WORDS AND SKETCHES

Superman. Wolverine. Archie. Polgas.
There is a certain charm in the comic book world that appeals to the inner child inside every one of us. Vivid imagery and witty banter combine to form a medium that has captured the imagination of people everywhere.
Yet comic books have always been dismissed as a juvenile form of entertainment. Because of their unique attribute of having their stories told in still, hand-drawn panels, comics have never been compared to traditional written fiction. Since a lot of comic strips focus on life's lighter issues, people tend to dismiss them as "fluffy" pieces of work. Comic books have a history of not being taken seriously, although one can say that's the whole point.
In recent years, the comic book has been gathering respect from the literary field as more and more stories released under this form feature darker plots and characters than would be expected from a "comic". Often termed "graphic novels", these comic books feature longer and more complex storylines aimed at adult audiences.
The phrase "graphic novel" rose into popular use after it appeared on the cover of Will Eisner's A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories, a collection of serious short stories depicted in the comic book style in October 1978. The term "graphic novel" is still in the process of evolution though, leaving it difficult to properly define. While it's generally accepted that a graphic novel is a lengthy piece of written work expressed in sequential art, a number have used the expression to suggest work that is more mature than "mainstream" comic books. Others have used the term to refer to collections of multiple comic book issues that tell a single story.
Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories. These early books set the standard for graphic novels in the years to come. They had dark, mature storylines that weren't afraid to address serious issues. This new take on comic books earned praise from critics, who came to see the potential in its reinterpretation of a supposedly "kiddie" medium.