Different Mediums: Graphic Novels
I have had to read a few graphic novels for a class I’m taking this semester. It has been an interesting experience. I never really got into the whole comic book scene. The way the layout makes you jump from box to box, how sometimes the order is confusing and you have to guess which box to read next. And don’t even get me started on mangas that require you to read from right to left. It’s always caused me a headache trying to get through any graphic novel. Maybe I’ve just not been reading the right ones. I have surprisingly enjoyed the three I’ve read so far: The Kite Runner, Maus, and Persepolis. All were very politically charged and heart wrenching at times. It’s interesting to rely so much on pictures and not so much on text to tell the stories. It takes showing and not telling to a whole new level. When there are no words to read, the reader has to turn to the drawings of the illustrators to interpret what it going on. It requires more work for the reader, but it is worth it in the end. I’m not sure if I am completely sold on graphic novels or not, but I might be more willing to try them in the future.


















