Graphic Novel

Graphic Novel ( dt graphic novel, graphic novel ) is an inherited from the United States term for comics in book format, which differ due to their thematic claim and its narrative complexity from the normal issue comic and thereby addressed to adult readers, which also by the exclusive sale in the bookstore is intended to express.

Designation

Although the term graphic novel is both used by the trade as well as by consumers and critics, he can not be clearly defined. Frequently longer, usually one-volume comics are called so that tell without limitation to a predefined number of pages epic, partially complex stories. Being a graphic novel has no self-contained work, but may also be part of a larger body of work, such as the Sandman volumes of Neil Gaiman. The term often combines the idea of a serious comics, the story builds up as a literary work, distinguishing it from comics for children and adolescents. Since it is used by the industry but also for collections and One Shots, this description may reflect only one aspect of graphic novels. Going a step further with the American NBC television network, which even six-page comic short stories for the television series Heroes, which are offered free of charge on the website of the radio station, as " graphic novels " refers instead simply as " comics ".

German designation

DVD rental companies and journalists who want to avoid the perceived as anglicism original concept, engage in the absence of an established German term often to own translations. Thus, this issue also includes the Eindeutschungen " graphic novel", " graphic novel", " graphic novel " or " picture novel", of which, however, so far no one has really taken off. Also established in 1984, magazine Reddition tries to coin a term independent German with her ( introduced in 1991 ) Subtitles magazine for graphic literature. Comic publishers such as panini and Carlsen use against it in the original German term.

History

The roots of modern graphic novels sees the historian David A. Beronä in the expressionist image sequences esp. by Frans Masereel, Lynd Ward and Otto Nückel. These artists narrated in their books without words partially complex stories and well established as in the 20s of the 20th century, the genre of the woodcut novel.

The columnist Steven Grant called the first graphic novel Gil Kane's His Name is ... Savage 1968 because it meets the criteria of " length" and " three-part structure ". Steve Ditko is one of his opinion, his work for Dr. Strange because of the dramaturgy of the history and development of the characters of the first authors of graphic novels. Nevertheless, the introduction of the concept of Will Eisner is attributed.

Will Eisner, whose multi-page newspaper comics The Spirit helped pave the way for the periodical comic books in the 1940 and 1950 years, wrote in 1978 of four short stories that he shared in a book entitled A Contract with God (Eng. A Contract with God ) brought out. He himself called his 178 - page book on the title page and in the preface graphic novel in the German edition from 1980 was published by two thousand and one A story in pictures. In the new edition of 2007 Carlsen was reused graphic novel on the title.

Eisner wanted to create a book of lasting value, which differed from the weekly disposable comic books. Every story he developed freely without regard to space and panel arrangement. Already in its negotiations with potential publishers, he used the term graphic novel, so as not to devalue his work through the usual designation Comic Book.

Eisner joined the term especially with the contents of the works.

"The future of the graphic novels lies in the choice of worthwhile themes and the innovation of exposure. "

"The future of graphic novels lies in the relevance of the themes and the innovation in the representation. "

A Contract with God is a serious work that used the narrative possibilities of the comic in reflected form. The use of the term away from the substantive similarities to Eisner's work and has been increasingly used for all comic publications which appeared in book form. Aviva Rothschild sat in their 1995 monograph Graphic Novels. A Bibliographic Guide to Book- Length Comics in the title both views equally side by side and joined with it anthologies previously been placed on the form of a booklet Comics one.

Examples

A selection of better known Get Direction works that fall under the term Graphic Novels:

• Jean Van Hamme, William Vance XIII ( 1984). Video game adaptation: XIII (computer game ) (2003 ). Film: XIII - The Conspiracy (2008).
• Alan Moore: Watchmen (1985). Various awards. Film: Watchmen - The Watchmen ( 2009).
• Art Spiegelman: Maus - The story of a survivor ( 1986/1991 ). Holocaust cartoon in fable form. Pulitzer Prize in 1992.
• Neil Gaiman: The Sandman ( 1989-1996 ).
• Frank Miller: Sin City (1991). Best International Comic 2006. Filming as Sin City ( 2005).
• Posy Simmonds: Gemma Bovery (1999). Adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary ( 1857).
• Marjane Satrapi: Persepolis ( 2000). Autofiction an Iranian childhood. Comic of the Year 2004. Filming as Persepolis (2007).
• Posy Simmonds: Tamara Drewe (2007). Adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel On the green edge of the world (1874 ). Adaptation as Tamara Drewe (2010).
• Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos Papadimitriou, Alecos Papadatos, Annie di Donna: Logicomix ( 2009). Logic, mathematics, and the search for truth based on the biography of the logician and philosopher Bertrand Russell.
• Alois Nebel is the title of a graphic novel trilogy by Jaroslav Rudiš and Jaromír Svejdik. The individual volumes Bily Potok ( Weissbach ) Nádraží (Hauptbahnhof), and Zlaté Hory ( Zuckmantel ) published from 2003 in the Czech language, published in 2012 the publishing house Voland & Quist, the German translation under the title of the main character in a ribbon. The Czech film adaptation was made in 2011.
• Michel Dufranne, Milorad Vicanovic, Christian Lerolle: pink triangle. ( Fate of homosexuals during the Nazi era and its aftermath ), Berlin, 2012. Jacoby & Stuart ISBN 978-3-941787-79-7

One of the most successful graphic novels in the United States was Neil Gaiman's The Sandman - Endless Nights (2003), the space 20 of the best-seller list of The New York Times reached and therefore the first and only graphic novel was that ever appeared on the list. Thus, in the North American comics scene Graphic Novels marginal addition to the normal circulation stronger issue comics.

Criticism

The term graphic novel is considered by some authors and illustrators, including Daniel Clowes, Alan Moore and Seth, rejected because they do not want to categorize their works or suspect behind the use of a purely economic interests. Alan Moore said in 2000 when asked what he thought of the term graphic novel:

"The problem is that, graphic novel ' just came to mean, expensive comic book ' and so what you'd get is people like DC Comics or Marvel comics - Because, graphic novels ' were getting some attention, they'd stick six issues of whatever worthless piece of crap They happened to be publishing lately under a glossy cover and call it The She - Hulk Graphic Novel, you know? "

"The problem is that, graphic novel ' just the meaning, expensive comic book ' adopted, and so it is today that people like DC Comics or Marvel Comics - because, Graphic Novels have ' gained some attention, just put six expenditure of any of these worthless crap that they happen to have just brought out, under a shiny cover and call it the she- Hulk Graphic Novel, you know? "