Graphic Novels-Textbook Reflection

It is important to remember graphic novels are not a genre, but a format. They are where both art and text collide. Graphic novels can be composed of fantasy, history, nonfiction, and other sub genres. Graphic novels’ look and format are similar to those of comic books. They have a variety of elements such as panels, gutters, dialog and thought bubbles, captions, sound effects, frames, white spaces, and lines. Colors in graphic novels play an important role. They may symbolize something, help set the mood or tone, or help convey a message to the readers. There are four types of graphic novels. The first on is manga, which is a Japanese style comic book. These books are read from right to left. The second is super-hero, which is the most popular form. The third is personal narrative, which are autobiographical stories. The last is nonfiction, which are written from the author’s personal experience. These books not only promote literacy by motivating reluctant readers and benefiting students with special needs, but they are also great for all readers. Graphic novels also usually cover topics that are already familiar to students or are spin-offs from another book. Graphic novels are a fairly new format to me. I really only became aware of it recently when my students started checking them out. Honestly, I never jumped in and looked at one closely or even read one until I started taking library courses. After reading a few, I can see why kids love them. They are written in a different format than they typically see, they do not have an extensive amount of text, and pictures help tell the story. When evaluating graphic novels, I would like to make sure I have graphic novels that cover a wide variety of sub genres in my library. I can be sure my collection is diverse and meets the needs and interests of all students. As I evaluate graphic novels, I’ll be sure to refer back to the different types of graphic novels. This information will help me better organize my collection and help students find books faster. I am reflecting back to the graphic novels I’ve read and deciding which type of graphic novel they would fall under, and I will be sure to include this in my future annotated bibliographies.