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ceruseeI applaud the intent, I really do. And I am happy to witness another case of comics/graphic novels/manga etc succeeding in bringing young readers to the table where other kinds of reading material are not presently working. I believe comics/graphic novels/manga etc are valid forms of reading in and of themselves, and therefore people sharing my interest in those forms make me happy; I also feel that they need no defense.
But this has been eating away at me all day, because it's flat-out wrong. The graphic novels that are bringing all the kids to the yard do not have "more words than, say, The Green Lantern." If anything, "Naruto. One Piece. Shojo. Manga," have far FEWER words than the superhero comic books that the reporter probably didn't actually grow up reading, and although I know that cannot be the only factor involved with the boom of comics/graphic novels/manga today, I remain firmly convinced that it is an important factor.
I am annoyed because, even though I am a serious bibliophile and fluent reader of prose books, I am not comfortable with the implicit value system assigned to the ratio of words to image in a words/art fusion, with the most words being the best, and the fewest words being the least worthy of consumption by teens and other living things. It's patently ridiculous in the article itself--note that Marvel Zombies is included in the group of graphic novels with "more words than...The Green Lantern"--and teeth-grindingly obvious that the "more words" value system has been externally applied to justify the popularity that the reporter can't actually understand.
Why would librarians endorse these new-fangled "graphic novels," when everyone knows that comics are trash? How can these graphic novels have merit as reading material? They must be "a hybrid of novel and comic book," which is to say, comics with extra words. Words are good. Art is bad. Remember this value system, folks; we will be quizzing you later.
It narcs me off because it's a stupid value system, and a snobby one, particularly coming from someone with such a hideous and stiff writing style. It also narcs me off because it's not true, and no amount of incompetent and uninspired reporting is ever going to inure me to media falsities.
But this has been eating away at me all day, because it's flat-out wrong. The graphic novels that are bringing all the kids to the yard do not have "more words than, say, The Green Lantern." If anything, "Naruto. One Piece. Shojo. Manga," have far FEWER words than the superhero comic books that the reporter probably didn't actually grow up reading, and although I know that cannot be the only factor involved with the boom of comics/graphic novels/manga today, I remain firmly convinced that it is an important factor.
I am annoyed because, even though I am a serious bibliophile and fluent reader of prose books, I am not comfortable with the implicit value system assigned to the ratio of words to image in a words/art fusion, with the most words being the best, and the fewest words being the least worthy of consumption by teens and other living things. It's patently ridiculous in the article itself--note that Marvel Zombies is included in the group of graphic novels with "more words than...The Green Lantern"--and teeth-grindingly obvious that the "more words" value system has been externally applied to justify the popularity that the reporter can't actually understand.
Why would librarians endorse these new-fangled "graphic novels," when everyone knows that comics are trash? How can these graphic novels have merit as reading material? They must be "a hybrid of novel and comic book," which is to say, comics with extra words. Words are good. Art is bad. Remember this value system, folks; we will be quizzing you later.
It narcs me off because it's a stupid value system, and a snobby one, particularly coming from someone with such a hideous and stiff writing style. It also narcs me off because it's not true, and no amount of incompetent and uninspired reporting is ever going to inure me to media falsities.