Comic Books & Libraries: Together at Last

The stereotype that comic books don’t belong in libraries is nearly dead. Thanks to library directors across the country, many comics and graphics novels are now considered valuable, credible literature and a great way to encourage kids and teens to read more. Additionally, the top comic book publishers—DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Image—are seeing libraries occupy a substantial part of their market.

This year, love for comic books in libraries has been popping all over:

• Free Comic Books Month: The public library of Somerville, New Jersey designated May as Free Comic Books Month, to coincide with National Free Comic Book Day (1^st Saturday in May). Senior Library Programming Assistant Matt Powell reported to MyCentralJersey.com that comics were what first got him reading as a kid.
• 800 Graphic Novels: Thanks to Stephen Weiner, Director of the Maynard Public Library in Massachusetts, the library’s graphic novel section has gone from zero in 1995 to about 800, as of last month. Stephen told The Beacon-Villager he believes the newfound acceptance of comics in his community has to do with a local graphic novel event hosted by the American Library Association and the 2002 movie Spider-Man.
• 10 percent of sales: Kuo-Yu Liang, VP of sales for Diamond Book Distributors (who works with, amongst others, Dark Horse Comics) reported to Publishers Weekly last month that he observes approximately 10 percent of graphic novels going into the public library market.
• Autoship: Last month, comic book news journalist Todd Allen reported on his website that, “a library can flag an author or a series and have future titles automatically shipped.” This process, similar to a subscription, is especially popular among titles that can keep filling a demand for new material, such as Japanese manga. In the video featured in my last blog post, Berry Gerth of the Indian Trails Public Library notes how popular manga is at their Wheeling, Illinois location.
• The 2009 Top 10: In late January, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) released their 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, as well as a Top Ten list. Interestingly, a little less than half of the 53 selected titles were Japanese manga comics.

Still, this new acceptance is far from universal, with some library patrons offended by the violent nature of some titles. Others, however, point out that some of today’s most popular graphic novels, such as Art Spiegelman's Maus (a Holocaust story), could play a significant role in historical and cultural education. Comic books also promote the notion that, to be literate in today’s society, we must be able to interpret not only text, but also visuals.

Recommendations:

• Hikkatsu! (manga) — From Deb Aoki’s About.com Guide to Manga: “a fairly quirky shonen title about a guy who has a quasi-martial arts technique that he uses to repair appliances on a rampage. (Go Comi!)
• Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite — A group of estranged superheroes reunite after the death of their adoptive father. (Dark Horse)
• Watchmen — Now a major motion picture, the story follows a group of superheroes from the end of WWII to the beginning of the Cold War as they attempt to uncover the truth about a secret government plot. (DC Comics)
• Persepolis — From the website: “Marjane Satrapi's wise, funny, and heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.” (Random House)