The Power of Graphic Novels

Comics are amazing as they can open our minds to a whole world of imagination. G. K. Chesterton said that the power of stories wasn't that they told us that evil exists but that it could be defeated and I think comics and graphic novels are the modern day fable that have these power fantasies that allow us to live in other people's shoes and gain a deeper understanding of the human condition.

There are many comics and graphic novels which are based on real life and tell us about a wide variety of historical and biographical events but I particularly enjoy comics which talk about the human condition and humanity which are not always based on real life but capture its intricacies and complications; there is power in the truthiness.

My eldest is in her final year of primary school and will be going to secondary school. She is excited but also has a sense of worry and trepidation; the same feelings I'm sure we had when we were that age and were confronted with the same transition.

We have spoken to her a little about how it is an amazing time with so much potential to find your tribe, persue the interests that draw you in and possibly make friends for life. However, this being the unknown, she is naturally worried and it can become overwhelming. When that happens, she can shut down and not want to talk about things, and that's fine... I was the same with my parents. However, I’ve found that graphic novels are the ultimate tool for low-stakes processing as the medium presents complex ideas with visual immediacy and zero preachiness, it bypasses the defensive walls a child might build. It’s a shared language I've used to open doors throughout her life. So, whilst in London for a course, I went to my go-to comic shop, Gosh! in SoHo and bought New Kid by Jerry Craft. It’s about a gifted pupil called Jordan who wins a scholarship to a prestigious school but struggles to fit in. The book masterfully handles themes like systemic racism, stereotyping, and code-switching but does so through a relatable middle-school lens.

Surveying My Kingdom (Of Graphic Novels).

I'm a longtime comic book collector and I first started collecting when I was 7 which was way back in 1988. Iron Man and Spiderman were my first loves as certain aspects of the comic book worlds I could identify with; Peter Parker struggling with the travails of High School and striving to achieve against all odds like Tony Stark often did, but then this is a common comic book trope. However, I think a huge part of why comics appealed to me was because of the sheer imagination and creativity on show. Comics were an escape as they spoke a universal language that could appeal to anyone, a fantasy world that you could project yourself in to.

Surveying My Kingdom (Of Graphic Novels).

I have quite an extensive collection of graphic novels.

Now don't get me wrong, not all comics and graphic novels are created equal. In fact, some of the manga I was reading was not always relatable but just plain awesome. Often, the stories had elements of truth and heart, like Alita finding her humanity just as she collapses after saving the scrapyard, Soichiro revealing his true self and breaking free of the cycle of abuse in Kare Kano (His and Her Circumstances) and Onizuka doing his all for the student who he comes to mentor and love (GTO).

Art is of its time but it can have a long-lasting cultural and societal impact and comics are an excellent medium for showing or even introducing that change. I remember that I wanted to go to parties, go out clubbing and have relationships. Usually I'd go to indie comics to find this sense of identity and so I gravitated towards these as I grew older. In mainstream comics this was covered but it was only when Kamala Khan and the Ms. Marvel series came out in 2014 that the issues she had in balancing her home and life outside rang true for me; I found myself really represented on the page. It was the first time that a mainstream, popular comic had truly spoken to me, not by proxy but actually really spoke to me and my cultural heritage.

I have quite an extensive collection of comics and graphic novels from the past 35 years of my life and, when my wife ask I get rid of many of them, I baulked at the idea; these comics and graphic novels were like my personal tree rings showing my growth a evolution over the years. Some of these graphic novels are of their time and may prove to be problematic now- I’m looking at you various ‘harem manga’- but I thought I’d revisit them now as the time seemed good as my collection is all set up on the Billy bookcases.

So when my wife asked, 'When are you going to read them ever again?' I thought I'd endeavour to read them all again to see how they speak to me now, many years after purchase and after the life I've lead. Maybe they'd speak to me in new or different ways.

So why not join me as I journey thought my graphic novel collection?