Does anyone still read Graphic Novels?

[ChromeAlchemist]

I've read Wanted, Watchmen, Wolverine Origin and Old man Logan, House of M and Angel after the fall part one.
Granted some of these may not strictly be graphic Novels, but I read them and am slowly increasing my collection

How is the Watchmen not a comic?

I think It's to do with the size. Things like Ultimate Spiderman or Uncanny X-men are all comic books fairly short but make up a series.
Graphic Novels are much larger, like Watchmen and are stand alone
At least thats how I understand it

But Watchmen was released in 12 issues. A graphic novel is essentially a collection of issues or a long comic book.

This: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-graphic-novels-and-comic-books.htm
Seems to give a good definition of the differences....which are subtle.

Friend if I'm brutally honest in my eyes there just isn't a real difference. It's just older readers who became insecure about the fact that they're reading comics. I'll accept that most of these collections have become self contained stories, but some of them took years to become like that (e.g. 100 Bullets).

Me? I read tons of the stuff. The last thing I read was The Boys volume 3 (which was excellent) and DMZ vol.4 - Public Works. Both I'd recommmend to anyone who hasn't read them.

Have you read any webcomics of late?

Or looked at a comic book?

then you have read a graphic novel.

now, excuse me. A new page is up, and I have yet to read it.

Exactly, and when I can find the interview I'll post it, Mr.Alan Moore has a few words about the foolishness of trying to make the distinction between comics and graphic novels (trade paperbacks), in that quite simply there is none, beyond mere technical observations, which have no bearing on the content, the art or story.

Alright, okay. I was going to start with going through all these comics you've written. But first a couple of general things about comics. What do you think of the term "graphic novel" that has come into use?

It's a marketing term. I mean, it was one that I never had any sympathy with. The term "comic" does just as well for me. The term "graphic novel" was something that was thought up in the '80s by marketing people and there was a guy called Bill Spicer who used to do a brilliant fanzine back in the sixties called Graphic Story Magazine. He came up with the term "graphic story".

That's got something to recommend it, you know, I can see "graphic story" if you need it to call it something but the thing that happened in the mid-'80s was that there were a couple of things out there that you could just about call a novel. You could just about call Maus a novel, you could probably just about call Watchmen a novel, in terms of density, structure, size, scale, seriousness of theme, stuff like that. 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 ge tting 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?

It was that that I think tended to destroy any progress that comics might have made in the mid-'80s. The companies, the marketing people, who are not terribly bright individuals, they're not terribly creative, they don't really have the hang of - well, I mean, they really haven't got the hang of the 1970s yet, so the 21st century is a long way behind them and they think in very short term measures and consequently they were more or less to blame for destroying whatever kind of momentum the comic book picked up in the '80s by immediately using it predictably to sell a load of Batman, Spiderman shit. But no, the term "graphic novel" is not one that I'm over-fond of. It's nothing that I might carry a big crusade against, it doesn't really matter much what they're called but it's not a term that I'm very comfortable with.

 

[unicornninja]

Ive red Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Batman: The Long Halloween, Kick-Ass and i want to read Blankets by: Craig Thompson, Maus by: Art Spiegelman, and From Hell by: Alan Moore. Thats it I wish I could say ive red more but i haven't.

 

[sanguinator]

ive seen a lot of kids reading something called "bone", but it looks pretty much like a deluxe comic book.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

All the time. More than "proper" books. I must spend more money on comic books than I do anything else.

 

[emm1t]

er, yeah like other people have said "graphic novels" are comics, just collected into one place, not even stand alone. You're thinking of Trade Paper Backs, and I and many people I know read them. Preacher is the stand out for me, along with Punisher MAX, The Boys, Deadpool... yeah I like Garth Ennis a lot.

 

[(insert obscure reference here)]

I'd suggest the walking dead compendium, the dark knight returns, Fables, and anything buy garth ennis if you enjoy preacher. Also get Blackest Night.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

If you consider manga a graphic novel then yes, I do. I read them a hella lot.

 

[Zirat]

Quite a bit. I've have half a shelf full of the book's but my pride and joy being the four volumes of The Sandman Omnibus

 

[Iampringles]

I used to read quite alot of manga graphic novels, but not so much these days.

 

[Lissa-QUON]

Lets see, I've read Watchmen, V for Vendetta. You might want to read From Hell if you are big on the whole "novel" side of graphic novel, I've never gotten around to reading it but I hear its good.

