Do you believe in magic? What about the magic of books? And what about the supercool, superlative magic of graphic novels? Well, actually I think all books have supercool and superlative magic powers; but graphic novels with the cool combination of their art-work and the stories they tell, seem to fit very coolly into the “super” part of it.

If you are a frequent visitor to my blog, you know I am a reader of all sorts of books; and yes, I do/have done my fair share of reading graphic novels too. And that is why I was surprised I did not know who Will Eisner was (if you are wondering who he is too, read on..).

Will Eisner: The Father of Graphic Novels

The first week of March (March 1 – 7) is Will Eisner Week; and it was created in honor of the man who is considered the father of the graphic novel – William Erwin Eisner.

Wikipedia states – Will Eisner was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series The Spirit was noted for its experiments in content and form. In 1978, he popularized the term “graphic novel” with the publication of his book A Contract with God.

Reading about Will Eisner and his work certainly inspired me to read more of his books. And hopefully I will get to one of them soon enough (considering the number of books I already have on my TBR!)

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The Superlative Magic of Graphic Novels: An Introduction

What is a Graphic Novel?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a graphic novel is “a full-length (esp. science fiction or fantasy) story published as a book in comic-strip format.” 

In another definition that expands upon the OED one – from Michael Schumacher’s Will Eisner biography, graphic novels are —

book-length works of sequential art expanded in scope [beyond science fiction and fantasy] to include biography, memoir, history, and other types of non-fiction.

After looking at a couple more definitions, and also looking at what a comic book means as well as what a novel means, here is another definition in my words:

In short, a graphic novel is a pictorial representation of a regular novel, or simply, as the words themselves say, an illustrated novel. So like a novel, a graphic novel

• has a beginning, a middle, and an end
• is full-length,
• has a common narrative thread
• and is meant to be read as a full story (even if it is part of a series, just like a trilogy or other series in novels)

How is a Comic Book Different From This?

Compared to a graphic novel, a comic book is generally smaller. It is a serialized excerpt of a longer narrative; and comic books are issued regularly over a period of time. For example, the Archies comics, Marvel and DC comics, the Indrajal comics I read as a kid growing up in India, and even the Amar Chitra Katha.

The Superlative Magic of Graphic Novels??

So what is that superlative magic of graphic novels? Like I mentioned in a post about picture books, graphic novels are a wonderful breeding ground of readers.

The Reluctant Reader

Do you see that reluctant reader? Have you seen them glance at a magazine or flip their way through comics? Most likely, yes. But even if the answer is no, the chances they will peruse the pages of a graphic novel is way higher than expecting them to thumb through a regular one.

So hand them a graphic novel; and next step, slowly but surely, it is more reading. And whether it is more graphic novels or the regular ones, it should not matter at all.

What matters is that the reluctant reader is no longer reluctant, but simply a reader!

The Visual Reader

Then there are those readers who have never graduated from picture books and comics to novels. It could simply be because they process information better visually, through a combination of images and dialog versus just narrative. Or simply because they enjoy the graphical/illustrated medium better. [note I am not a trained educator but simply a passionate life-long reader of all sorts of books]

What better way to get them to read novels than these graphic novels? I for one know I enjoyed reading the Manga classics series recently for classics I wanted to return to after having read them years ago and for classics I completely missed reading earlier. This included Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Sense and Sensibility, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, among others.

The Time-bound Reader

For readers of any age, time is often a constraint; and graphic novels provide that perfect middle ground – the ability to read novels in a format that is quicker to finish.

Most often, the graphical adaptations of the novels I have read have certainly taken me way less time to read than the original novel itself (and I can attest to the fact as I read both of them).

Also, if the graphic novel is an adaptation of a different novel and if it is done well (luckily for me, I enjoyed all the adaptations I read so far), the graphical versions will retain the essence of the story.

Isn’t that magical?

Therein lies the superlative magic of graphic novels – the power to turn more people into (more consistent) readers.

Graphic Novels For All Ages

• When Stars are Scattered (9 – 12 years, and up) – A brilliant powerful graphic novel and memoir rolled into one wonderful package.
• Check out many more brilliant selections for young readers from the Cybils Awards 2020 nominations listed here
• George Takei’s They Called Us Enemy (I wanted to read this right after I finished a heart-tugging nonfiction read that narrated the story of Kiyo Sato)
• If you have always wanted to read Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Nah Harari, then pick up the graphic adaptation to get started!
• The Tale of Genji: Dreams at Dawn
• Poems to See By: A beautiful graphical adaptation of an anthology of poems.
• Manga Classics (including Huckleberry Finn, The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe, Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility)

My Amazon Picks

Additional Reading Resources

• The Truth about Graphic Novels (Virginia Tech – eJournals)
• Let’s Get Graphic: 100 Favorite Comics And Graphic Novels (NPR)
• Why Graphic Novels Are Storytelling Quicksand for Reluctant Readers (In a Good Way) (ReadBrightly)
• Why Are Picture Books Important (My blog!)

References, h/t: University of Maryland Research Guides, Britannica

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Blast From the Past

The Graphic Novel Book Review

This was a book I reviewed ages ago, and decided to include this in this rehashed, repurposed post, for it is all about graphic novels after all!!

Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Comics

Book Info

Description

Ever wonder how the leopard got his spots or how the elephant got his trunk? Well, look no further! In this comics compilation of Just So Stories, famed author and worldwide explorer Rudyard Kipling travels from the Horn of Africa to the deserts of India and discovers the truth behind four of the world’s wildest beasts.

My thoughts

Rudyard Kipling is definitely a well-loved author and even if people have not read him, many have definitely watched his stories come to like in ‘The Jungle Book’, ‘Kim’ and more. 

His short stories are as delightful as his novels and pack a whole lot of wit, wisdom, and oodles of fun.  You can read Rudyard Kipling’s original Just So Stories collection here online, thanks to Project Gutenberg.

This book is a graphic adaptation of some of his ‘Just So Stories’ and they are funny even in this retelling.  The comics retain the original plots but tell them with a more modern twist on them and the wacky illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to the stories.

Each story has a research page in the beginning and a conclusion at the end that adds to the story. The book also includes a few fun facts on the main characters/animals at the end of each story.

Some of the included stories are How the Leopard got his Spots, How the Elephant got his Trunk ,  and How the Camel got his Hump.

My son’s comments on these stories

“They are funny and totally interesting. I laughed so hard my pants fell off. My favorite story is ‘The Lazy Camel’. “ (mine too!)  

Get It Here

Amazon ||  Book Depository || BookShop || IndieBound

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a digital review copy of the book above. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book was in no way influenced by the author or publicist. They are my personal opinions formed when I read the book.

The Quirky Prompts

March 2021 Update: This were blogging prompts/questions I used to answer on a on-and-off basis and I included this one as it somehow matched that superlative theme I had going!

Superhero?

The first one from BlogHer from years ago (when I wrote this original post in 2013).

If you were a superhero, what would be your hidden superpower?

My hidden superpower – I guess would be lightning speed – in everything I do – then I would be finally able to accomplish all I plan to in the 24 hours each day and in life. Mind reading was a superpower I gave thought to but am not sure I would be comfortable with it at all. But I guess knowing exactly what powers the others possess will help. That might be a superpower I would love to have.

And Now, the End Of This Post

Dear reader, I would love to hear your thoughts on this post. Have you read any of the featured/mentioned books? Your thoughts on any that you have read, and similar recommendations for me are always welcome. What would be your hidden superpower?