Graphic Novels: Intellectual, a Gateway, or Both?

Hi! My name is Hannah, and I’m a college intern at the West Windsor Branch for summer 2026. As I helped in the children’s and teen areas, I was asked frequently for graphic novels, and saw different reactions to them: mostly eagerness or disdain. This observation ties into some of my coursework and the question: Are graphic novels intellectual, a gateway, or both? This past spring, I took a course titled Reading Teens: Learning from Young Adult Literature. One of the books I read was Flamer by Mike Curato. We discussed graphic novels, why some teachers like them, and why some teachers don’t. There’s a claim of a lack of close reading, a focus on the pictures, and, overall, an idea that reading graphic novels is “less intellectual” than reading a prose novel. In reality, reading a graphic novel brings in skills that reading a prose novel does not, and can be of help to students who are otherwise struggling with traditional prose novels. 

One skill that graphic novels foster is visual analysis. Although writers of prose novels follow the guideline of “show, don’t tell,” these novels have a different way of showing characters' feelings: through words. In a graphic novel, characters' facial expressions, actions, use of color, and the specific frame of the panel are what convey emotion. Readers have to analyze all of these factors to understand character motivations and states of mind. This is a different kind of close reading, one that relies on visual skills. In other words, readers develop visual analysis skills through the reading of graphic novels.

Graphic novel versions of classic novels can also assist students of different skill levels. Students who have a difficult time with the older-style language used in some of these books and those for whom English is not their first language can greatly benefit from graphic novel adaptations. They can still dive deep into these classic reads, but in a different way. For students struggling with older and/or more challenging novels, graphic novels can be used as a “gateway”. When students read graphic novel adaptations, people around them can encourage them to read the original novel, since they are now familiar with the book. Using graphic novels as a gateway - or, as I prefer to call it, a stepping stone - to prose novels can assist students who need to learn those skills but are having an especially difficult time doing so.

A second group of students for whom graphic novels can be especially helpful is English Language Learners (ELL students). ELL students often have an easier time with graphic novels, as they rely on visuals, which are language-free. ELL students can therefore spend time connecting the text on the page to the visuals, helping with language learning and a better understanding of the plot.

Overall, graphic novels are still an intellectual way of reading, and they involve visual skills, ones that are incredibly important for students to learn. In addition, they can be a stepping stone to prose novels, and increase willingness to read classic novels. Graphic novels are a strong and valuable resource for readers of all ages. Whatever your feelings are about them, I encourage you to try one!

Some graphic novel adaptations that we have in our collection at the Mercer County Library System are:

• Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray : a graphic novel

• William Shakespeare's Othello: Shakespeare Illustrated Classics Series

• William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: Shakespeare Illustrated Classics Series

• William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream: Shakespeare Illustrated Classics Series

• Frankenstein

• Dracula

• Tales from the Brothers Grimm

• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

• The Wind in the Willows

• Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles

- Hannah Feldman, Summer College Intern, West Windsor Branch