Graphic Novel question

[arkangel1400]

I would like to ask users why they read graphic novels and what is their favourite genre. Any response will be thanked.

 

[Rodders]

The graphic novel is a very visual medium which makes it a lot easier to absorb a story very quickly and deeply. The artwork grabs me each time.

 

[woodsman]

Alan Moore. That's the main reason for me.


I think also graphic novels have the potential for a lot more imagery/subtext due to the picture format and the fact it flows a lot more slowly than a film. This is what lifts the genre up, in my opinion. Not that it's always used effectively mind, but the option is there.

 

[Perpetual Man]

I started reading graphic novels as an extension of reading comic books, I think the first one I read was the Dark Phoenix saga (X-Men); this was something that was far too expensive to buy in back issue form, but as a graphic novel... well lets just say the book cost less than any single issue of the saga.

From this I realised that although comics are written on a monthly basis, the longer stories sometimes work better in that bigger format and that is why I read graphic novel. (I could be a lot more introspective... but it sums it up)

And genre, well still superhero for me (cos that covers everythng from the old style superhero shinnanigans, through to the epics like Watchmen)

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Alan Moore. That's the main reason for me.

That's what.

While a boy, there were certain comics I'd read that really stuck in my head - one was about a plant-man in a swamp and the other was about a masked anarchist attacking the government. Years later, I realised that these were, respectively, Alan Moore's run on The Swamp Thing and his original comic, V For Vendetta.

A graphic novel is not a novel-with-pictures not is it a movie-in-stills. It's a new, unique way to tell stories (although it has precedents across history, including Egyptian grave paintings, Mayan scrolls, the Bayeux tapestry, etc etc) and when used well it's downright brilliant.

I don't read many these days because I've gone off superhero stuff and I'm really not into the navel-gazing Craig Thompson stuff. So maybe the odd Joann Sfar or those excellent Yoshihiro Tatsumi reprints...

 

[JenJen]

User control. Interaction. A feast for the eyes.

I find movies way too passive. You simply sit and allow the movie to take you from A to B. With a graphic novel, you can flick the pages in your own time and you can go back and forth as much as you like. Maybe you notice something later on in the story that you recognise from a few chapters back? No problem! Flick back and search for it!

Graphic novels have, just like art in general, an instant impact the moment you turn the page. While with a book you have to read the page to get a sense of what's going on, with a graphic novel, you have the first impression right there, and then you can lean in to get the details as well.

It's an art to lead the eye of the viewer. You'll notice how with well-crafted graphic novels, your eye just seems to effortlessly follow the story, in comparison to badly done layouts where you're not exactly sure where to look and how to start.

(err, I've started rambling! Sorry!)

In summary! Graphic novels are WIN.

And I don't have a favourite genre. I tend to be drawn towards strong character development and beautifully drawn/painted pages (Be it fantasy, sci-fi, modern etc). This makes me very VERY picky, so if I'm not grabbed by the first 3 pages or something, I won't bother.

 

[Stephen Aryan]

Because comics are an interesting and unique medium for telling stories.

Favourite genres, mmm, crime, western, sci-fi, slice of life, alternate history, all sorts really.

 

[Connavar]

GN is for me only a collection of comic issues often. Not often i read original Graphic Novels.

Reading an arc of a series in book form is like reading a good novel. Comics medium is close to book medium yeah its visual but without good writing there is no story.

I enjoy genres like SF,western,superhero,mundane non genre like stories often in manga,action,fantasy,historical. Many reasons. Its like saying why do you read books.

 

[scifi_vision]

I read it primarily because I greatly enjoy good comics art. For me the story is secondary. If the art is great and the story poor, I'll still read it I like mostly scifi and fantasy comics.

 

[Steve Jordan]

Sequential Art is an artform like no other, and I've always enjoyed the singularly unique ways storytellers use the graphic format to present a story. Those who have mastered the craft can tell a story that may be translated to another medium, but never as well. Some of my own novels have featured my own homages to the sequential artform, partially because some of them were originally conceived to be rendered in graphic novel form.

I enjoy superhero and science fiction adventure material and manga, for its (again) unique way at presenting the world and those particular archetypes.

 

[Toke]

I read comics and graphic novels occasionally. I appreciate the different views that they give to a story. But sometimes the pages are somewhere between art and artsy.

For example when I first read 'Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth' I thought the pages were half full of artsy crap. Artists who just take pictures of anything that looks ominous and cool. As I have grown mentally I understand the atmospheric values of these said things but cannot deny that often the 'art' side pushes over the story.

Sandman: Dream Hunters: Do people keep these pictures magnificent? I do not, they're just ok to fill the pages.

 

[**Nightmare Fairy**]

Emotions and expressions can be captured in a graphic novel in a way no other visual/artistic format can achieve.

I like graphic novels as I am a very visual person; I can pick up information from things visually more so than I can, say with just words - so graphic novels are a more complete way to experience a story.

Graphic novels are very personal to individual taste. I personally like cute but dark. - But not too dark.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask any more questions.

 

[tgraphicn]

I think graphic novels are so interesting because they can tell a story just as in depth as a textual novel with minimal words. The details in the pictures tell their own story and they allow readers to interact with the text in a completely different way than other forms of text. It is ashame that people still undermine the value of these novels because they could be extremely effective in the classroom and in other areas of learning. Graphic novels =

 

[midworldman]

It takes me back to my childhood. There was nothing better than running down to the Rexall drugstore and checking for a new "Epic Illustrated" or "Creepy" or "Eerie." I loved the horror/sci-fi genre for it's ability to draw me into worlds either terrifying or wonderous........ I would also peek at the Playboy and Penthouse magazines on the top row. Hormones.... what ya gonna do?

 

[Michael01]

Yes! I remember Epic. Used to sit right next to Heavy Metal on the shelves in the 7-11 or the Royal Farm store. Those were the days...

 

[Rodders]

It's a shame that movies ruin so many aspects of SF (not just comics) these days. Like games, i think that graphic novels really lead the genre in their story ideas and concepts.

 

[midworldman]

Yes! I remember Epic. Used to sit right next to Heavy Metal on the shelves in the 7-11 or the Royal Farm store. Those were the days...

Heavy Metal was (and still is) one of my favorites. The store manager wouldn't let me buy them. Had to be 18.