Graphic Novels: Everything You Need to Know

by Paul Gravett

Book Overview

Once stereotyped as the preserve of improbably dressed superhumans with world-saving tendencies, in recent years graphic novels have become one of today's most exciting art forms, taking on the world... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060824255
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Harper Design
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 2.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 9.5" x 0.8"

Customer Reviews

Couldn't be better...

My favorite part about this book is the fact that it goes so in depth with every piece they take a look at. I've never even heard of some of these comics, and I consider myself a decent conisseur. I suppose the only thing that might improve it is a look at some more non-English graphic novels, but we can't have everything, apparently. I did appreciate that they kept further away from comic books and really concentrated on a graphically told story with the same amount of depth as a novel, rather than the corny and awful dialogue and storytelling coming out of some of today's comics.

Show and Tell

This is a great primer on how and why to read graphic literature (traditionally known as "comic books") as well as an excellent catalog of the best works of sequential art (for an enlightening exploration of just what sequential art is and how it works, read Scott McCloud's seminal Understanding Comics). This attractively designed book contains detailed two-page entries on 30 works considered classics by the author (with whom I concur--at least on the ones I've read), and slightly less detailed half page entries on 120 others (see images at the top of item description), all of which provide sample pages and analysis of the storytelling technique employed by the creator(s). (Unfortunately, the text on the half page reproductions is sometimes too small to read without the aid of a magnifying glass.) The book is divided into chapters arranged by subject matter, which begin with a background essay on the history of each genre and contain a sidebar with a brief list of additional recommendations (totaling another 100 in all). The genres covered are Childhood Stories, Life Stories, War, Superheroes (of course), Fantasy/Science Fiction, Horror, Mystery/Crime, Humor/Satire, Historical (fiction and non), and Erotica. While I highly recommend this book for people trying to familiarize themselves with the realm of graphic novels, the subtitle, "Everything You Need to Know," is not entirely accurate. The focus here is on English language comics. For a sampling of graphic literature from around the globe, check out The Essential Guide to World Comics by Tim Pilcher and Brad Brooks. However, my only real disappointment was with the lack of attention given to some creators, and the total absence of others. The most glaring of these is the cursory mention of Grant Morrison, one of the greatest comic book writers of the past 20 years. Although Animal Man and The Invisibles are mentioned in two of the book's auxiliary sidebar lists, neither these nor any of Morrison's other works--which include Arkham Asylum, Doom Patrol, JLA: Earth 2, and The Mystery Play--are featured in the more in-depth two page or half page formats. (I can excuse the absence of what I think is possibly Morrison's greatest work, WE3, because it came out in graphic novel form after Gravett's book went to press.) Several of the overlooked Morrison works listed above would have been much deserving additions to what I consider the weakest chapter in the book, "The Superhuman Condition." While I understand the author's desire to direct readers' attention to the wealth of non superhero graphic novels out there, this chapter--one of the shortest in the book--failed to mention several of the best examples of superheroic fiction. These would include tales featuring well-established characters, such as JSA: The Golden Age, by James Robinson and Paul Smith, as well as less traditional works like The Authority, a series created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch about an antiestablishment group of sup

Awesome For ADHDers

I was looking for something to give me a firm history of this "new" genre of fiction and this proved very useful. The author seems to have a firm understanding of how the reader's eye moves about (especially comic book readers) and keeps his format as true to his subject matter as possible. He allows the reader to skip ahead, and around; dig deep in the subject matter, or theme; run rampant around the page. I couldn't recommend this book more for those who are unfamiliar with graphic novels, aspire to write one, or just plain enjoy the history. I loved the way that the author stuck to mature subject matter/ writers as well. Fantastic!

Comic Lit Goes Legit!

Following his success of Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics with another affirmative and considered guide to comics, Gravett now focuses on the phoenix-like return of the "Graphic Novel" that failed to live up to expectations in the early '90s. However, time has moved on and this book reveals how the medium has evolved dramatically over the past ten years. Gravett's masterstroke is to reproduce at least two full pages of sequential artwork, giving readers a real flavour of each title examined. Annotated notes alongside the artwork explain the material in a manner reminiscent of fine art books. Not only that but the excellent, if initially hard to follow, thematic cross indexing means there are endless ways of making connections between disparate titles such as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Dystopias) leads to Enkil Bilal's Nikopol Trilogy. Follow another link (Nature) and you get Jiro Taniguchi's The Walking Man. It's a close as the Internet on the page as you'll ever get. This book is perfect for librarians and educationalists looking to broaden their, and their students', knowledge and while many comics aficionados will be familiar with the titles, there are still a few surprises and the chapter openers contain many anecdotal nuggets. A perfect present to convert that literary die-hard who'd have to admit that comics haven't just grown up, but are now entering a self-assured and confident middle-age.

Excellent book for comics novices and fans alike

This is a terrific resource for anyone looking to get into comics or a comics fan looking for more reading material. Gravett discusses 100 comics, by such greats as Art Spiegelman, Neil Gaiman, and Daniel Clowes. The book is informative, well-written, and has tons of sample excerpts from various graphic novels. Most importantly, it's a lot of fun to read!