History of Graphic Novels: 2000's
The 2000s marked a transformative period for graphic novels, solidifying their status as a legitimate form of literature. This era saw an increase in the publication of serious graphic texts, including notable works like Marjane Satrapi's *Persepolis* and Gene Luen Yang's *American Born Chinese*, which expanded the medium's reach into various genres such as graphic histories, biographies, and memoirs. Despite some decline in sales, libraries played a pivotal role in promoting graphic novels by expanding their collections and catering to diverse reader interests, thus challenging the perception of comics primarily as youth-oriented material.
This decade also saw critical recognition for graphic novels, with works like Alison Bechdel's *Fun Home* receiving accolades typically reserved for traditional literature. Academic institutions began to embrace the study of graphic novels, establishing dedicated programs and courses, although the lack of a centralized approach raised challenges in defining and categorizing the medium. As graphic novels tackled complex themes like war, identity, and societal issues, their cultural impact grew, suggesting a promising future for the medium as it continues to evolve and find its place within both popular and academic contexts. Overall, the 2000s contributed significantly to the validation and appreciation of graphic novels as a dynamic and versatile literary form.
History of Graphic Novels: 2000's
Definition
Since 2000, the acceptance of graphic novels as a valid form of literature has gained momentum, undeniably shaping both the medium and its contributors and influencing its future. As graphic novels are increasingly found in libraries and academic arenas, the popularity of serious graphic texts and the expansion of the medium to include historical texts and graphic adaptations raise concerns about the already complicated classification and definition of the term “graphic novel.”
Introduction
While anthologies have broadened their contents to reflect the interests and experiences of a more diverse faculty and student population, the inclusion of comics in textbooks still surprises readers, for despite the diversity promoted by publishers, comics are one of the last media still struggling to earn respect in academia. However, academic publishers have recognized the validity of the medium and have included “graphic essays” (usually excerpts from graphic novels) in readers, anthologies, and other textbooks. From chapters of Art Spiegelman’s Maus (1986, 1991) in American literature anthologies to excerpts from Lynda Barry’s One! Hundred! Demons! (2000-2001) in college readers, graphic texts are working their way into the American literary consciousness.
During the 2000’s, many serious graphic novels—including Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis (2000-2003) and Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese (2006), countless manga titles, and graphic histories of such events as the signing of the U.S. Constitution and Hurricane Katrina—were published. The medium asserted itself as one that accommodates many genres, including graphic histories, graphic biographies, and graphic mythology, and as the genres have multiplied, so has readership. While declining sales might contradict the popularity or cultural reach of graphic novels, libraries play a key role in recognizing the validity of the medium by meeting readers’ demand for graphic texts, building and expanding graphic novel collections in both young-adult and adult reader sections.
Significant Publications
A number of notable graphic novels chronicling significant historical events or serving as graphic memoirs or graphic biographies were published during the 2000’s. Of these, several have garnered critical attention and awards, such as Joe Sacco’s Safe Area Goražde (2000) and Satrapi’s Persepolis, both winners of Eisner Awards (Satrapi won the award for Persepolis 2, published in 2004). Though Maus earned a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation in 1992, it was not until the 2000’s that graphic novels began to be more frequently noticed by both critics writing for publications that do not focus exclusively on comics art and juries for awards that are not limited to graphic or comics work. For example, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home (2006) was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award.
As the pervasion of graphic novels into areas dominated by written texts continued throughout the 2000’s, the publication of graphic novels tackling such significant subjects as war, politics, gender and sexuality, and racism increased. Other novels published during the period borrow from the more traditional superhero and horror comics to comment on the state of the modern world; these include Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass (2008-2010), which questions the morality and necessity of vigilante justice, and Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead (2003- ), which takes the zombie genre in a direction more akin to Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2006) than George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968).
That graphic novelists tackle such significant subjects is not a new development. However, the frequency with which authors have used the medium and the positive critical and public receptions of such works suggest that those working in the medium, from publishers to writers and artists, are heeding a call to validate it by demonstrating the depth and breadth of its potential.
