Anonymous Patron writes “The Washington Post is the latest place to discover the term “graphic novel”
The reputation of comics has improved so much in recent decades that Maryland is planning a program that would use the books in public schools to help engage reluctant readers. Although some teachers have drawn upon comics as teaching tools, officials said the statewide project is the first of its kind in the nation.”
- Next Humor Books to Combat the SAD Season
- Previous Law librarians say technology has them more in demand
Recent Posts
- E-Books Can Subvert Book Bans, But Corporate Profit-Seeking Stands in the Way March 10, 2024
- Ten Stories That Shaped 2023 December 15, 2023
- War Sows Disruption at the National Book Awards November 16, 2023
- “No one else is saving it”: the fight to protect a historic music collection November 16, 2023
- No, I Don’t Want to Join Your Book Club November 9, 2023
- Iowa election 2023: Pella Public Library retains independence November 9, 2023
- A door at a Swedish library was accidentally left open 446 people came in, borrowed 245 books. Every single one was returned November 9, 2023
Recent Comments
- Examining Arab and Muslim librarians in fiction – Pop Culture Library Review on Librarian Combats Muslim Stereotypes
- St. Paul libraries face moment of reckoning – LISNews – News For Librarians on Secret and mysterious libraries
- Ellie on Just How Gross Are Library Books, Exactly?
- Prodigious1one on The Teaching Librarian Versus The Teacher
- Jason on Ten Stories That Shaped 2019
- centaurea on Libraries using Internet Trust Tools
LISNews Archives
- March 2024 (1)
- December 2023 (1)
- November 2023 (5)
- October 2023 (1)
- September 2023 (1)
- August 2023 (22)
- February 2023 (3)
- January 2023 (20)
- December 2022 (6)
- February 2022 (3)
- December 2021 (1)
- December 2020 (1)
- July 2020 (11)
- June 2020 (11)
- January 2020 (1)
- December 2019 (2)
- November 2019 (4)
- October 2019 (1)
- June 2019 (1)
- May 2019 (4)
- April 2019 (3)
- March 2019 (11)
- February 2019 (41)
- January 2019 (31)
- December 2018 (6)
- November 2018 (11)
- October 2018 (15)
- September 2018 (9)
- August 2018 (22)
- July 2018 (1)
- June 2018 (1)
- May 2018 (7)
- April 2018 (8)
- March 2018 (5)
- February 2018 (17)
- January 2018 (13)
- December 2017 (8)
- November 2017 (16)
- October 2017 (18)
- September 2017 (11)
- August 2017 (8)
- July 2017 (8)
- June 2017 (21)
- May 2017 (39)
- April 2017 (22)
- March 2017 (15)
- February 2017 (21)
- January 2017 (40)
- December 2016 (20)
- November 2016 (9)
- October 2016 (20)
- September 2016 (48)
- August 2016 (48)
- July 2016 (55)
- June 2016 (61)
- May 2016 (39)
- April 2016 (67)
- March 2016 (81)
- February 2016 (85)
- January 2016 (69)
- December 2015 (90)
- November 2015 (126)
- October 2015 (107)
- September 2015 (85)
- August 2015 (42)
- July 2015 (32)
- June 2015 (35)
- May 2015 (39)
- April 2015 (14)
- March 2015 (60)
- February 2015 (75)
- January 2015 (44)
- December 2014 (30)
- November 2014 (39)
- October 2014 (43)
- September 2014 (30)
- August 2014 (36)
- July 2014 (59)
- June 2014 (46)
- May 2014 (62)
- April 2014 (58)
- March 2014 (52)
- February 2014 (37)
- January 2014 (42)
- December 2013 (41)
- November 2013 (25)
- October 2013 (43)
- September 2013 (28)
- August 2013 (32)
- July 2013 (61)
- June 2013 (51)
- May 2013 (50)
- April 2013 (52)
- March 2013 (68)
- February 2013 (62)
- January 2013 (62)
- December 2012 (53)
- November 2012 (64)
- October 2012 (111)
- September 2012 (109)
- August 2012 (128)
- July 2012 (57)
- June 2012 (75)
- May 2012 (163)
- April 2012 (158)
- March 2012 (109)
- February 2012 (125)
- January 2012 (136)
- December 2011 (109)
- November 2011 (74)
- October 2011 (82)
- September 2011 (95)
- August 2011 (106)
- July 2011 (93)
- June 2011 (102)
- May 2011 (94)
- April 2011 (105)
- March 2011 (100)
- February 2011 (92)
- January 2011 (110)
- December 2010 (124)
- November 2010 (83)
- October 2010 (118)
- September 2010 (115)
- August 2010 (110)
- July 2010 (108)
- June 2010 (113)
- May 2010 (78)
- April 2010 (121)
- March 2010 (191)
- February 2010 (182)
- January 2010 (168)
- December 2009 (129)
- November 2009 (116)
- October 2009 (131)
- September 2009 (149)
- August 2009 (162)
- July 2009 (166)
- June 2009 (189)
- May 2009 (112)
