Graphic novels are a series of comic books that have been collected in a concentrated novel form, and are usually dark and gritty.  Like Rodney Dangerfield, they get “no respect” as a valid form of literature.

The critics could not be more mistaken on this particular issue.  The entertainment medium known as graphic novels is lumped into being “just comic books”, and therefore “mind-numbing”, but these books are no different from “standard” books because graphic novels provide an escape from reality, promote imagination, and provide stories that may have underlying messages.

Graphic novels are a great provider of an escape from reality.  A person could leave the boring existence of a CPA behind for the thrill of patrolling Gotham City with the Dark Knight, or even topple a fascist government with the freedom fighter “V”.  The attention-grabbing material of graphic novels is the stunning visuals, which in effect makes the novels more like movies than books.  Many readers prefer vivid imagery through words, but words cannot ensnare the senses the same way as a graphic novel panel.  An example of this comparison could come from the Batman story “The Dark Knight Returns.”  The setting is a dystopian future, where crime runs rampant, which is due to Batman hanging up the cape and cowl.

A writer could describe the “Mutant” leader as “a lumbering hulk of a man, three-hundred pounds of evil, with teeth that ended in razor blade sharpness”, as compared to a graphic novel panel with said “Mutant” leader shrouded in shadow, and in the next panel he could reveal himself as a titan with a psychopathic sneer and sledgehammers for fists, and the reader gets the same idea in less time.  “The Dark Knight Returns”, or “DKR”, in many ways resembles Tim Burton’s 1989 vision of the nocturnal detective, such as the stunning visuals that help the story unfold, like an aging playboy aching for the thrill of times gone by.    Superman reference his age, saying, “You’re not a young man anymore, Bruce…  Maybe if you’d learned to slowdown…find your niche…but times have changed, and you—Well, it’s just not healthy.

You’ll burn yourself up”(Miller 118).  When he returns to duty, he finds he must use a gun, and when a reader sees the words “pow” or “bang”, one can almost hear the hammer strike home, smell the gunpowder.  It is these images that not only capture the senses, but also stimulate imagination.

Imagination goes hand-in-hand with an escape from reality, and this mystical brain pattern enhances the feeling of a good story.  For example, the tools that Batman uses, like chemical grenades, give a certain sense of euphoria to the reader, who wonders about the taste the grenades leave in the mout h, and wish that at that time, the reader could be the Dark Knight.

Another character that seems to be envied is Marv, the resident “bone breaker” of “Sin City.”  Marv lives by his own code of ethics, and his code usually contains a few “amendments” about bloodshed.  This beast also has the uncanny ability to take copious amounts of punishment as he is doling it out himself, which is a nice quality to have when trying to instill envy in one’s fans.  Marv has a very complex story to tell, which leads to the next point, the storytelling aspect of graphic novels.

Graphic novels have excellent stories, not only because of the content and message, but also because of the sub-stories, and what they have to offer.  For example, Frank Miller’s “Sin City” stories are complex, character-driven pieces that are about justice, albeit of the vigilante variety.  Referring back to the assumption that graphic novels are childish, the critics need only examine Marv’s tale of woe more carefully.  Marv trolls the alleys of Basin City, hiring out his questionable services to the next high paying client.  Bearing many scars from his job, he is not as handsome as he would like to be, but nonetheless, he meets a girl, Goldie, in a bar he frequents.  They spend the night together, after which she is murdered right under his nose.  He determines that he has been set up to take the fall, and decides that he must avenge a person who has shown him kindness when not many do.  As he sets off, he vows that no matter whom this traces back to, he will kill whoever was responsible, no matter whom it is.  This is fitting, as his path of destruction leads to no less than two men of the cloth meeting their end at his hands, one very literally so.  Along the way, “poor” Marv displays his ability to take punishment, as he is shot roughly 250 times, and is run over three times by a car going 75 miles per hour.  Marv’s journey is beset on all sides by complications, as most of the police are corrupt, and in the highest bidder’s pocket at all times.  He eventually makes his way to a farmhouse owned by the Roarks, the Basin City’s most influential clan, not unlike the Kennedy dynasty.  He meets the enforcer, a mute named Kevin, who, while small, succeeds where others have not in besting Marv.  When the “hero” awakes, he is locked in a cellar, but he can see Kevin talking to a gentleman in a stretch limousine, whom he can only guess is Cardinal Roark.  He eventually escapes, taking many lives and a coat or two in the process.  Another complication for Marv is an unspecified mental illness that causes him to hallucinate and to forget things, such as where he got his coat.  He is captured again, this time by the girls of Old Town, the red light district of Basin City.  They assume that, due to his size, he would have had no problem murdering Goldie, or any of the other girls that have gone missing.  He replies that he never hits women, unless they really deserve it, and demonstrates by standing up, breaking his bonds.  The girls understand now, as they had been walloping Marv for a misunderstanding, and he just sat in the chair they had him bound in and took his blows.

