By Robyn Meadows
Updated Feb 19, 2007 15:58
C’mon, you can do it.
Now, step away from the TV.
There’s a way to get what you are hankering for and possibly please your parents.
Read graphic novels.
Before all those minds start wandering, this is not about sexually explicit or violent books, although some graphic novels are both.
Graphic refers to illustrations, or comics — but not the typical comic books bought from the corner store.
These are thicker books with complex plots, characters and stories. Buy them in hardcover or in paper back. Stories range from tales of Superman to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”
Teens love them and are devouring them from libraries and bookstores in Lancaster County and across the nation.
They inspire teens to read, especially teen boys, a hard audience to reach.
Because of that, they are starting to appeal to educators, who are considering buying some for school libraries.
But they’re not just for boys.
Kristen Gallagher, a ninth grader at Ephrata High School, is a huge fan of them.
“They are just wild,” the 13-year-old Gallagher says. “They are just out there. They are not real life, so I have to dig into my imagination.”
Last week, Kristen checked out a huge stack from the Ephrata Library, where the young adult circulation has increased dramatically in one year.
For the month of April in 2004, young adult circulation was 151 items. For April of this year, it was 551.
Penny Talbert, teen librarian, says because of graphic novels, more young adults are reading.
“It seems the more I buy, the fewer we have on the shelves,” Talbert says.
Among Ephrata’s selection: “The Books of Magic,” by Neil Gaiman (one of the most popular U.S. authors); “The Tale of One Bad Rat,” by Bryan Talbot; and “Marmalade Boy,” by Wataru Yoshizumi.
The latter, a teen romance, has been checked out 31 times in a year. It’s an example of Japanese graphic novel called manga, which translated, means “whimsical pictures.”
In the story, Miki Koishikawa is the main character. It begins with Ginta Suou confessing that he’s in love with her and is jealous about her friendship with Yuu Matsuura.
“I thought I could forget my feelings for you,” Suou says. “I mean lately we’ve been able to talk and laugh, just like old times. But then, HE came along...”
Borders Book Shop & Cafe at 940 Plaza Blvd. has experienced a surge in graphic novel sales over the past year.
“It’s probably doubled,” says Lori Paules, office supervisor.
That includes sales of manga ( at a cost of about $10 each), which is huge in Asia and France and gaining a base in the United States.
Many of the manga books resemble Japanese anime characters with enlarged eyes and hair. Most are in black and white and the artists shade the backgrounds with geometric patterns. There are manga stories for little kids, teens, girls, boys and adults.
Readers read manga right to left instead of left to right. What most know as the back of the book is the beginning. And most characters address each other by last names because in Japan, it’s not polite to call someone by a first unless there is a close relationship.
Scholars suggest that the artform of manga dates to the illustrations of Toba Sojo in 1053-1140, who created the Choju Giga (Scrolls of Frolicking Animals) — a satire of religious leaders.
Manga began to catch on in the United States as fans of anime grew. Anime is a Japanese form of cartoon movies and TV shows, which are hand-painted or created from computers. The movie “Spirited Away” and the cartoon, “Sailor Moon” are examples.
Jeff Watkins, 18, says that reading manga feeds his appetite for anime.
“It’s anime in a portable form,” he says.
Since World War II, Disney and American comic books have greatly influenced Japanese comics.
Graphic novels have changed over the years. In the past, some libraries have scorned graphic novels because they had a bad reputation for violence.
Today, they come in many flavors.
There are graphic books of nonfiction, sci-fi, classical literature, fantasy, adventure and drama. Typical comic book stories with Spiderman and Batman as the heroes. There’s a version of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
As a result, these comic books are finding their way into public schools.
“I’ve seen it trickling in,” says Cathi Fuhrman, director of libraries for Hempfield School District.
And educators are always hunting for materials that appeal to teens, especially boys.
But educators hesitate placing too many graphic novels onto their shelves because of strict school-board policies.
And the dialogue in many of the books includes expletives, so a librarian would have to thumb through a graphic novel before buying.
Beth Ann Sahd, director of library services for Cocalico School District says librarians have started the conversation.
“We know that students will read them if we have them,” Sahd says.
But teachers would need to approve first.
Sahd agrees that nowadays there are more choices.
“I think the graphic novel industry realizes that they are going to need to tailor these, so they will have a market in school libraries,” she says.
For now, teens can hunt for them at their local library, or buy them online (many priced from $10 to $20, and even higher), at bookstores and comic shops.
The Comic Store, at 28 McGovern Ave., has shelves of them.
Lon Flaud Jr., 32, thinks they are popular because while comic book stories are published in monthly installments, many graphic novels contain the entire story.
Readers don’t have to wait weeks to find resolution.
A graphic novel is visually appealing and instantly gratifying.