- April 2009 (164)
- March 2009 (185)
- February 2009 (151)
- January 2009 (173)
- December 2008 (200)
- November 2008 (155)
- October 2008 (252)
- September 2008 (267)
- August 2008 (193)
- July 2008 (208)
- June 2008 (161)
- May 2008 (208)
- April 2008 (253)
- March 2008 (201)
- February 2008 (246)
- January 2008 (185)
- December 2007 (200)
- November 2007 (208)
- October 2007 (241)
- September 2007 (227)
- August 2007 (269)
- July 2007 (201)
- June 2007 (205)
- May 2007 (157)
- April 2007 (217)
- March 2007 (250)
- February 2007 (183)
- January 2007 (181)
- December 2006 (163)
- November 2006 (180)
- October 2006 (170)
- September 2006 (215)
- August 2006 (210)
- July 2006 (202)
- June 2006 (257)
- May 2006 (280)
- April 2006 (271)
- March 2006 (347)
- February 2006 (284)
- January 2006 (300)
- December 2005 (267)
- November 2005 (238)
- October 2005 (364)
- September 2005 (349)
- August 2005 (377)
- July 2005 (382)
- June 2005 (403)
- May 2005 (371)
- April 2005 (420)
- March 2005 (367)
- February 2005 (368)
- January 2005 (346)
- December 2004 (311)
- November 2004 (260)
- October 2004 (308)
- September 2004 (228)
- August 2004 (319)
- July 2004 (395)
- June 2004 (338)
- May 2004 (288)
- April 2004 (364)
- March 2004 (348)
- February 2004 (438)
- January 2004 (266)
- December 2003 (222)
- November 2003 (226)
- October 2003 (281)
- September 2003 (317)
- August 2003 (315)
- July 2003 (278)
- June 2003 (282)
- May 2003 (265)
- April 2003 (271)
- March 2003 (249)
- February 2003 (283)
- January 2003 (210)
- December 2002 (186)
- November 2002 (184)
- October 2002 (222)
- September 2002 (210)
- August 2002 (207)
- July 2002 (184)
- June 2002 (166)
- May 2002 (160)
- April 2002 (195)
- March 2002 (183)
- February 2002 (195)
- January 2002 (203)
- December 2001 (203)
- November 2001 (238)
- October 2001 (183)
- September 2001 (153)
- August 2001 (204)
- July 2001 (243)
- June 2001 (176)
- May 2001 (92)
- April 2001 (116)
- March 2001 (153)
- February 2001 (142)
- January 2001 (131)
- December 2000 (110)
- November 2000 (124)
- October 2000 (128)
- September 2000 (132)
- August 2000 (138)
- July 2000 (166)
- June 2000 (135)
- May 2000 (120)
- April 2000 (121)
- March 2000 (181)
- February 2000 (163)
- January 2000 (54)
- November 1999 (37)
and people think …
…Catcher in the Rye is controversial? Wait til this becomes the norm. As a longtime comic book reader I’ve gotten tired of the lack standards in comic books and the increasing violence in them. I’m starting to list some of it as I read them. They’re just not for kids anymore. Even Superman, which is mentioned in the article, had a scene recently where a villain is shown with blood on his front after he had raped a woman to death. Not good. Not good.
definitely not a new idea
Back in 7th grade my middle school English teacher had us read graphic novels instead of the actual works. For about a year I honestly thought “Last of the Mohicans” *was* a graphic novel. But other than messing with my 7th grader head, I don’t know whether they were any better or worse than reading the actual work. I do know that they actually got read, unlike “The Odyssey” and “The Iliad” in 12th grade Honors English, but that’s a story for another time…
I sorta agree
Publishing superhero comics that might appear attractive to children with plotlines that are for mature readers without some sort of designation (rating label, mature readers publishing house like DC’s Vertigo) is not a great idea. I’m not sure if Identiy Crisis for example had a warning on it or was published under the Comics Code.
However I think that most of the gritty superhero stories are really marketed to a male, over 25 adult audience. I don’t think that superheroes appeal to children as much as something like Yu-gi-oh does.
Most kids these days are reading manga, and the major manga publishers have ratings on their comics, and shrinkwrap the titles that are for a mature audience.
There are also some really great comics out there that are published for an all ages audience that would be a great fit in a school library.
Re:definitely not a new idea
My mother, an English teacher of 35+ years, was my co-consipirator when she bought me the graphic novel version of “Great Expectations” for my 9th grade honors English class.
