Graphic Novel of Choice - The Plain Janes

I have just finished reading "The Plain Janes" by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg. Entirely black and white, this novel follows the basic layout of most comic books. The graphics boxes, arranged to follow the rule of thirds, are slightly larger than those generally seen in comic books however. Three to six boxes fill a page on average and text bubbles are used for dialogue. Throughout the book, the boxes are usually arranged horizontally on one page and then vertically on the complimenting page. This allows for organization of the story, while still keeping it visually interesting and varied. It also helps to emphasize the importance of particular events and draw the eye away from events that may be slightly less important to the overall comprehension of the story. 

For this novel, the graphic aspect was a huge selling point of the story. Honestly, had the story been presented as a traditional novel, I probably wouldn't have stuck it out. It's a pretty basic plot line of a young girl triumphing over social norms and discovering herself in the process. AKA the plotline of virtually every other book written specifically for teenaged girls. The drawing style is fairly basic, using block-y shapes and not a TON of really specific details. A lot of detail isn't really necessary though because the point is still made effectively. The novel is printed in black and white, I would assume for cost purposes, considering the book is marketed towards teenaged girls who generally aren't huge graphic novel readers. Its also produced by an indepentent publishing company without unlimited resources. I didn't find this to be a deterant to the story though. It was a fairly basic story complimented by fairly basic drawings and design. Text placement was very straigh forward and clearly mapped out, which made the story easy to read.   

Ages of Comic Books

Platinum Age of Comics - The earliest comic era, generally regarded as having occured between the very end of the 19th century until the start of the Golden Age, comics began to take the form we see them in today, the Yellow Kid is the most common example of a comic from this era

Golden Age of Comics - lasted from the late 1930s to the late 1940s, during this time the idea of the superhero was created and define

d, famous superheroes such as Batman, Captain America, and Wonder Woman made their debuts, the end of the Golden Age is marked by gritty crime and horror comics.

Silver Age of Comics - predominantly featured the "superhero archetype", arose after the creation of the Comics Code Authority (created to curb violence in comics), lasted from 1956 to the late 1960s and early 1970s, considered a major commercial peak of comic book history, notable artists include Gene Colon, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby. Notable events include the first appearance of Spiderman, the Hulk, X-Men, and the Fantastic Four.

 

Bronze Age of Comics - early 1970s to mid 1980s, darker plot elements and more mature story lines follow real world issues, often said to have started with Jack Kirby's departure from Marvel comics, period is also marked by the ending of war, romance, and western genres. Key comic book topics included Spiderman's drug use, the first appearance of Elektra in the Daredevil comics, and the first appearance of Dracula in any comics.

Modern Age of Comics - generally considered to last from the mid-1980s up to present day, comics are darker and more psychologically complex, also known as th

e "Dark Age of Comics", the increase of independent publishers is seen, restoration of many Silver Age elements has been seen, the modern era has seen the rise of the "anti-hero" many times

 portrayed as a dark psychopath, the outstanding sucess of the X-Men franchaise led to an increase in comics about superhero teams, notable comic book characters that have debuted during this era include the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hellboy, and The Goon.