I came across the term 'Graphic Novel' and was unsure of what it meant. So I looked it up and found out that it meant 'a story that is presented in a comic-strip format and published as a book.' This to totally new to me so I thought I would ask the question. What is your view of them? PS: I believe a film, Atomic Blonde, was made based on a graphic novel titled The Coldest City.
I've read a few of them and I actually think they are a lot cooler than I thought they would be. I recommend checking some out. I also think it's cool when this form is chosen for a type of story that you wouldn't expect. You can probably find some graphic novels tackling pretty much and topic or genre you can think of and more.
I think they’re very cool and a unique storytelling medium. I have a immense respect for anyone who can singlehandedly create a graphic novel. Unfortunately I don’t think I have the attention span to enjoy them the way they’re meant to be experienced.
My introduction to what are now called "graphic novels" came in the form of the Tintin books by Herge when I was a kid and then I found "Asterix & Obelix" by R. Goscinny & A. Underzo. I really enjoyed the books and Asterix still has new books coming out every year or every two years now. They are a bit repetitive especially if you read several back to back. That said...... I have a love for this format because it sparked my interest in reading. When I didn't know how to read, the colourful art would draw me into the story and I would read it over and over, picking up some quirks of the language as I went along. I knew "Asterix" as the fierce Gaulish warrior that fought the Romans before I knew the symbol " @ " I haven't seen "Atomic Blonde" but I do know they have made live action films (Asterix) and animated films (Tintin) based on these stories and characters. I have to admit I did not care for them, they seemed to lose something from the written word...... I guess I see reading as an active activity I do while watching a film is more of a passive activity - I watch it with closed captions/sub-titles on so I am reading but it's hard to get into the "reading" when I am also watching the film... If it helps, my favourites were: Tintin: The Blue Lotus and Tintin: The Black Island (If you read the original "The Blue Lotus" there is some racism in the way the Chinese and the Japanese people are portrayed and referred to, but the book was written back in the 1920s I think so that is common. I believe it has been reissued and the language has been cleaned up and made more politically correct.) In the Asterix series, I liked: Obelix & Co.; Asterix & the Class Act (I really liked the short stories in this collection), Asterix & the Soothsayer My local library carries these titles - which helps my wallet! - so you may want to browse your local library.
