Comics… pardon me, “graphic novels,” are not just for kids. Sure, all your favorite superheros from childhood are still alive and trying to save the world (with the exception of Captain America), but comics have become more than just that.Take Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis for instance. It’s the story of a young girl growing up during Iran’s Islamic Revolution. The only superpowers in this book come from the author’s ability to infuse the humor and idealism of a rebellious child coming of age in a troublesome reality with nothing more than black ink and thought bubbles. Other similarly powerful books are Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and Rutu Modan’s Exit Wounds.
For those looking to overanalyze the mundane until it becomes epic, check out Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor or The Quitter. While he is curmudgeonly and caustic, Pekar's books are really a celebration of everyday life. Even if everyday life is sometimes boring.
Navel gazing not your thing? History gets its fair share of ink as well, though perhaps not always in the most accurate of ways. Everyone from Ronald Reagan to Emma Goldman have recently received the bio… wait for it… graphical treatment as of late.Even if you think you left comics behind long ago as so much child’s play, it may be worth exploring this medium of storytelling again. You might just find yourself, flashlight in hand, turning page after page long into the night to see what happens next.
