Please Don’t Call It a Graphic Novel

…says Art Spiegelman, annointed father of the genre. He says, “If that’s true (that he’s the father), I want a blood test,” the Economist reports. ‘Graphic novel’ sounds more respectable, but I prefer ‘comics’ because it credits the medium. [‘Comics’] is a dumb word, but that’s what they are.”

Spiegelman is not without his share of ticks. He admitted that he hates collaborating with other artists, he talks out loud while he works and he takes very little pleasure in drawing. “I don’t have the natural skills or patience to draw well,” he said. “I take no pleasure in drawing a tree just for a tree’s sake. I only draw a tree when I absolutely need a tree.”