When I hear the word graphic novel I think of the movie Watchman. Before that movie came out I had no idea what a graphic novel was or where the heck to find one. I thought that maybe it had something to do with Japanese animation but then I learned that had a particular class all to itself. Comics, however, I knew all about. Not the comic books, those I have never picked up in my life, but comic strips; man I sure did love those guys. I used to get up and read the "funnies" after I snatched it from the Sunday paper. Sure there were comics in the other papers too but the Sunday ones were the best; they were in color.
Now I know that comic strips and comic books are not necessarily the same thing. They do however have their similarities. The strip has its whole build up, plot, and climax all in approximately six panels where as a comic book is page after page of fantastic art work. The Sunday funnies are usually written by someone who works just with the paper, instead of the comic book where the writer's livelihood depends on their ability to write a book that sells.
I particularly enjoy the writing style of graphic novels as opposed to the comic style of writing. I feel that comics have writing all over the page and I never know where to look next. With the graphic novel that was in our textbook, "Pyongyang", I was able to follow it easily. That may be because I am such a bookworm that anything else to me is just weird. I love to be able to picture the scene in my head having my own variations than say the person next to me reading it. With both the graphic novels and the comics, I feel that they bring variety to the wonderful world of literature. Even though I personally am not a fan, to each person their own. To me, If I had to choose one, I would pick graphic novel.
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