Graphic Novels in Libraries
The role of public and academic libraries in the readership and reception of graphic novels has shifted the focus of the medium from long-form texts based on popular serial comics characters (Batman, the X-Men, Spider-Man) to texts that could be more accurately described as graphic nonfiction, graphic memoirs, and graphic historical fiction. The inconsistent application of such descriptions and the general lack of agreement on those labels or on appropriate categorization by readership seem to be particularly problematic for libraries, in which the location and classification of graphic novels vary dramatically.
Periodicals such as Library Journal have made efforts to provide guidance to librarians, particularly by publishing reviews to help them select texts appropriate for their collections. However, the industry struggles to reach those who have yet to accept the graphic novel as a valid medium, or at least as a medium appropriate for and targeted at adult readers. For example, articles written to help librarians build graphic novel and comic collections frequently assume that such collections are for young adults. As a result, many graphic novel collections in public libraries appear in young-adult collections, and graphic novels that are not appropriate for young-adult readers are omitted from collections. The omission of notable texts, or of collections altogether, is still the subject of much campaigning in library journals and other relevant publications.
The Academic Study of Graphic Novels
Like libraries, academic programs also struggle to classify the study of graphic novels and comic texts. The University of Florida became the first university to establish a graduate program in comics studies in the United States; it is part of the graduate English program. Courses in graphic novels and comics are found in visual media studies, English and literature, and graphic design programs, and professors and lecturers across disciplines have introduced graphic texts into their courses.
While such a lack of centralized study of graphic texts seems promising in that it suggests that the medium is versatile and valuable, decentralization poses a problem in the development of theory and praxis. Many who primarily or exclusively study graphic novels are based in English or literature departments; such placement is logical if one considers the graphic novel purely a literary text. However, the visual element of graphic novels is as significant as the written content, as is the relationship between the word and the image. Any academic studying the medium must be knowledgeable in not only literary theory but also visual theory. No doubt those studying comics and graphic novels find themselves proficient in both concentrations, a trend that coincides with movements in K-12 education toward multiple types of literacy, addressing students’ ability to engage with written, visual, and audio media.
In fact, the decentralization of the study of graphic novels and comics speaks not to the failure of libraries or institutions of higher education to “find a home” for these texts but to the innate complexity of the texts. To those inclined to order and to organization, the ad hoc nature of the study of graphic novels is uncomfortable; to readers of graphic novels, issues of classification are no surprise, for such a limitless medium will naturally present limitless options for study.
Impact
As suggested by the direction that both creators and students of graphic novels have taken since 2000, one might expect the medium of comics and graphic novels to continue to flourish in areas deemed more credible by academics and libraries: for example, history, biography, and literary fiction. Whether creators are responding to criticism or whether the graphic novel has, at last, found its niche has yet to be seen. However, as in any medium, from poetry to painting, one can certainly expect a range of work, from simplistic texts with commercial appeal to mature texts with complex themes. The lasting power not only of individual texts and authors but also of specific subgenres of the medium is not yet known.
Spiegelman’s Maus, a work frequently anthologized and widely studied by academics, has found its place in the literary canon, and it is clear that the reading public continues to embrace graphic novels as legitimate texts. However, which texts join Maus and which are relegated to trend is less certain. As is true with most any medium, those texts possessing social or cultural significance and those demonstrating original or “mature” use of the medium will continue to be held in high esteem.
Bibliography
Gordon, Ian. “Let Us Not Call Them Graphic Novels: Comic Books as Biography and History.” Radical History Review, no. 106 (Winter, 2010): 185-192. Uses three graphic novels about politics to determine the appropriate classification of the texts and argues that the term graphic novel is a “marketing tool” for publishers.
Gravett, Paul. Graphic Novels: Everything You Need to Know. London: Aurum, 2005. Covers everything from the definition of the term graphic novel to readers’ questions about graphic novels, also providing a list of thirty essential works.
Griffith, Paula A. “Graphic Novels in the Secondary Classroom and School Libraries.” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 54, no. 3 (November, 2010): 181-189. Addresses the concerns of educators and librarians and provides concrete guidelines and suggestions for using graphic novels in the classroom and building school library collections.
Weiner, Steven. The 101 Best Graphic Novels. New York: NBM, 2005. Provides an introduction and a history of the medium for unfamiliar readers and lists significant graphic novels for young-adult or adult readers.