The Book Pirate’s Musings on…

Graphic Novels vs. Comics

I have a hard time reading graphic novels. As a kid, I was never allowed to read comic books, so I focused on young adult novels, mainly Choose Your Own Adventure. I am able to finish reading a graphic novel in a timely fashion because I just read the words and ignore the pictures. Since the time has come for me to grow up and read graphic novels like an adult, I will force myself to sit down with the book a second time and spend much more time looking at the artwork instead of the words.

There are some people out there who write off graphic novels as nothing more than comics. The stereotype is that comics are for kids. Ask any real comic book fan and they will be able to tell you that that is not true. Sure, there is that one end of the spectrum with the Batman and Spiderman comics. In contrast though there are comics that are not meant to be read by kids. They can contain dark, mature plots often involving graphic violence, gratuitous nudity and a few choice swear words. It is so easy to only see these two categories that people never spend much time looking at the in between, the comics that can appeal to both audiences without seeming childlike.

I realize that I am probably not using the terms “comic” and “graphic novel” correctly. In my opinion, what sets the two apart is the way they are packaged. “Graphic novels” come in a book format and will have an overall, contained storyline. “Comics” on the other hand bring to mind the typical comic book that you see on spinning racks at your local bookstore. These may or may not have a storyline that is connected, but the reader has to wait a month to find out what happens next.

But what about comic anthologies you ask? Well, when you think about it those are sort of like short story anthologies. The difference being that instead of stories being told by words, they are told with pictures and words. I think the defining characteristic is that the stories are contained and the reader does not have to go out and buy the next issue to continue the plot.

Then there are books like Scott Pilgrim which has an overall storyline but is being released in volumes over time. Surely by my definition this book would be a comic right? Well, no. I consider it a graphic novel. Harry Potter was released in the same fashion, connected story spanning several books. Scott Pilgrim books are on the thick side, 205 pages in the latest volume. If the publisher was trying to market it as a normal comic book they would have to thin it down and staple the pages together instead of giving it a nice sold, glue based binding.

So I guess in the end the difference between comics and graphic novels is simply a matter of one having staples and the other not. Should you find yourself in a bookstore holding a comic/graphic novel and unsure of which it is, ask yourself this:

Are there staples?
If yes, it’s a comic book.
If no, it’s a graphic novel.

How come nobody told me that Augusten Burroughs’ new book A Wolf at the Table comes out next week (April 29th)?

Also, expect regular updates to start appearing next week.

I have just been informed that this Thursday, April 17th, is the first national Poem In Your Pocket Day. This event it seems originated in New York (they’re so trendy over there) and it making its way across the nation. The idea is to carry around a poem in your pocket and shared it with friends, family, loved ones, significant others, your dentist, your doctor, your barista, homeless people, or anybody who will listen.

What poem will be in my pocket that day? You’ll have to wait till then to find out.

The new school term has slowed down my reading. No, wait. I take that back. It has slowed down my reading for pleasure. My reading for school has increased drastically. I had to spend over $100 on books last week for all the novels needed for my classes. There was something like eight books I needed. Anyway, I just wanted to highlight some books that are coming out soon that I am excited about. I realized while typing this that I know very little about the plot of the new books, but that does not stop me from wanting them.

Attack of the Theater People by Marc Acito (April 22th )
As we last left our hero, Edward Zanni, we found him graduating high school and setting out for Juilliard to become a famous actor (see: How I Paid For College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater ). Naturally things do not go as planned and he gets kicked out of drama school and finds himself being an undercover guest at parties to help motivate their party atmosphere. Along the way I am sure more thing will go wrong and luckily his friends from the previous book will show up and help him along the way. In the end, there will be a happy ending and everyone will be friends again. Such as it is in coming-of-age type novels.

Candy Everybody Wants by Josh Kilmer-Purcell (May 13th )
Josh’s first book, I Am Not Myself These Days , is one of my favorite books. It is the type of book that makes me want to hang out with drag queens all day just to watch them bitch. It was funny, heartfelt, and a little sad. Oh, it was a memoir too. That said, Candy Everybody Wants is his first fictional book about a boy who wants nothing more than to be famous. Taking place in, off of places, the 80′s, expect pop-culture references galore The first chapter is available for you to read and I highly recommend you do so.

Bright Sunny Morning by James Frey (May 13th )
I just found out this book existed. I had read his two previous novels and liked them regardless of the controversy. I don’t know anything else about it other than it takes place in LA.

Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk (May 20th )
I have a very love/hate relationship with Mr. Palahniuk. First off, I can’t pronounce his last name. Secondly, since he hails from the Portland, Ore. area everybody in town talks about how great he is. It’s like hearing a song that is at first good, but then over played on the radio. Of his last two books, Haunted was fantastic while Rant was interesting, but not that exciting. Snuff revolves around a porn star who hopes to make it big by having sex with 600 men in a single day.

The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death: Reflections of Revenge, Germophobia, and Laser Hair Removal by Laurie Notaro (June 24th )
I love Laurio Notaro. Her third book, I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies) , is one of the funniest books I have read. It was because of this book that I learned that there are some books you should not read in a quiet room full of people. This is I believe her sixth book of true stories and the first since her fiction attempt with There’s a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell . I saw her at Powells when she came up here to promote her last book (she lives in Eugene) and I hope I get to see her again.

Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man’s Attempt to Understand the World’s Most Mystifying Nation, or How He Become Comfortable Eating Live Squid by J. Maarten Troost (July 5th )
I discovered this author after two of my fellow co-workers and I agreed to form a book club and read The Sex Lives of Cannibals and follow it up with an in depth discussion. I was the only one who read the book. My co-worker had said that his write style distracted her because it felt to her that he was trying to be funny with everything that he wrote about. I corrected her and told her that he is funny with everything that he writes about. He followed up Sex Lives with Getting Stoned With The Savages which wasn’t a good but still quite enjoyable. In his newest travel memoir he travels to China with his family.