While comics (books and strips) have been around for more than a century, graphic novels have only appeared in serious numbers in the last two decades. Since then, with publication of titles like Art Spiegelman's Maus
and Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan, graphic novels have gained a growing regard as a literary medium. But for noncomics readers, navigating the field can be a challenge. Weiner, a librarian, former teacher and longtime comics reader, provides just the kind of information needed. Besides defining the graphic novel (a collection of comic strips, a collected comics periodical story arc or a comics story written to be published as a full-length book), Weiner offers capsule reviews of the works he has chosen and gives each a code indicating its reading level (children, all ages, adult). Weiner's guide is potentially useful, but some of his choices can be confusing; readers seeking the "best" graphic novels in print may be in for a disappointment. Does Star Trek: The Modala Imperative
really qualify as an important graphic novel? Meanwhile, Joe Sacco's Palestine
and Safe Area Gorazde, two critically acclaimed works of comics nonfiction journalism, are nowhere on Weiner's list. Thankfully, not all his choices are suspect, but Weiner seems more interested in reflecting the range of graphic novels rather than listing the best book-length comics available in print. (Oct.)
