Single Works and Series
Last time we looked at single works and authors’ collections of books, and this week we look at series. Two main factors contribute to publishing series in graphic novels’ world. First is that pictures, over time, take up more space than words. Stories need more pages to finish the plot.
Second, the traditional procedure for publishing graphic works lends itself beautifully to series. We’ve not mentioned them yet, but the two big comics publishing houses, DC Comics and Marvel, flourish with series.
Traditionally, comics were and still are printed in small magazine format with a small number of pages. To attract a following to a certain character, author, artist, or all the above and more, the stories are printed in segments over time. Eventually, if they are successful, the series are combined into one or more hardcover books.
Many of the newer, non-traditional, adult-themed graphic novels continue to publish in this same traditional format. Thus, we have some remarkably well-crafted and ingenious stories that can become as populated with complex characters as any well-written novel.
Sandman, written by Neil Gaiman and drawn by a multitude of artists, is perhaps one of the most venerated series, and certainly highly complex in both theme and character. I have not yet tackled this series and will mention more about it in our last article.
Eureka Springs is lucky to have April Griffith as Library Director because she, too, is a fan of graphic novels. She and her staff have brought in some superior series worthy of literary attention.
The Unwritten directly tackles challenges of the written word and just how powerful words can be, even by creating our reality.
Snow Piercer was a movie, yes. But it was a graphic novel first, and part of a trilogy. Our library has all three. This dark view of humanity’s future was originally published in French and has a European look to its artwork.
Some series border the edge of Marvel or DC with superhero-style framing, lettering, and coloring, and the strong theme of good vs. evil. Montress could be considered one such series; this fantasy-style work is great for science fiction/fantasy fans.
Y: The Last Man is interesting, thought-provoking, and in a similar vein to more conventional comics; and yet certainly oriented towards adult readers.
Fables is a fun read. You can see how all your favorite or forgotten characters from the Brothers Grimm tales have ended up after so many centuries of living undercover. Expect some to be good and some to be bad, but not as you would expect from a simple reading of Brothers Grimm.
Preacher, The Wicked & The Divine, and Lucifer all directly confront the theme of evil vs. good; all with a decidedly more mature and nuanced approach than any spandex-clad character can muster up.
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