Sandman is a good one, Finder is one of my favorites, The Crow, Transmetropolitan, Hellboy and BPRD (I know these are available in monthly "floppies" but they are released in limited series, story arcs so)

 

[twasdfzxcv]

I've read Wanted, Watchmen, Wolverine Origin and Old man Logan, House of M and Angel after the fall part one.
Granted some of these may not strictly be graphic Novels, but I read them and am slowly increasing my collection

How is the Watchmen not a comic?

I think It's to do with the size. Things like Ultimate Spiderman or Uncanny X-men are all comic books fairly short but make up a series.
Graphic Novels are much larger, like Watchmen and are stand alone
At least thats how I understand it

But Watchmen was released in 12 issues. A graphic novel is essentially a collection of issues or a long comic book.

This: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-graphic-novels-and-comic-books.htm
Seems to give a good definition of the differences....which are subtle.

A pretentious distinction that's only used to create a arbitrary prestige class in order to increase their commercial values. They are comic books pure and simple.

That being said I've read some comic books recently. Most of them are crap and not worth mentioning. The ones worth mentioning are already mentioned. Read kick-ass the other day, never really liked it. The whole point of spinal injury makes him somehow more resilient is just stupid.

 

[Jezzy54]

Watchmen is still a traditional comic book because it was a twelve-issue series. Anyway, at a library I read Arkham Asylum, which I thought was really pretentious. I haven't bought any yet, but I am looking forward to New Teen Titans: Games.

 

[sanguinator]

i find true novels much more mature

 

[Dogstile]

Does any terry pratchett books count? In which case ALL of them

 

[Boba Frag]

Last year, I've read the following:
The Watchen
V for Vendatta
The Sandman series
Maus

It was a mindblowing year, to say the least. I wish this year was nicer to me, at least in monetary terms, I'd love to dive deeper into graphic novels, but I just don't have the money to do so.

Yes to everything here except Maus (my brother has it, I shall borrow it soon) and V for Vendetta..

I salute, applaud and embrace you for you choice of the Sandman series.

See you on Hobson's Green

 

[Boba Frag]

Last year, I've read the following:
The Watchen
V for Vendatta
The Sandman series
Maus

It was a mindblowing year, to say the least. I wish this year was nicer to me, at least in monetary terms, I'd love to dive deeper into graphic novels, but I just don't have the money to do so.

Yes to everything here except Maus (my brother has it, I shall borrow it soon) and V for Vendetta..

I salute, applaud and embrace you for you choice of the Sandman series.

See you on Hobson's Green

EDIT

I see a lot of people talking about Arkham Asylum... There is more than one Arkham Asylum book guys- one's called Living Hell and is about the Great White Shark's origins, the supernatural of the Asylum, Jason Blood's shadowy past and a mysterious killer inmate named Jane Doe...
[fantastic and well, well worth a look]

The other, by Grant Morrison, is Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.
I presume that's what we're talking about here?

And yes, I'm a bit anal Flame me well done, lads!
In all seriousness, might just clear things up.

EDIT 2

Fuck, really sorry about the double post.

EDIT3

I read the Batman comics (if you count those).
I just finished re-reading The Dark Knight Returns. God, I cried like a baby at the end.

Man up!

Kidding

Fantastic isn't what with all those mechanical dinosaurs...

Spoiler

Not really.... but the line "I want you to remember, Clark... In all the years to come... In your most private moments... I want you to remember... my hand at your throat.. I want you to remember... the one man who beat you....(Vitals on Batsuit fail)

I actually dug out my copy just to post that.
If you'll take a closer look at my avatar you can guess why...

 

[The Random One]

Unless I'm very wrong all those works you mentioned as 'graphic novels' were first released as a regular softcover comic books. (And I still think Watchmen, for one, reads better that way.) If you're making a distinction the line should be drawn in works like Maus, that were conceived and released at once.

The again, several novels (real wordy novels) were first released as individual chapters, that was one of the main forms of publication in the 19th and (I think) 18th centuries. What's your point?

 

[ANImaniac89]

yes I have a big box right next to my bed
I have tons of batman,Watchmen, marvel zombies and much much more

 

[Neuromaster]

I'm in the middle of Neil Gaiman's Sandman at the moment. I recommend it if you haven't given it a look.

 

[Mullahgrrl]

I read the morning graphic novels in the newspaper every day.