Thoughts on Graphic Novels

My personal experience with graphic novels is very limited. I had not read any graphic novels until I started going to EWU. In my first quarter here, I read a group of Batman comics for Dr. Green’s Intro to Fiction class. I am undecided on how to I felt about the experience. Having never read a graphic novel before, I took longer to finish the book than I anticipated. There was definitely a learning curve for me to figure out where I needed to be reading so that I was following the comic’s intended chronology. It was difficult for me to get a firm grasp on the thought bubbles versus voice bubbles versus narration, but I attribute this with my inexperience with the genre, and I am sure that I could adapt with more practice. Overall, I really liked the story, and I found the art and craftsmanship of the comic to be impressive.  

Although I might not have been initially comfortable with the format of a graphic novel, I can understand how it would engage some readers in a way that plain text would not. The imagery of a graphic novel is spectacular, and for those who find themselves bored or confused by a traditional book, the visible action and colors in a graphic novel are likely to help them engage with the text. The graphic novel literary canon that Dr. Agriss recommended at the beginning of this course, for example, would be a great way to engage students in text that can sometimes feel archaic and unrelatable. By clearly visualizing the images, some students might find the story more real or believable. Not to mention, the art in those texts are varied which keeps things interesting, and each story has a different, equally beautiful style. I won’t be buying them right now, but once I have my own classroom, those books will definitely be on my shelf.