RA Special Topics paper (condensed)

I explored the integration of graphic novels into Reader's Advisory.  It seems to me that graphic novels and comics are often ignored by librarians when a patron asks for a good book to read.  I argue that readers are more prepared to branch out into graphic novels now than they maybe have been in the past, and that there may be unexpected benefits to reading comics.  While there are a few unique considerations to keep in mind, we can use the same appeal factors as we do with traditional novels to match up our readers with new stories.

Librarians may be wary of recommending graphic novels.  This may be because of the negative stereotypes that have persisted ever since the 1940's.  You probably know the ones...the comics are for kids, that comics are perverted (a reaction to when graphic novels reach out to audiences who are not children).  Librarians have either avoided graphic novels themselves because of these stereotypes, or they assume their patrons hold them.  Yet if you look at popular culture, there has never been a better time to recommend graphic novels to new readers because they're probably already watching them!  Look at the popularity of superhero movies and of The Walking Dead.  Check out Comic-Con's soaring attendance numbers.  Readers may be more suggestible to graphic novels than we think.

Thriller

(Borrowing from some old projects I have done in the past, if you're interested, you can read more about persistent stereotypes here  and more about the effect graphic novels have had on popular culture here.)

Horror

Saricks appears to look at graphic novels as a genre in our textbook.  I argue that we should not, and instead we should view graphic novels as a format for storytelling, the way we do audiobooks, ebooks, and movies.  Within the format of graphic novels, we find all the genres we find among traditional novels.  This will require the librarian to be passably familiar with various materials, but that is the challenge presented by all genres.  As Saricks advises with the more niche genre of Science Fiction, fans are often enthusiastic about what they enjoy reading and are willing to share titles.  Many review sources and organizations such as YALSA publish "best of" and "top" lists of graphic novels, and there are always the Eisner Awards to consult.

While librarians can carry over the appeal factors for traditional novels to illustrated ones, there is a unique factor to now consider as well--art style.  Art is as subjective as any of these other factors, and can easily make or break a patron's decision to try a title.  For example, some will avoid any and all manga because they don't like the cartoon style.  Others may avoid hyper-realistic art if they find the sheer amount of detail too distracting.  Coloring may be an issue.  The Walking Dead is completely black and white...will a patron enjoy that?  On the flip side, would they enjoy the colorful 'splotch' pattern that overlays the pages of Scott Synder's Wytches, meant to convey the horrific hallucinogenic dream state that characters are in?  It would be best to be prepared with either the graphic novels at hand or a device handy with examples of the artwork to show the patron ahead of time.  Because while an art style may the be reason someone sets a series back on the shelf, it may also be the reason someone picks it up in the first place.

Mystery/Superhero

Graphic novels often blend genre.  When the author is not restricted to words, when their imagination can be illustrated as well, why not follow through with whatever their mind creates?  Humor is often blended into other genres, and we have begun seeing more venturous titles out of Image that blend several incongruous genres (see the caption for Saga) together.  Graphic novels could function as a way to ease readers from one genre to another, a way for them to experiment without realizing it.  We've talked about how Romance is a hard one to convince readers to try, yet when its appeal factors are dressed by those from Science Fiction?  Men read Saga for its space battles, yet they're reading about love and family, themes often found in Women's Live books.  An RA librarian could use this genre blending to help readers push their boundaries.

Sci-fi/Romance/Women's Lives

A warning when recommending graphic novels, however--any considerations like sex or violence need to be re-considered.  You may already be familiar with a patron's tolerance level on these matters.  But that tolerance may change when it comes to seeing instead of reading.  A reader may be okay with some gunshots in the climatic ending of their Thriller novel, but that doesn't mean they'll be okay with Rick Grime's blood-stained face every other page in the Walking Dead.  Sex might be alright in a book as long as its between a loving couple, but what about when those sex scenes are illustrated?  It's understandable that some readers may be much less tolerant of sex and violence in this format, but there are plenty of titles without either.  Again, it just requires the librarian to have a passable knowledge of the material.

I just quickly covered the key points of my paper, but I hope I gave you an idea of how we can bring graphic novels into RA.  If we don't lump them into one genre, but rather look at graphic novels as a format alongside traditional books that share the same appeal factor, I believe we can connect readers with more of the stories they desire.  And we know that many readers desire them, just by looking at pop culture trends!  There are new, unique appeal factors to be considered, yes, but the benefit readers may have of being able to explore a new format and perhaps a new genre in a blended title would make that extra effort worth it.