Optional English

Children's Literature
Historical, cultural and political agendas in the graphic novel or comic
strips

A graphic novel is a type of text combining words and images essentially a comic although the term most
commonly refers to a complete story presented as a book rather than a periodical. Comic books are a form
of sequential art using a combination of illustrations and text to tell a story. These stories are influenced
by the cultural concerns of the time and change as society changes. Human beings have been storytelling
through sequential art for more than thousands of years. Paleolithic cave paintings are the first examples
and can be traced back 40,000 years from today. Sequential art also appears in Egyptian hieroglyphic,
ancient Greek and Roman structures, medieval broadsheets undersealing of Sistine Chapel.

The platinum age of comic books owes most of its purpose to political cartoons and propaganda. In the
late 19th century "yellow kid", created by Richard Outcalt in 1897 was published in the UK as the first
comic book. It was a simple collection of works previously published on comic strip, marketed to kids
due to its slapstick humor and short storylines. It was about “yellow journalism” also known as
sensationalism, these stories were very prominent and used to disseminate misinformation and
propaganda. It wasn't until 1935 when the precursor of DC comics, National Allied Publications created
the ‘modern superhero’ appealing to an older audience with longer storylines more complex artwork and
ultimately an identity. Known as the Golden Age, it was mostly marked by the raving political
propaganda that surrounded all the World War Two. Superheroes like Captain America, Wonder Woman
and Superman started selling on huge scales during the war period, making comic book consumption not
only an established pass time for young boys but also a fertile ground for the recruitment of young men
into the army. The government discovered the value of comic books as a medium for endless storytelling
showing the glorious victory of the US over the Nazis. They became ideal for the American government
in disseminating patriotic and anti-Japanese, anti-Nazi ideals, without seeming too close to actual
propaganda. Superheroes ran out of authentic cultural villains to fight and sales began to decline in an
attempt to transform with their audience. Publishers changed their tactics and true crimes, romance,
westerns, and horror comic books were published. They were impacted again by the societal changes in
the 1960s and 1970s, to meet the needs of a new generation and stay relevant modern social issues such as
sex and drugs were featured.

After a book entitled seduction of the innocent by Frederick Wertham the censorship of comic books
grew, claiming that they were corrupting young minds and promoting ‘homosexual’ ideals. This panic led
comic book companies cancel some of their most popular titles in genres other than superheroes. Marvel
Comics became a household name when it came to innovation and artist development and they had a fully
formed and popular catalog of heroes to rival DC. During this time, comic books showed their return to
more relaxed restrictions on violent political issues and themes. Horror comics for instance gained more
space as did more socially conscious narratives. Unlike the wartime narratives of racial inclusivity and
American social progress, these new narratives found characters of color at their center. With that, comics
went deeper into exploring the social politics of their time which at that moment were not considered
mainstream. This led to the Dark Ages when art styles and narratives took darker tones where superheroes
had very human problems like alcoholism and drug addiction. This era also saw a rise in graphic novels
such as Maus by Art Spiegelman. The 1980s was the time of Japanese comics known to most of us now
as 'Manga'. One of the most versatile types of illustrated storytelling, Mangas started out being
exclusively marketed to children but soon expanded to encompass every aspect of human life. The
struggle of comic books along with changing technology, only few comics were selling than any other
time in the history. However, the connection to film and video games launched comic book characters into
the forefront of mass media in the 2000s. The turn of the 21st-century proved to be a golden period for
comics and graphic novels. Some describe this technological transition as a way to combine strength,
befitting from the visual impact of the big screen while maintaining the depth and subtlety of the original
text. Even though comic books diversified in terms of content their association with humorous and
juvenile entertainment persisted so the term ‘comics’ stuck.

The mass appeal of comic books stems from their ability to provide a space to be filled with the reader's
imagination and empathy. The reader can empathize with the hero and this makes it a perfect tool to
connect humanity and technology. Comic books and graphic novels are not a piece of pop culture to be
overlooked by scholars and educators instead they are valuable tools that provide insight into society.
They act as means to tell mature stories of great depth. Analyzing the superhero is the perfect means of
analyzing the culture as they are an asset in sociological research because they provide a record of the
values prized by society. These short stories function as a literary link to social issues such as poverty
racism, gender stereotypes and political agendas.

TASHI LHAMO BODH

3 BA CEOEP

18CV027A