SUBMITTED BY ASHLEIGH DAVENPORT

With the amount of movies being released about superheroes (and anti-superheroes) in the next few years, there are many people who want to read the source material that the movies are based on. Comics and graphic novels are the main source material for most of these movies. Some people have never read a comic before, but it is easier than it appears to get started. Here are some tips about comics and graphic novels.

1. The images are part of the story.

The main difference between graphic novels and regular novels are that graphic novels use images as well as text in order to advance the story. Readers must both look at the pictures and read the text in order to understand what’s going on – similar to watching a television show with closed captioning.

2. Comics have more than one genre.

Comics that feature superheroes are usually what most people think about when they think of comics and graphic novels. However, there are many different subjects that comics and graphic novels explore. Examples of non-fiction graphic novels are Maus by Art Spiegelman and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

3. It’s easy to get recommendations from others.

Don’t know where to start reading? Friends and other people that you know are great sources for recommendations on comics and graphic novels. Librarians are also able to advise customers on graphic novels to start with. Comics and graphic novels are a different form of reading in that the art and the words work together in order to tell the story. Don’t hesitate to ask a librarian about the titles we offer here at GCPL and check out the catalog!