At first glance, a graphic novel is nothing more than a comic that can stand on a bookshelf; however, graphic novels have a history distinct from, and in fraught relationship to, both comics and novels. While graphic novels grew out of the countercultural underground comics scene of the 1960s and 1970s, the form also gave (some) comics mainstream legitimacy by bringing (some) comics out of comic shops and into bookstores. The question of legitimacy continues to define the graphic novel, both in its form and in its, often non-normative, content. Drawing on key example texts, this webinar will explore the history of the graphic novel and of its cultural legitimacy.
