Graphic Novels
In 1969, John Updike wrote,"I see no intrinsic reason why a doubly talented artist might not arise and create a comic-strip novel masterpiece." Updike would see his prediction come true less than a decade later with the publication of Will Eisner's pioneering graphic novel, A Contract With God.
The graphic novel, a swiftly developing, high-low cultural hybrid, has a many-stranded past. Major influences include the caprices of 19th-century European caricaturists; the dazzling sketchbooks of Hokusai and, subsequently, Japanese manga (comic-strip narratives); and the underground comix that culminated in Art Spiegelman's Maus. The triumph of Maus allowed a generation of artists to pursue far-flung ideas and personal obsessions.
Increasingly, many have done so in books with special appeal for young readers. As a more grown-up version of comics, the graphic novel has proven to be an art form ideally suited to the coming-of-age story, as in Craig Thompson's Blankets. For beginning and "reluctant" readers, these illustrated books can be gateways to literacy as well.
Click on image to enlarge
Click on title for more information
Kerlan Features
Babymouse Queen of the World
Written and illustrated by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
2005
Reproduction of: A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories
Written by Will Eisner
2006
Originally published in 1978
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me
Written by Mariko Tamaki
Illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell
2019