From Gothic to Graphic

British Literature. Sat, Dec 12th, 2009 at 4:42 pm

Themes: Comics, Graphic Lit, Reading

Not that kind of graphic.

We spent much time on the imagery within Gothic literature—from the dramatic scenes of creation and destruction to the weather that cast an eerie (sometimes eerily calm) glow on the action. We’re going to continue this look at imagery (and plenty of other devices) with a study of graphic novels.

Your homework for this weekend is to travel to your favorite local book purveyor  and browse the graphic novel shelf (the library has a solid collection, just check before you drive).  Find a book that interests you, purchase (or borrow) it, and bring it to class on Monday.

"But wait," you say, "I don’t like superheroes and I’ve never even touched a graphic novel.  Heck, I don’t even know where to start."  Tilting my head in consolation, I respond: "Aww, shucks.  I’ll help you."  Offering a nick to the chin, we begin our journey:

Graphic Novels 101: A story in which your kindly teacher leads you through the illustrated world of the graphic novel, ending in your personal discovery that the most often looked down upon medium actually contains stories worth reading.  And studying.

First lesson, a list.  These are the cream of the crop.  The first three are autobiographical (though Jimmy Corrigan is only partly so); Sandman is masterfully written fantasy; Cerebus is part fantasy, part social satire (think Gulliver’s Travels with an aardvark); the final two are modern superhero tales.

• Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth—Ware’s novel traces three generations of Corrigan men, their effects on one another, and the title character’s life in unintentional isolation.
• Art Spiegelman’s Maus I and II—The story of Spiegelman’s father’s life as a Jew under the Nazi regime.  The tale is haunting and beautifully drawn.  Spiegelman won a Pulitzer for Maus I.
• Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis—In this graphic tale, Satrapi describes growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
• Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman series—I warn you, I have had several friends become hooked after the first novel.  First published as a series of 75 comic books, the series tells the story of Morpheus (Dream) and his five siblings (Death, Delirium, Destiny, Destruction, and Desire).  While the series should generally be read in order, Dream Country (#3) contains two of my favorite Sandman stories.  Please flip through before purchasing; some of the stories are a bit violent.
• Dave Sim’s Cerebus series—Like I said, Gulliver’s Travels with an aardvark.  To my knowledge, this is the longest running storyline (6000 pages) in comic history.  I could be wrong.
• Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men—Whedon, of Buffy the Vampire fame, is the current reigning master of witty dialogue.  The story is solid, but the characters are simply amazing.
• Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns—Often cited as the turning point in superhero comics.  Miller’s Batman is aged, doubtful of himself, and hated by the media.  Oh, the media.  If you want to begin a thorough study of the modern comic book, this is the place to start.

Now, go out and consume.

We’ll begin a formal look at graphic novels on Monday, so please pick one up before then.

Remember, this list is merely a starting point; find a work that piques your interest, not one that you think I want you to read.  Remember, remember, graphic novels are occasionally violent and may contain images that are inappropriate for high school.  You should get parental approval before purchasing anything not on the above list. Also, remember, remember, the fifth of November, the gunpowder treason and plot…

[Note: I realize that I am completely ignorant of authors, titles, movements, styles, etc. in the manga genre.  Please forgive this, and know I will accept any guidance you can offer in this realm.  I also realize that the Graphic Novels 101 subtitle contains an overly long sentence followed by a fragment.  Do as I say, not as I do.]

5 Responses to “From Gothic to Graphic”

1. Evan says:

   December 13, 2009 at 3:33 pm

   Hey Mr. Stallings i got a graphic novel called Zot And it is written by Scott McCloud. would this be ok?

2. JStallings says:

   December 13, 2009 at 4:01 pm

   That’s perfect. I’ll be using material from McCloud’s Understanding Comics in our discussion. I’ve never read Zot, but I’m sure it’s great.

3. okie says:

   December 14, 2009 at 2:31 pm

   I wanna come to class!!!

4. josh wallace says:

   December 16, 2009 at 7:38 am

   I always do:)

5. The Winsome Scholar » Best Graphic Novels says:

   January 6, 2010 at 5:43 pm

   […] already given you a list of my favorites, though I would add the Scott Pilgrim series and Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse (it is as gross as it […]