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Some have argued that the written word is dead. That there are no new stories out there, only the retelling of old. Novels as we know them are a dying breed. For years they have been becoming simpler with less substance but perhaps, more style. Blame it on our fast-paced immediate satisfaction attitude, but written works have by and large become much more action packed, less descriptive. If that is the case, simply putting a fresh spin on Romeo & Juliet, as West Side Story did, is just not enough. And that is where graphic novels come in.
A graphic novel is just what it sounds like, a story told with a combination of pictures and words. As with fiction, it is genre that has many subsets. There is the typical super-hero story, the creative nonfiction, manga, gothic horror, and many others. These are loose classifications at best, as one can easily slip over into another. As you can see, graphic novels are by no means just for children.

MANGA
Among adolescence, manga is more popular now than ever. You can’t go into a bookstore without seeing row after row of books devoted to the Japanese comic book. The most well known titles these days are Pokemon and Dragonball Z. But it all began with Akira, the classic story of a futuristic Tokyo where street gangs fight for turf on their super-fast motorcycles.

SUPER HERO
This is perhaps the most expected genre, but also one of the most interesting. These deal with your common comic book plots, characters with secret identities and super powers, as well as some of the deeper plot themes. The art styles of this genre are some of the most provocative. When Marvel or DC comics decide to issue a graphic novel they recruit the best writers and artists that can be found. So even if the idea of reading a story about these kinds of characters puts you off, try them for the artwork. You won’t be disappointed.
The two best examples of this genre that I can think of are Kingdome Come from DC comics and Marvels from Marvel comics. Both titles are illustrated by Alex Ross, one of the best artists in the industry. His paintings are so realistic and yet surreal, because of the surreal content being dealt with. Each one these titles also are told from the perspective of an ordinary citizen observing the actions of those with super-powers. It leads to many provocative ponderings about the relationship between gods and man, between different ethnic groups, etc, etc. Really great reads.

GOTHIC HORROR & FANTASY

This genre deals with both the utterly fantastic, and the fantastic that lurks behind the thin veil of reality. Gothic Horror deals with the human condition and the evil and the evil that they are capable of. This would be akin to a Steven King novel, or any of the TSR fantasy novels.
Neil Gaiman cut his teeth writing various comics for DC. It wasn’t until he was asked to do a mini-series on a long retired character that he really came into his own. The Sandman story is by no means a comic book. It transcends that completely. The story is adult, dealing with life, death, love, and almost anything else you can think of in a unique way. Neil is one of the best writers of the later 20th, early 21st century. His use of language is so concise yet original that it really is something to behold. Authors such as Stephen King have begged to be allowed to write stories for his Sandman universe. He has won numerous awards for the series. I cannot recommend enough any work by Gaiman. Aside from his comic book beginning he has gone on to find success with three bestselling novels, as well as several independent graphic novels. Other titles to look for in this genre are The Crow, Constantine and the Tragic Comedy of Mr. Punch.

CREATIVE NON-FICTION

Not all graphic novels have to deal with the fantastic or the supernatural. They can tell the tales of ordinary people in extraordinary real life situations. Take for example two that have appeared on The New York Times bestseller list, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi and Maus by Art Speigelman.
Persepolis follows the life of a young girl growing up before and then during the Islamic Revolution of Iran. It depicts some serious scenes, such as torture, bombing, and demonstrations, without being overly graphic. This fits the mood of the book very well. Ms. Satrapi does not want her message to be drowned out because of the images, they are to enhance the story not overshadow it. The running narrative, panel to panel, is interesting and makes the story flow along very smoothly. The art is black and white, a very simplistic approach. This is part of the appeal of the art. Its simplicity allows her to show some of the more gratuitous scenes, without fear of disgusting or driving anyone away.
Maus on the other hand deals with the holocaust. The Nazis are represented by cats, and the Jews, mice. Again it deals in simplistic black and white panels, but does not take away from the horror of the actual experience. Both titles deal passionately with serious issues without making light of the situation.
They are not comic, but through the use of a well chosen wording, and often times stark imagery, they deal with subjects in a way that makes them accessible to everyone. From a high-school global studies student, to a thirty-five year old professional with little leisure time, could not only read these rather quickly, but come away with the same, if not heightened sense, of the gravity of the situation as some one who just finished reading a 300 page book on the subject.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Over the past ten years, this format has gained popularity tremendously. Hollywood has been making movies based on this genre at a record pace. In the past year we’ve seen movies based on some obvious choices like Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men and the Fantastic Four. These are the obvious ones because they are based on the Super-Hero genre. But there are many others that might surprise you. From Hell, Sin City, A History of Violence, and Constantine are some that you might be surprised to find out are also based on graphic novels.

The graphic novel is an art-form like no other. It requires concise language, and appropriate art. This appropriate art could range from simple black and white drawing like those found in Maus and Persepolis, to full blown painted artwork, like those from acclaimed artist, Alex Ross or anywhere in between. So take a break from the tired worn out novel and try something new. College leaves little leisure time, take a break from the studying and the drinking and pick up a graphic novel. You will not be disappointed

TOP 10 RECOMMENDED READING

1. Maus- Art Speigelman
2. The Watchmen- Alan Moore
3. Kingdom Come- Mark Weid
4. The Sandman- Neil Gaiman
5. Sin City- Alan Moore
6. Marvels- Kurt Buseik
7. Ghost World- Daniel Clowes
8. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth- Chris Ware
9. Persepolis: Marjane Satrapi
10. V for Vendetta- Alan Moore