Graphic novels are extremely popular among children, young adults and women. They provide an immersive experience like playing a video game. They are easier and faster to read, and are typically suited to people who do not have a fascination towards black and white literature. But what makes them so immensely unique and popular today?
We spoke to Girija Jhunjhunwala is the Director of Kalyani Navyug Media Pvt. Ltd. that publishes Campfire Novels to shed some light on why graphic novels are the future of literature. Campfire is a graphic novel publishing company, was incorporated in the year 2008 and offers tight storytelling, lucid writing, diverse artwork and emotive content.
What are the main components of a graphic novel?
A graphic novel is a book made up of content that is written in the form of thoughts or conversations among the characters in the novel which are enclosed in bubbles. The accompanying artwork is attractive and appealing. The artwork in graphic novels adds to the understanding and interpretations that readers make. Graphic Novels use captions to set up the background. Some other features include panels, gutter and frame which are used for giving the artwork a structure and create a sequence in the novel.
How do graphic novels differ from comic books?
A graphic novel is read like a book. The story is spun and concluded in the novel itself. Comics on the other hand are periodicals i.e. the story continues in a serialized fashion in subsequent releases. Graphic novels are more complex in terms of the storyline and are more detailed as compared to comics. Comics often revolve around superheroes while the themes used in graphic novels could be varied. The content and language used in graphic novels are more sophisticated.
What are the pros and cons of reading a graphic novel?
A graphic novel is a wonderful medium of exploring the story with artwork accompanying it. It’s easy to find the time to read it while commuting etc. Reading a graphic novel is like having an immersive experience, something similar to what one senses while watching a movie. Graphic novels create a powerful impact on the reader.
When reading a book, one can create and build up one’s own visualization of the scenes. The graphic novel already has the picture in front of the reader. Books give the reader more flexibility to interpret the writing in the way they would like to. Graphic novels do not carry the richness in terms of the details of the situations or the depth of emotions or even detailed conversations or debates within and among the characters that one easily finds in novels.
What according to you is the future of graphic novels?
Given the paucity of time, more and more people feel an affinity with the advances in graphic designing and innovative ways that technology can be applied in creating these novels. Graphic Novels are all set to become one of the most read genres of books. In fact they already are as proved by the compound annual unit sales growth.
Tell us 5 graphic novels that are must-reads
Some of the powerful graphic novels are –
Maus by Art Spiegelman – It depicts the experiences of a father during the holocaust.
A Contract with God by Will Eisner – The book’s short story cycle revolves around poor Jewish characters who live in a tenement in New York City.
Buddy Does Seattle by Peter Bagge – The book has hilarious experiences of the author and his loser cohorts.
It’s a good life if you don’t weaken by Seth – It is a mock-autobiography that tells the story of the author’s obsessive search for the work of a fictional forgotten cartoonist.
Blankets by Craig Thompson is an autobiography, the book tells the story of Thompson’s childhood in an Evangelical Christian family, his first love, and his early adulthood.
