Vanessa Irvin MorrisAssistant Professor

The iSchool at Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA, USAvmorris@drexel.edu

Comics to Graphic Novels Historical Timeline▫ Comic form originally literacy format for working class and poor▫ Graphic novels go as far back as 1842▫ 1930s: Banner decade for Newspaper Comic Strip launchings

▫ Blondie & Dagwood (1930 – still running)▫ Superman (1939 - 1966)▫ The Phantom (1936 – still running)

▫ 1934: DC Comics established▫ 1938: DC Comics launched Superman, volume 1▫ Superman ran 1939-1988, issues 0-423▫ Adventures of Superman ran 1987 – 2006, Issues 424-649

▫ 1939: Marvel Comics parent company (Timely Publications) established

Comics to Graphic Novels

▫ 1940s: Big boom in comics – readership sky high – post-War reading – considered “Golden Age of Comics”▫ 1940: Will Eisner lauded for The Spirit▫ 1941: Marvel launched Captain America

▫ 1950s: TV makes fiction visual; Comic sales go down▫ 1951: Timely (aka Atlas Comics) officially becomes Marvel

Comics

▫ 1960s: Anime comes to America▫ Underground comics ▫ Deal with political and social topics of the day▫ Japanese animation comes to American TV

Comics to Graphic Novels▫Historical Timeline▫ 1970s: Creation of “Graphic Novel”

1972: Maus, by Art Spiegelman is born as a small comic strip; 1978: Publication of Will Eisner’s Contract with God,

the first ever graphic novel – a connective series ofshort stories bound in one volume, subtitled as “a graphic novel by Will Eisner”

▫ 1980s: Begins “Modern Age of Comics” Graphic novel renaissance w/mass-market trade paperbacks; 1986: Art Spiegelman morphs Maus into full graphic novel form 1988: Eisner Awards are born at Comic-Con Conference

Considered the “Oscars” of comic book industry (see willeisner.com)

Comics toGraphic Novels▫ Historical Timeline

▫ 1990s: Batman, Darkman begin resurgence of comic characters in cinema; Graphic novels available as serializations; Graphic novels gain popularity in libraries; 1992 – Maus, A Survivor’s Tale, wins Pulitzer Prize,

solidifying literary quality of graphic novel form

▫ 2000s: ▫ Comic franchises in cinema w/movie tie-ins, of course;▫ X-Men I, II, III, IV (forthcoming), V (forthcoming)▫ Spider Man I, II, III▫ Fantastic Four I, II▫ Iron Man I, II (forthcoming)

Biographies, literary classics in graphic novel form; American Born Chinese (2006) wins 2007 Printz Award from YALSA

Contemporary USComics Defined Categories:

Traditional Comics Typical flimsy magazine format serialized

Graphic Novels Original book-length stories in comic format

Collected Works Also called trade collections or graphic albums

previously published in graphic novel form Manga

Japanese comics, pocket-sized, highly serialized

SOURCE: http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/graphicnovels/formats/

Comics and Libraries

Traditional Comics (flimsy mags) Not usually in library collections Still popular in comic book shops,

amongst collectors, comic conventions May be stored in archives, historical art collections

Graphic Novels & Manga Popular in library collections, esp. public libraries If literary tie-in, may be present in school libraries High circulating

Collected Works Popular in library collections, esp. art collections May circulate; may be reference

Comics & Censorship

May have challenges to: Language Graphic depictions of violence Possible sexist representations Possible objectionable themes

Horror/Supernatural Science Fiction Crime Contemporary Issues (Middle East themes, war, etc.)

Collection development policy should cover intellectual freedom

ALA Code of Ethics counsels against self-censorship

Always use sanctioned resources for selection

SOURCE: http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/graphicnovels/dev/censorship.php

Comics and Gender

Comics (American) Typically attracts males, young & old Female characters can be sexist in representation, even

the super-heroes Sub-genres

Bad-girl Comics Catwoman Xena: Warrior Princess

Babe Comics Witchblade Lady Pendragon

Manga (Japanese) Typically attracts females, young & old Gender-swapping common (girl mistaken for boy, vice-

versa) Gender representations culture-specific to Japan American publications may be sensitized to American

cultural normshttp://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/graphicnovels/dev/women.php; http://web.mit.edu/rei/www/manga-gender.html

Creators & Artists

Writer: writes story / dialogue Penciller: draws comic in pencil Inker: outlines images in black ink Colorist: adds color to black/white line

art, using paints, photography, digital media, etc.

Letterer: writes story in speech bubbles, usually last part of process

Editor: oversees process, for glitches and errors

Artist: can be combo ofpenciller and/or inker

Graphic Novel - Formats

Series Monthly, Bi-Monthly Quarterly Irregular

Limited Series (finite set of issues) Most contain 4 issues

But can be from 2 to 12 issues. Mini-Series

4 issues or less Maxi-Series

10 issues or more

SOURCE: http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/graphicnovels/formats/

Graphic Novels - Formats Standard Annual

Yearly supplement to an ongoing series Batman Annual Fantastic Four Annual

Stand-alone titles Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror Aliens vs. Predator Annual

One-Shot Monographic (one-time) publication.

Standard comic format or Prestige Comic or Treasury Edition

SOURCE: http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/graphicnovels/formats/

Graphic Novel - Formats Standard format

Typically 32-page s, 7” x 10” “Double-Size" = 48 pages,

Annuals Special editions (anniversary, special event, lengthier story)

“80-Page Giants”: Some DC Comics annuals and special anthologies

Prestige Format Standard 8" x 10“

square-bound with heavier stock covers Oftentimes high quality paper Most are one-shots

Treasury Edition Folio sized

Typically prestige format and tabloid-sized.

SOURCE: http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/graphicnovels/formats/

Graphic Novels- Formats Magazine

Ongoing series , but can have larger dimensions and pages than standard format

Black & White Comics Smaller publishers Independent publishers May have color covers, but black and

white content (typical of manga)SOURCE: http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/graphicnovels/formats/

People to Know in Comics

Marvel Comics (founded 1939) Stan Lee (1922 - )

Captain America Spider Man X-Men Fantastic Four Daredevil The Hulk Iron Man

Partners: Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko Will do the “Hitchcock Thing”

in his movies!

People to Know in Comics

DC Comics ( founded 1934) Batman: Bob Kane (1915 – 1988) & Bill Finger (1914-1974)

Superman: Jerry Siegel (1914-1996) & Joe Schuster (1914-1992)

Wonderwoman: Wm Marston (1893 – 1947)

The Flash: Gardner Fox (1911-1986) & Harry Lampert (1916-2004)

Green Lantern: Bill Finger (1914-1974) & Martin Nodel (1915-2006)

The Watchmen: Alan Moore (1953 - ) & Dave Gibbons (1949 - )

Other important DC Comics characters: Bat-Girl Catwoman League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Promethea

People to Know in Comics

Art Spiegelman (1948- ) Maus I, A Survivor’s Tale (1986)

Won Pulitzer (1992) Maus II, And Here My Troubles Began (1991)

Osamu Tesuka (1928 - 1989) Astro Boy (1963) Kimba the White Lion (1966)

“Father of Anime” | “God of Manga” There were legal issues for the similarities between Kimba the White Lionand Disney’s film, The Lion King (1994)

People to know in Comics

Moto Hagio (1949 - ) The Heart of Thomas (1974)

Regarded as “mother ofShonen manga”

Will Eisner (1917-2005) A Contract with God, and

Other Tenement Stories (1978) First US Graphic Novel Comic Award named after Eisner