Rick Riordan's graphic novel versions of his books. The good news is that my library is actively trying to get more, so hopefully I'll have some good recommendations in the future.
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