Collection Development

Graphic Novel Collection Development

by Steve Raiteri, Greene County Public Library

Graphic novels should be selected for your library’s collection using the same criteria that you would use in selecting anything else: quality and popularity, keeping in mind diversity. So upon getting approval and funding to start a graphic novel collection for young adults, you’ll need to do some research to gain a sense of how these things are evaluated in the realm of comic books—especially if you know little about comics. Fortunately, we librarians are good at research.

A good way to start is to make a trek down to your local comic book shop (if you are lucky enough to have one). Have a look around and ask questions; the employees and owners of comics shops are likely to be long-time fans who love to talk about comics. They can be a great resource to help you find out what’s good, what’s popular, what’s new and exciting, and what the “must have” classics are—and also what to avoid. It’s also very helpful to look at the books before you buy to gain a sense of the different genres and styles that are available to get and an idea of what to expect from them.

Chances are your local comics shop would also love to have your library’s business, and they’re likely to offer you a discount if your library becomes a repeat customer. I think there’s a lot to be said for a library making contacts in its community and spending some of its money locally. Also, many stores will have hard-to-find or out-of-print items on the shelf waiting for a buyer. And supporting comics shops is a good way to support the comics industry in general. If your local comics shop is interested in being your supplier, and your library will allow it, this can be a mutually beneficial relationship.

If your library can’t or doesn’t want to buy from a shop, you can order graphic novels directly from Diamond Comics Distributors, the main comic book distributor in the United States. They offer libraries a 20 percent discount and free shipping, and they accept purchase orders. Their Web site, at http://bookshelf.diamondcomics.com, has extensive lists of suggested graphic novels arranged by age group—libraries can order anything in these lists or anything else in Diamond’s main catalog. The site also features reviews and testimonials as to the importance of comics.

Traditional library vendors such as BWI and Ingram are also carrying more graphic novels than they used to, so you can order some from them as well. They may possibly offer a larger discount on some titles than the other suppliers I’ve mentioned, but the service, advice, and larger selection you may get from local stores may be worth the extra cost. Another possibility is Amazon.com—they accept purchase orders from libraries through their corporate accounts program (information at www.amazon.com).

Besides the comics shops, another good starting point for librarians just learning about comics is Comic Books for Young Adults: A Guide for Librarians (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/lml/comics/pages), a Web site by librarian Michael R. Lavin. Lavin provides a good overview of comics and graphic novels, dealing with comics formats and genres, acquisition, and collection development and presenting a list of recommended graphic novel titles. His section “Do Comic Books Belong in Libraries?” answers concerns that librarians might have about comics, defends the art form from those who would denigrate it, and provides much justification for the presence of comics in library collections.

And to expand your understanding of comics, and of the conventions, techniques, and possibilities of the form, read the book Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (006097625X, 1994, $22.95, 224 p.) This a superb, nonfiction analysis of the comics medium, written in the form of a comic—so when McCloud is explaining something, he can also SHOW it to you. It’s intellectual while also being very readable (and funny). It might possibly be a bit too in-depth for a beginner, but if you have some familiarity with comic books or comic strips, McCloud has much more to show you about them.

(Before we dig deeper, a quick note about the term “graphic novel”: this term was invented by comics creator Will Eisner as a designation for a stand-alone story in comics form published as a book. Most of the books called graphic novels these days are, instead, collections of comics stories originally published serially in monthly comic books. Some of them do amount to stand-alone novels published serially (as Charles Dickens used to do), while others are anthologies of a variety of stories, and some are excerpts from larger narratives, with subplots introduced in the middle of the story (in the manner of a soap opera) and concluded in later, uncollected issues of the comic book. To simplify matters, the term graphic novel is sometimes extended to cover all of these books, and I use it that way here.)

In selecting specific graphic novel titles, you’ll want to read some reviews, of course. Professional journals didn’t pay much attention to comics in the past, but that has changed. Librarian Katherine L. Kan writes the regular column “Graphically Speaking” in VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)—it appears three times a year, in the February, June, and October issues, and includes many graphic novel reviews. Kat also writes reviews for Diamond’s Web page mentioned above (http://bookshelf.diamondcomics.com/reviews). Publishers Weekly has a regular column called “Comics” that runs four times a year. Library Journal, School Library Journal, Booklist, and other journals also occasionally review graphic novels.

In addition, two books I recommend for graphic novel collection development are:

• Graphic Novels: A Bibliographic Guide to Book-Length Comics, by D. Aviva Rothschild (ISBN 1563080869, 1995, $30, 245 p.)—An extensive collection of graphic novel reviews. Aviva also writes graphic novel reviews for her Web site, the Comics Get Serious (www.rationalmagic.com/Comics/Comics.html), which serves to supplement the book.
  
  
• The 101 Best Graphic Novels, by Stephen Weiner (1561632856, 2001, $16.95, 96 p.)—This ISBN is for a special edition of the book that includes a useful extra insert written specifically for librarians, called “Supplement for Libraries: Starting and Maintaining a Graphic Novel Collection,” which discusses graphic novel selection and cataloging, outreach using graphic novels, and other issues. (Weiner is also the author of an earlier, and now out-of-print book, 100 Graphic Novels for Public Libraries—The 101 Best... is basically an update and new edition of that book.)

Both of these books, and many journal articles, deal with adult titles as well as those for young adults.

