The Other “Funny” Pages
/Graphic novels are a weird genre of literature, aren’t they?
I once heard Neil Gaiman described them as “novels told with pictures or comic books with a longer story.”
…In an episode of Arthur.
…Shut up.
I’ve noticed in the past few years graphic novels have gone from this odd in-between, to a category of their own that seems to get bigger every time I visit Chapters. And I mean that in the best possible way.
My personal collection is smaller than my others, as they aren’t cheap, though I do have a few and there are others I hope to get in the future. So really this is less talking about my collection and more just talking about the best graphic novels I’ve read, in my opinion at least.
Okay so let’s start with the books I do own.
First, we have this cute little abnormality, Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too by Jomny Sun.
And no, I did not spell that wrong…for once.
see, see! I told you I didn’t spell it wrong.
That’s actually how its spelled. Part of the story’s creative choice is the weird misspelling of words. Both the story and art are fairly simple. A little alien comes to earth to observe humans and can’t find any, makes friends with a bunch of creatures, and learns about life and himself. For a book that looks like it was done by a grade schooler, it can get surprisingly deep. It’s simple, but emotional.
Next is an ongoing series, The Adventure Zone. Quick background, this series is based off a popular Dungeons and Dragons podcast, specifically the first arc called Balance, performed by the McElroy brothers and their father. Naturally they also wrote the book with illustrations done by Carey Pietsch. The books themselves are really good and capture the source quite well, and the art manages to be beautiful, comedic, action packed, and somber in a way you don’t often see in western illustrations. Now as I said, its ongoing with only the first two parts published. Part three is scheduled for release next year in July, last I check anyway. And this podcast is at least eight-parts so…
…Yeah, we’re gonna be here awhile.
Sigh, well I am anyway.
“taz” fans, if your out there, say it with me now. “Abraca-fuck you!”
I also have this little book I got at a con called Gloomies by Suzanne Miller. It’s a collection of one panel comics from a web series that, to my knowledge, isn’t going anymore. Basically, it’s a bunch of sarcastic blobs making snarky comments and cynical observations. It’s hilarious, and never fails to put a smile on my face. I don’t know where or if you can still buy the book, but the webpage is still around if your curious.
its angry, sassy, blobs what’s not to love?
Now for what I don’t own!
The Prince and The Dressmaker by Jen Wang, god I love this one. A dressmaker is hired by a prince to make him, well, dresses, because he’s secretly a crossdresser. The art in this is so lovely and the story is so good. And the amount of research she did on the fashion world to get it just right? impressive! You better believe this is on my Christmas/birthday list.
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner. As the title implies, its about this girl learning she’s a witch. Yeah, this isn’t anything new, but it still manages to have its own voice with some cute art. I love the main character, she’s a cinnamon roll.
And ya know, graphic novels aren’t just limited to fiction. There was this interesting non-fiction one I found called…
…Crap I always forget the title! One moment!
(One frustrating Google search later).
KID GLOVES!
…it’s called Kid Gloves.
Long story short, this is a biography documenting author Lucy Knisley’s pregnancy. Specifically, her fertility issues, the experience, the complications, and how pregnancy in general has been preserved throughout history and even today. It’s pretty cool and fascinating.
Honestly, it’s nice to see graphic novels becoming mainstream. They’re a great, creative way to get your stories and art out there, and they can apple to just about anyone. I wish I could talk about all the awesome books I’ve seen, but that would take too long.
…Why are you still here? Go to Chapters and check out the graphic novel section!
Alanna Larabie
Alanna Larabie is a student in the Professional Writing program. She also has a diploma in General Arts and Science and a certificate in Pre-Animation.