 Upon his release, the girls give him some weapons, including a saw and some rubber tubing, and he makes his way back to the farm.  He gets the upper hand on Kevin, and after many hours of slow amputation, he removes the boy’s head.  Marv ends his retribution by paying a visit to Cardinal Roark, who is distraught by the death of Kevin, an angel in his words.  Marv kills the Cardinal by what is assumed to be massive trauma to the head, but the cops show up at just the wrong time, and Marv is shot many times.  He survives, partially due to his natural resilience, and also because the city government wants to execute him.

Goldie’s sister Wendy pays Marv a visit on the night of his execution, and thanks him for what he has done.

 He is led to the electric chair, and strapped in.

After he has 10,000 volts put through him, in true Marv fashion, he survives, only to spit some blood and retort, “is that the best you got, ya pansies?” (Miller 207), at which point he is shocked again.

This time, he finally succumbs to the warm blanket of death.  Miller demonstrates in this gory tale that sometimes one must do whatever is necessary, no matter the consequences or manner in which the mission is carried out.  Many “experts” would contend that such stories favor style over substance, and therefore have poor storytelling ability.  However, some highly known authors, such as Stephen King, give their due respects, as these respected authorities know a good story when they quite literally see one.

Alternatively, graphic novels do stem from comic books, and therefore have to deal with the stigma of being “childish” and having “no redeeming value.”

Because of the illustrated panel setup of the stories, criticism exists that suggests that pictures take away from the reader’s mental thoughts.  Other critics contend that, while the stories are good, they will never compare to the works of Hemingway or Shakespeare.  However, graphic novels are usually a more dark and gritty fare than traditional comic books, and as such, are more violent and contain adult themes.  For example, “Sin City” contains numerous panels that involve a strip club, so nudity exists, as does foul language, though Frank Miller has the decency to omit the “f” word.  Also, the pictures provided in graphic novels do not so much remove the reader’s ability to imagine, but actually help it along.  The panels usually show the characters reacting to the situation, which provides the reader with added visuals, to a point where the readers can almost imagine themselves reacting.  Also, those that say graphic novels will never compare to Shakespeare are apparently unaware that graphic novels exist that have given a few twists to the bard.  For instance, Macbeth has been re-imagined, and has become a medieval tale, not unlike Lord of the Rings, dragons and all included.

In conclusion, graphic novels offer the same entertainment and storytelling value as standard books, just in a slightly better fashion.  The price of an average book is eight dollars, where a graphic novel usually goes for fifteen, the same price as an average DVD.  Some may see the price and have second thoughts, which is close-minded in a way.  The added price is well worth it to get one’s hands on these artworks.  The pictures exist for visual stimulation, and often offer bits of “fan service”, little references to other things, like a reference to Jason Todd, the second Robin, in “DKR”.  Truthfully, such things could be written out in word form, but some of the impact would be damaged considerably, and would be wordier.  Graphic novels are a controversial subject at this time, but so was Catcher in the Rye in its time.  Every individual should at the very least glance at a graphic novel.  To not do so is foolish, and they do themselves a great disservice when they just write the books off as “just another comic.”

Works Cited

Miller, Frank.  Sin City Volume 1: The Hard Goodbye. 2nd ed. Milwaukie: Dark Horse, 2005.

---.  The Dark Knight Returns. New York City: DC Comics, 2002.

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Trans. Arthur Byron Cover. New York City: Puffin, 2005.

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