I successfully read three graphic novels this year (Persepolis and the two volume memoir by Alison Bechdel), so I decided it was time to try out a real, legit comic. NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast is my normal source for comic/graphic novel recommendations-- it helps that co-host Glen Wheldon is a comics expert, while the other hosts are mostly novices. The Saga series has been recommended on the show no fewer than three times, including a ringing endorsement from friend-of-the-show Maggie Thompson, a former librarian and co-author of the Comics Buyer's Guide. She mentioned Saga specifically in regard to a ComicCon panel on strong female characters and feminism in comic books, so it seemed like as good a place as any to start. I'd also like to mention, I'm hardly of the opinion that everyone should be reading comics and graphic novels -- plenty of people don't find them appealing and that's fine. My approach in blogging about them is that of curiosity; I'm a novice to the genre, but I'm interested enough to at least read a few and get a better sense of what it's all about. I'm hopeful that by doing some of the heavy-lifting myself, I can recommend comics and graphic novels that my usual blog-readers will find appealing, even if they are comic novices as well.
Read moreWhat I'm Reading: 'Persepolis' by Marjane Satrapi
As I've said before, I'm not exactly a big graphic novel/comics reader, but only because I find the medium to be intimidating and inaccessible. I really enjoyed reading Alison Bechdel's graphic memoirs, and got a good response from readers, so I decided to give Persepolis a try, which is probably a much better-known graphic novel because it was adapted into an animated film in 2007.
I'm probably giving myself too much credit for reading two very critically-acclaimed graphic memoirs by women authors -- I still can't call myself a comic book fan or reader. However, I really enjoyed Persepolis and along with Alison Bechdel, it is has served as a good segue into the genre. A lot of folks don't like reading graphic novels or comics because the flow of panels can be confusing, but I read a lot of Archies as a kid, so that's never been a problem for me. I still found Persepolis to be an easy, quick read, and the narrative/panel structure felt very natural. I particularly love Satrapi's stylization, which results in very graphic, very minimalist panels, and very unlike a lot of comic book artwork you might have seen.
#ReadWomen2014: Alison Bechdel
A lot of people experience some trepidation about diving into the world of graphic novels; there is an intimidatingly huge selection, and it can be tricky for the uninitiated just to deal with the broadest labels (graphic novel, comic, omnibus, book). It's silly to classify graphic novels as a genre though, because there is such a breadth of variety among them, much like traditional novels. It would seem strange today to describe your reading habits with the statement, "I like novels," because yes, of course, but what kind of novels? Graphic novels should be approached in the same way-- you will like some more than others, and you will probably most enjoy those that closely resemble the traditional novels you like.
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