TIME's Top 10 Graphic Novels

[Elijya]

Actually, want to hear something funny? A local radio station was having a conversation about superhero movies back when Superman Returns came out, and I called up and started talking about Sin City, Road to Perdition and American splendor, and the woman on the talk show said "But aren't those graphic novels?"

It would have taken too much time to explain the technical difference no one would have cared about, and that all three of those were originally published in single issue form before being collected anyway, so I just said "Um, it's the same thing"

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Exactly, no one really gives a **** except people like us, and we already know the difference.

 

[The Question]

I prefer the term "Monthly Illustraited Novellette." Mainly because it's from an episode of The Simpsons.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Sounds better than "comic book" to me.

 

[The Question]

Sounds better than "comic book" to me.

Although, interestingly, comic books have a strange similarity with early novels. Way back in the day, big novels would be published a chapter at a time, a new chapter coming out once every few weeks or so. Novels were like the TPBs of their day.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

And, much like comics, all it took was some great minds utilizing the format to elevate it to a higher social status. I tend to point any idiots who still call comics kids' stuff at any of the major universities teaching Maus or Batman: Year One as part of their curricula now.

 

[The Question]

Batman: Year One? Really? Wow. I mean, not knocking Year One, but the colleges are getting a lot more mainstream if that's the case.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I had a class devoted to graphic storytelling that taught Batman: Year One, along with some Disney stuff and Winsor McCay. Comics aren't just used in literature classes.

 

[The Question]

I had a class devoted to graphic storytelling that taught Batman: Year One, along with some Disney stuff and Winsor McCay. Comics aren't just used in literature classes.

Nice.

 

[Elijya]

I had a class devoted to graphic storytelling that taught Batman: Year One, along with some Disney stuff and Winsor McCay. Comics aren't just used in literature classes.

Well, a class basically ABOUT comics using comics isn't that unusual. I remember MAUS was required summer reading for me in like 3rd grade. But the best use of "comics being considered serious stuff via being taught in schools" I've heard of is from the introduction to one of the 100 Bullets trades. It's by some professor at some college that uses 100 Bullets in his crime fiction class, alongside books like The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

We read The Maltese Falcon in the same class as Batman: Year One. It wasn't just about comics, it was about all forms of narratives where images and words are used to convey meaning, so the professor went through various movies, animation, comics, etc.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Interesting, but annoying in the fact that TIME doesn't know the difference between a graphic novel and a trade paperback.

 

[DBM]

Wow, I've read most of those and I have to say that it's a bad list. While I too hate that no one but us comic geeks can apparently get the distinction between TPBs and GNs, it's mostly the fault of the comic companies themselves. They embraced the term graphic novel in a hope to give themselves literary creditability and to some extent it worked.

Considering almost all single issue written nowadays are meant to be part of a bigger story, I'm more or less OK with calling the collections a graphic novel. What really burns my britches though is called "The Complete Peanuts" a graphic novel. It doesn't fit that term except under the stupidest, least researched definition. Collecting a comic strips into a book isn't a graphic novel. It'd be awesome if Time magazine would take even the tiniest bit of time to think about their articles.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'm still struggling to understand how webcomics count as "graphic novels" under that same principle.

 

[fifthfiend]

It fits on the principle that someone at Time wanted to do a Top Ten Webcomics list and then someone half a rung higher up the ladder said "**** you I ain't havin' no list for no damn web-comics in my magazine, put it in that Comic Graphic Novelbooks list we did if it means that much to you" and, well, there you are.

 

[Xofenroht]

I wish they'd get off this "Graphic Novel" kick. A lot of what people are calling Graphic Novels are just the collections of previously published single issues of a comic. Put them together and suddenly they have "prestige" because it looks thicker and feels like you're reading more?

People are so gullible...no...FICKLE!

Was "Lost Girls" even on there?

 

[film_geek]

wow... weak list.

Marvel Zombies, really? Why not Kirkman's good Zombie books, otherwise known as The Walking Dead.

I can dig Black Dossier, Moore always deserves some respect. Although Lost Girls was so much better (this come out this year or last year?)

I can also respect Jack of Fables being on there. sure, it's not as good as Fables, but again, any points towards Bill Willingham is ok in my books.

the rest... uhg.

Any top ten best list that doesn't have Warren Ellis on it, is just automatically wrong.

it's all very technical, but I believe it has something to do with math and internet Jesus.

Simply, no Ellis = it fails.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

I thought Peanuts deserved a spot.

The others? Meh.

 

[Sandman138]

What a rubbish list written by people who are too scared to delve into comics.

They delved deeper than most people on these boards do.

 

[cerealkiller182]

This was better than last years list. I only heard of one from last years and there are way more superhero related ones on this list than last years (if I remember correctly).