Graphic Novel Bookgroup

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.