The term “graphic novel” doesn’t get thrown around a lot as much as it did years ago. Usually, people label all things that look like comic books as comic books. There’s a big difference between the two, though. Graphic novels are special. They’re like comics, but they’re the length of an actual novel. Henceforth the name, “graphic novel.”
Even with that establishing principle being acknowledged, looking at some of the best graphic novels today and comparing them with your average DC and Marvel comics, there seems to be something more. It’s not the length that matters, it’s that magic, that impact, and the world-building. Something so colorful occurs and it’s why graphic novels are so very dearly special. However, nowadays, graphic novels are becoming less and less popular. I’ve begun to notice this, as the only things that are really sold in comic book stores where graphic novels are usually sold besides your average bookstore are just actual comics. That’s well-expected and I’m not sure what else I was predicting to be in there, but me being a person of diversity when it comes to my entertainment, I was wanting to find something more.
It is almost criminal how there’s just less and less memorable graphic novels as time moves on. The only recent one I’ve read with a lasting impact was when I read Flamer (2020) by Mike Curato for a Literati competition in 12th grade. It follows a young man during the ‘90s while he attends a camp as his curiosity of love begins to unfold. The novel’s message was something I didn’t expect- it’s the brutal reality of love in general. The book follows LGBTQ+ themes, but any kind of love or crush that you have on someone might not work out as intended. You can succeed, you can fail, but it’s not the end of the world. I’m pretty sure we’ve all felt like it was sometime in our lives, and that’s what I loved about it. The novel was funny, taught a lesson, and was very relatable.
That’s pretty much it for recent years’ graphic novels that are even close to memorable. Graphic novels are just slowly dying in terms of memorability and popularity, most likely because everybody’s more familiar with their adaptations in alternative media forms.
Sometimes, you’ll be even shocked to find out that a movie or television show actually came from a graphic novel. For instance, see the movie 300, which is about the Battle of Thermopylae. I know, you probably weren’t expecting 300 to start off from a book. Yes, the popular internet meme, “This is Sparta!” is all because Frank Miller wrote a colorful, brutal graphic novel about tension between Persian and Spartan armies with King Leonidas in the middle. What about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? The movie plays out like a video-game, sure, but it does the same thing on the page.
Moving onto TV… What about The Boys? It’s by far one of the most eye-opening, mature TV dramas in recent memory for anybody wanting something different out of the superhero genre. Here, it’s all about superheroes being the scum of the Earth, and a group of misfits get together to take them down. It came from the page, and is also not for all audiences- maybe even more-so than the TV series. The same thing goes for Invincible, also an extremely violent superhero series that’s grown on audiences tired of your average superhero content- all thanks to Robert Kirkman.
Robert Kirkman actually has a more inspirational and influential title that has had many different adaptations- I’m sure everybody knows The Walking Dead. AMC’s hit zombie apocalyptic television series that has spanned over 11 seasons has captured the eyes of many audiences- making them chew their nails every night an episode aired, maybe even rewinding the episode, and it’s all because of the tension it instilled within us. Everybody in the video-game community also knows of the extremely popular and tear-jerking game, aptly named Telltale’s The Walking Dead, which was a prequel to the events of the graphic novels following a new protagonist. The game was so successful that it earned its own sequels, Seasons 2-4. More followed in that direction: memes, other video-games, webisodes. The Walking Dead was such a truly entertaining spectacle of surviving during a zombie apocalypse, along with the other monster, which is us.
In recent memory, there hasn’t been such a big impact. Graphic novels these days need to have some sort of relatable, unseen shtick that we haven’t perceived before. We need it to stand out. It doesn’t have to be human to work, and in most cases, that’s exactly how they succeeded. Take Maus for instance, about the author’s father and his experiences surviving the Holocaust as a captive Jew. However, each side of this situation in terms of people are represented by a certain animal. Most significantly, the prisoners of the Holocaust were mice and the Nazis were cats. Take others that aren’t just cartoony, but use color or style to an extraordinary effect. Sin City throws all logic and rules of physics out the window, but uses color to sparing effect. Red is in blood, one of the main villains glows with a despicable gleam of yellow, orange coats a woman’s leopard-spotted pants, and so on and so forth. Persepolis takes place across two parts of a young woman’s life as she fights for freedom and rights around the Islamic Revolution. The novel has some stylistic, beautiful art with many round corners despite the black and white color palette being used.
There has been nothing like this in recent years- nothing memorable at least, from my perspective. While graphic novels with any sort of punch or gung-ho are becoming scarce, comic books are having the same effect even faster. It’s easy to make a comic book of any kind, just look at the two giants of the industry: Marvel and DC. There are a variety, too. The problem is comics aren’t long enough to keep your attention, nor do they have enough time for twists and turns in one issue. With a graphic novel, this can be averted, but nowadays- what will make you recommend it to your friends and have it lodged in your memory? For about every single “Top 10 Graphic Novels of All Time” list that’s out there, you’ll be fast to notice that a majority of what’s on each list is from the ‘90s, with maybe some in the 2000s. It’s sad to see this. As a huge fan of classic graphic novels, I say that writers and artists get together and try to raise the bar once again like they did back then. If pictures can paint a hundred words, then graphic novels paint over a billion. That’s something people like me are hungering for.