BEACONSFIELD LIBRARY WWHHAATT AARREE GGRRAAPPHHIICC NNOOVVEELLSS??

(Psst, they’re not just for kids anymore...)

MORE THAN JUST COMIC BOOKS!

Graphic novels are not called as such because they are full of violent and/or explicit scenes. While certain graphic novels may contain scenes of this nature, the term “graphic novel” simply denotes a story that is told in a visual format. It is not the most descriptive title, as it has all kinds of negative connotations and is by no means descriptive of the entire canon, but it is the name that stuck. The term “sequential art” is sometimes used to better describe the medium. Graphic novels do not constitute a genre. They feature stories in particular genres, such as mystery, biography, family stories, and others. The graphic medium is simply used to tell the story. Not all graphic novels convey fictional stories: they are a very effective medium for biographies and memoirs, as well as historical narratives. , author of the groundbreaking two-part work Maus, put it very succinctly: “A graphic novel is a that you need a bookmark for”. By this, he meant two things: graphic novels are usually too long to be read in a single sitting, and they contain fully developed stories. Unlike popular comic strips, graphic novels rely on continuity to relate one page to the next. Here is a concise, but by no means exhaustive, list of excellent graphic novels in several different genres that can be found in this library. Enjoy!

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NOT-SO-HUMBLE BEGINNINGS... These are some of the classic and defining works of the medium.

A Contract with God (1978) By Will Eisner (G EIS) Genre: History Portraits of Jewish life in the tenements of New York City in the 1930s. By turns sad, ironic, and funny, this is an accurate portrait of Jewish life in the big city in that time period.

Maus: A Survivor’s Tale (1986-1991) 1. My father bleeds history 2. And here my troubles began By Art Spiegelman (G SPE) Genre: Memoir/History Art Spiegelman tells the powerful story of how his father survived the Holocaust. All nationalities are symbolically dehumanized here: Jews are mice, Germans are cats, Americans are dogs, etc.

Watchmen (1987) By and (G MOO) Genre: Superhero After helping the United States win the Vietnam War, a group of vigilante superheroes go into retirement, only to secretly return to look into the death of one of their compatriots.

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BIOGRAPHIES AND MEMOIRS

Blankets (2004) By Craig Thompson (G THO) “Blankets” explores the rivalry between two brothers growing up in rural Wisconsin, and the budding romance of two young lovers. This is a beautiful coming-of-age tale.

Cancer Vixen (2006) By Marisa Acocella Marchetto (G MAR) This is a powerful memoir in which the author/illustrator tells of her battle with breast cancer.

Johnny Cash: I see a darkness (2009) By Reinhard Kleist (G KLE) A biography of musician Johnny Cash’s life which depicts the major milestones of the folk singer’s career from its beginnings in 1950’s Arkansas to his death in 2003.

Persepolis (2001-2005) 1. The story of a childhood 2. The story of a return By Marjane Satrapi (G SAT) Satrapi lived in Iran during her youth. In these two haunting volumes, she remembers the difficulties of being a modern woman living in a country ruled by traditionalists. This is poignant, memorable story.

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HISTORY Read about wars, revolutions, and other historical events in a graphic format.

A. D.: New Orleans After the Deluge (2009) By Josh Neufield (G NEU) This graphic novel depicts the events of Hurricane Katrina though six true stories of New Orleanians who survived the storm.

Waltz with Bashir (2008) By Ari Folman and David Polonsky (G FOL) Beirut, 1982. Ari Folman supposedly helped to massacre thousands of Palestinian refugees, but remembered nothing of that night or of the weeks leading up to it. What was he doing during the slaughter?

GENERAL FICTION

The Adventures of Blanche (2009) By Rick Geary (G GEA) Blanche moves from England to America in the early twentieth century with dreams to live as an independent woman.

The Nobody (2009) By Jeff Lemire (G LEM) A strange man wrapped head to toe in bandages arrives in a small town. When a local woman mysteriously disappears, he is the immediate suspect.

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MYSTERY AND NOIR FICTION Mystery and crime fans will love these gritty, dark offerings.

Britten and Brulightly (2008) By Hannah Berry (G BER) Britten and his partner, Brulightly, take on the case of a man who has committed suicide. At least, suicide was the official verdict...

West Coast Blues (2009) By Jacques Tardi (G TAR) George Gerfaut witnesses a murder and finds himself sucked into a spiral of violence involving a war criminal and two assassins. This is dark and violent, but it is a fantastically gripping read!

FOR FURTHER READING...

 Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels By Roger Sabin (741.5909 S116c)  Men of Tomorrow By Gerard Jones (741.5 J77m)  The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels By Danny Fingeroth (741.509 F497r)

Beaconsfield Library 303 Beaconsfield Blvd. Beaconsfield (Quebec) H9W 4A7 (514) 428-4460 http://www.beaconsfieldbiblio.ca

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