“A Look Into the Art of the Graphic Novel”

In the past year, I have fallen in love with graphic novels. Though I’ve read a handful of them before, it wasn’t until recently that I began to open myself up to everything that the medium can be.

Adult, young adult, or juvenile. Sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, drama, horror, or any other genre. Fiction or nonfiction. Stand-alone or multi-book series. Comic books, newspaper strips, manga, or webcomics. Traditionally or independently published. It can be easy to pigeonhole the medium to the same few categories you are used to when you encountering them, but if you do so, you’re missing the forest for the trees!

What makes a graphic novel so special? Why not read a written novel or watch an animated movie instead? Well, that is because by doing so not only would you miss out on so many stories and authors that specialize in this medium, but you could never witness the beauty that can only be found here.

A book and a movie cannot be written in the same way. Prose written to reflect a cinematic shot can feel awkward, whereas cinema trying to channel prose’s narration can be jarring. That is why book-to-movie adaptations must make tweaks to make their stories flow–written and visual mediums are just VERY different from each other!

The same can be said for graphic novels. While it has the advantage of using narration that movies do not, it also can convey information visually in a way that non-graphic novels cannot.

Few appreciate the subtle art of paneling. It’s one of those things that is hard to spot when done well, but easy to notice when done wrong. Ill-placed speech bubbles impede the eye’s movement across the page; blocks of text distract from the art; disruptive transitions that do not properly display movement.

Good paneling, on the other hand, can make reading graphic novels magical. Strategically placed text guides the reader’s eyes effortlessly around the illustrations; the words and art working together without taking anything away from the other; a sequence shown through panels implying a montage of movement.

That is nothing to say about well-done illustration itself. Beautiful artwork comes in many different forms, from realistic to cartoonish, monochrome to colorful, grounded to stylized, etc. There is no one “good” type of art in a graphic novel, but a whole range as diverse as there are artists. Finding different graphic novels with various illustration styles that are still equally appealing is a wonderful feeling.

There is a specific format of graphic novel that I have been reading a lot of lately in particular. That being the autobiographical graphic novel, a combination of graphic novels and nonfiction memoirs.

In general, I love memoirs. They’re a peek into somebody’s life, what they have gone through - an exercise in looking at the world through another person’s eyes. All this COMBINED with the beauty of a graphic novel leads to fun, impactful, and alluring reads.

For example, in I’m a Terminal Cancer Patient, But I’m Fine, author and artist Hilnama takes the reader through her journey after being diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. At the same time, she draws herself, her husband, and sister-in-law as rabbits. Not only is it charming, but it adds to Hilnama’s witty perspective of her otherwise very serious situation. It is also something that could not be done through a non-graphic novel, as this sort of visual stylization would be impossible in another media.

Overall, graphic novels are a magical medium. With its wide variety of genres, formats, and stylization, there is definitely something out there for you! And if you do pick up a graphic novel and don’t like it, they tend to be quick reads, so at least it’s not too much of a time-sink!

Some graphic novels that I think are worth looking at, all of which are available at the Mercer County Library System:

I’m a Terminal Cancer Patient, But I’m Fine by Hilnama

This Was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews

Talk to My Back by Murasaki Yamada

Penny: A Graphic Memoir by Karl Stevens

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha

Mis(h)adra by Iasmin Omar Ata

Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank

Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto

Noodle & Bao by Shaina Lu

-Laiba, Hopewell Branch