Re:and people think …
I completely agree. After looking at some of the comic books in the older era, and then looking at some modern ones, it is quite sad how far comic book plots have been going down hill. Nowadays, its all about killing and sex. It is no surprise that very few people now compared to those 50 years ago read comics, or why the youngins are turning to the Japanese for their comic fix (increasingly, anyway). Beyonder, where are you!?!?!?
***I do not know about Catcher in the Rye being controversial, but heavens, I absolutely hated that book.
Re:I sorta agree
IC doesn’t have a warning label or the CCA (but how many people even know what that is?), its also the most heinous piece of writing this year.
Re:and people think …
Beyonder?! Noooooo, there’s much better stuff out there than that!
Re:and people think …
Finally American audiences are reaching the conclusion that, just because it’s a comic book or a cartoon, doesn’t automatically mean it’s for kids. However, when it comes to titles like Superman and especially Batman DC and Marvel also realized that a huge portion of their reader base is not as young as some people think. A massive part of comic readers are the 18 and over variety.
However, using typical American short sightedness, they don’t really inform readers that they’re purchasing a comic with a more mature storyline. After all, they don’t want to scare anyone off. Thing is, that most comic readers would expect blood, violence, rape, and gore in a Batman comic. Batman’s storyline is very dark, almost gothic. There’s murder, violence, rape, and savagery. That’s as much a part of the Gotham skyline as the Batsignal. On the other hand, Superman is the all-American boyscout who saves falling trains and the like. Metropolis and Gotham are nothing alike, so I think it’d surprise a lot of readers to see rape, murder, etc. in a Supes comic.
I really think there should be some kind of rating or warning or something on a comic with a mature storyline. Sure there’s room in the DC comics and Marvel comics universes for adult storylines. After all, some characters really lend themselves to that. Batman and the Punisher are all about revenge. Superman and the Fantastic Four are all about truth and goodness and happiness. Obviously one set of heros are darker than the other.
There are some steps being made. Someone mentioned that DC tends to publish the dark stuff under the Vertigo banner. Marvel uses a Marvel Knights banner. That’s where you’ll find the gritty stuff. But yeah, more and more, the lines between the banners grow thin.
On a final note, someone mentioned the manga and how it’s popular with kids. The really interesting thing about manga and it’s target audiences is that the Japanese really go for a target audience and make the story and cover art so there’s no doubt what’s inside. Yu Gi Oh looks like teen and young adult stuff. Hamtaro and Pokemon look like kiddie fare. Golgo 13, on the other hand, looks like it’s for adults, which it is. And then things like Urotsukidoji, looks like it’s XXX rated, or hentai as the Japanese call it. The point is that, unlike American comics, they really understand who their stories are for and who wants to read them and they do everything they can to target that market.
The problem is that, when the manga or anime reach America, dimwitted American companies may modify or change the work to reach a broader audience. Sailor Moon, for example, has a lesbian undertone that offends the Japanese not at all but is considered somehow unclean for American audiences. So they removed it. Now when a kid goes and buys a non-modified manga or anime, they may unwittingly snag something they had no idea existed.
Re:I sorta agree
I’d heard that IC was really bad, so I didn’t even pick it up. I don’t tend to read any DC comics other than some of the Vertigo and CMX titles.
Re:I sorta agree
If it were a Vertigo (mature) title with a complete set of new characters a la Watchmen it would be pretty good actually but the ramifications to the DC Universe are too big to ignore.
Re:and people think …
Actually, being a big sailor moon fan (guilty pleasure), the only real lesbian undertones were found later in the series. And the american companies do have good reason to delete scenes from certain anime. It is not due to being dumb, more so to adjust to American sensabilities. Though, I admit, the fact Sailor Uranus and Neptune were cousins in America, but were lesbian lovers in Japan, absolutely did nothing to change the tone of the show for me.
But back on topic. I have not bought a new American comic book since this short story-arc involving the Avengers and Ultron; where, essentially, Ultron wipes out an entire nation of its citizens. It was pretty good, but very violent.
However, I really do not see much in the way of American comics attracting new fans. I would guess that the reason why many American comics are getting extreme would be to have some sort of aura of being hardcore or forbidden, in the hopes of attracting a young crowd they believe are into that sort of thing.
I think that in the recent decades, comic books, which were once very popular among a broad audience, have nowadays been seen as something nerdy. I do not think it would be possible for it to make a sustained comeback in to the actual mainstream, except for the occasional Marvel movie blockbuster.
Just because it’s graphic doesn’t mean….
that it will be particularly engaging. I was trying to find a graphic novel that dealt with the civil war, since my 8th grader has very low interest in history. I found one title that was marketed as a “graphic novel” about the civil war, but it was just a badly drawn comic with a crappy story line. I’m not so much worried about offensive stuff getting into the classroom as I am about school districts getting hornswaggled into buying slick-marketed, buzzword crud that won’t be any more effective or compelling than a textbook. I mean, read the ad copy for this one. Yuck!