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I've been reading comic books since I was eight years old. I was fascinated by the tales of "good" versus "evil" in the pages of Transformers, G.I. Joe and the Super Powers series initially. Big robots, state-of-the-art weapons (real and fake) and people with superpowers. THAT is what comics were to me at that age. As time went on, I found there could be more to comics than those simple ideas. I found that ideas in comics could be more complex, even though I wouldn't really understand that until quite some time later.
I've never been big into the "graphic novel" title people use towards comics at times. I think it was stated best in a sarcastic voice on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 as, "They're GRAPHIC NOVELS Joel!" I believe the statement was made by Tom Servo. His tone of voice reflected in me what I perceived as a state of "denial" by many who read comics at the time. The idea that "geeks" read comics and "intellectuals" read graphic novels. Take your pick of titles folks, either way you're a member of a niche culture that people tend to only touch though movie tickets, t-shirts and questionable prints on boxers (do I really want Wolverine's claws near my junk?).
Now, once in a while you will get something that actually is more of a "graphic novel" than a comic. It's all at once and all together with a large number of pages. Sorry, but if it started out as separate issues it was never a "novel" and you have, at best, a collection of issues. Recently we have something that has come out that I really do consider to be a graphic novel, and that is Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan and Niko Henrichon.
Originally I passed on purchasing it because I have to watch my finances. I was lucky because my store only ordered two and they were quickly purchased. Yet, as it would turn out my store ordered more copies. With Vaughan writing I was pretty sure that the dialogue would be good, as would the concept. I'd also seen some samples of Henrichon's work on the book and liked what I saw. So, I finally decided to buy what I consider my first "graphic novel." I've purchased lots of trades over the years (having a hard cover doesn't mean it's not a trade), but nothing like this, a story that was made to be fully self-contained from the start.
I must say that I am very pleased with my purchase. Yet, to be fair I must say that if you're not in the vein of having concepts that are topical or ask for a fair amount of reflection, then this book might not be for you. Everyone has their preferences and this kind of stuff is something that I enjoy at times. Actually, I enjoy it a lot of the time. The problem is that I don't see a lot of opportunity for such things to be written, much less recognized. It's sad that comics are read by people whose first reaction to seeing Judd Winick's name on a title is, "Gee, I wonder which character will be gay." Not a completely unfair questions, but to openly state it with disdain (which I have heard from multiple mouths) shows that some of us comic readers are scared of seeing anything other than big muscles, boobs, or underwear on the outside of tights. Gee, how can people outside the niche culture think we're weird, huh?
Anyway, I don't wish to go too much into the content of Pride, I simply wish to recommend it. When I have imagined purchasing and reading a graphic novel, THIS is what I was thinking of. I will say that I believe that the book asks you to question three areas of perception that you have, and they are captivity, freedom, and personal nature. Do not think this book is so simple as to be some kind of Lion King on steroids. While there are some "personalities" attributed to specific species there are definitely personalities that break the molds on some levels, while holding true on others.
Henrichon's art is beautiful in the context of this story. It captures the essence of both the worlds of animal and man. While I will openly admit that I am biased as a fan of Ex Machina I will say that even I was surprised by Vaughan's writing at times. I'm used to his handling of political and social concepts, but I found his injection of those concepts into a more "primal" vessel very interesting. I think Aesop would be proud.
So, if you have the extra money ($19.99) consider picking up a copy of Pride of Baghdad. If you don't have the extra finances then I strongly suggest you find someone who has it and read it. It's definitely off the beaten track of what people think of when they think of anything relating to comics. It shows that when they think of the medium of comic books and graphic novels that they would do well to remember that what is in the pages is at times more than capes.
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