The Graphic Novel Bookgroup is the newest public bookgroup
at Politics and Prose. We read, you guessed it, graphic novels! But what is a
graphic novel?
Isn’t it just a
comic book? Cartoons? Superhero in tights and capes? Occasionally, but not
always. There are as wide a range of graphic novels as there are literary
genres. The one commonality is that they all involve stories told with the aid of
pictures - sequential storytelling. Obviously, this definition does not limit
the content, and, if you were to browse several graphic novels, you’d find
striking variety: memoir, journalism, literary fiction, humor, experimental,
abstract, underground comix, sketchbook/journaling, superhero, mainstream,
manga, manwha, the list goes on. Like any form of art, graphic novels
often push the limits in terms of
content and methodology—engaging the reader/viewer in the act of creating and
communicating the story.
That’s all to say that the Graphic Novel Bookgroup is
interested in all of the above. From the popular and lauded to the obscure, we
try to read and discuss books which offer enough of a substantial story to
encourage discussion, disagreement, and criticism. We focus as much on
the story (narrative and dialogue) as we do on the art (drawing style and layout of the frames).
The group is composed of young and old, male and female, those who’ve spent their
lives immersed in the genre and others who’ve only read a few. Excellent
graphic works are becoming increasingly available—thanks to a growing
readership and reviewers who are willing to praise this expanding field—so come
and join us, and read our recommendations at www.politics-prose.com/graphic-novels.