One area that is not well-covered in the professional library literature is superhero comics but under no circumstances should you let this prevent you from buying them. Superhero comics are derided by some as mindless and formulaic mass entertainment, and they have sometimes been unfairly stigmatized as being nothing more than violent and juvenile male power fantasies. There’s more to them than that—for one thing, these are books about HEROES. Certainly there are some superhero comics that do not merit your attention, but there are many worthwhile superhero comics that feature thoughtful and literate writing; excellent artwork; admirable and sympathetic characters; and involving, exciting, and enjoyable stories. The ones that get collected in book form are often among the better ones. Further, superheroes are still very popular: the best-selling comics in the United States are almost always superhero comics.

And even if you don’t like them: any library that has shelves full of Harlequin romances and Goosebumps books should have no compunctions about buying even the more average superhero graphic novels.

For opinions and information regarding superhero books (and other similar science fiction and fantasy adventure comics) ask your local retailer or go to the literature of the comics community. It’s worth your while to read reviews of regular comic books as well as graphic novels and collections because many of the comics being reviewed today will become tomorrow’s collections. A couple of worthwhile industry sources are:

• Comics Buyers Guide, a weekly newspaper for comics fans and collectors that has good reviews of comics and graphic novels in every issue, along with regular columns.
  
  
• Wizard, a popular magazine for comics fans that, with a dose of attitude, points to noteworthy titles in its “Picks” column and other features.
  
  
• Also useful is Comics Shop News, a weekly, eight-page giveaway newspaper available at many comics stores. All of these sources do of course also cover other comics besides superhero and adventure titles, and all feature industry news and information on upcoming books.
  
  
• Another very good source of information about upcoming titles is the monthly previews catalog put out by Diamond Comics Distributors, which is used by comics shops (and their customers) to pre-order items. A text version is available online at www.comicbookresources.com/resources/previews, but the full-color printed version, available at comics shops and illustrated with artwork from the upcoming books, is much better. Each issue includes lists of the top ten graphic novels and top one hundred comic books ordered from Diamond the previous month.

Some titles that I myself recommend for an opening collection include:

• 9-11 Vol. 1 (1563898810, 9.95, published by Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics, and Chaos Comics) 9-11 Vol. 2 (1563898780, 9.95, DC Comics)—Two benefit books put out in response to the horrible attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001. They feature short pieces by a huge variety of comics artists and writers, including many of today’s top creators.
  
  
• Kingdom Come (1563893304, 14.95, DC Comics); Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1563893428, 14.95, DC Comics); Watchmen (0930289234, 19.95, DC Comics); Marvels (0785100490, 19.95, Marvel Comics)—Four classic superhero collections. There’s also an excellent sequel to The Dark Knight Returns, called The Dark Knight Strikes Again, which should be collected in book form by the time you read this.
  
  
• Ultimate Spider-Man: Power and Responsibility (078510786X, 14.95, Marvel Comics); Ultimate Spider-Man: Learning Curve (0785108203, 14.95, Marvel Comics)—Two volumes collecting the first issues of an excellent new Spider-Man series, setting our hero’s origin in the present day. The new Spider-Man movie will undoubtedly increase interest in this character. There is also a hardcover edition collecting both books that should be out by the time you read this.

Other superhero titles:

• X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga (0939766965, 19.95, Marvel Comics)
  
  
• The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told Vol. 1 (0930289668, 15.95, DC Comics)
  
  
• Marvel Masterworks: Amazing Spider-Man #1-10 and Amazing Fantasy #15 (hardcover, 0785107037, 34.95, Marvel Comics)
  
  
• the Avengers series (start with The Morgan Conquest, 0785107282, 14.95, Marvel Comics)
  
  
• the Astro City series (start with Life in the Big City, 156389551X, 19.95, Homage Comics)

There are also many other popular X-Men, Spider-Man, and Batman titles as well as many other heroes to choose from.

One type of comic that’s fast growing in popularity is Japanese manga (“manga” is the Japanese word for comics). The ones published in America have been translated into English, of course. Recommended Japanese manga include:

• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (a four-volume set—Vol. 1 is 1569310963, 17.95, Viz Comics)
  
  
• the Sailor Moon series (Vol. 1 is 189221301X, 11.95, Tokyopop)
  
  
• the Peach Girl series (Vol. 1 is 1892213621, 9.95, Tokyopop)
  
  
• Other popular manga include Fushigi Yugi and Dragon Ball Z (the latter is not a favorite of mine, but it’s very popular with boys about twelve years old). For more information about manga (and its animation counterpart, Japanese anime), see The Librarian’s Guide to Anime and Manga (www.koyagi.com/Libguide.html) by librarian Gilles Poitras.

Other recommended titles:

• the Archie Americana Series (start with Best of the Fifties, 1879794012, 9.95, Archie Comics)
  
  
• the Bone series (start with Vol. 1: Out from Boneville, 0963660950, 14.95, Cartoon Books)
  
  
• the Akiko series (start with Vol. 1, 1579890423, 15.95, Sirius)
  
  
• the Simpsons Comics series (start with Simpsons Comics Extravaganza, 0060950862, 11.95, HarperPerennial)
  
  
• the Meridian series (start with Vol. 1: Flying Solo, 1931484031, 19.95, CrossGen Comics)
  
  
• The Tale of One Bad Rat (1569710775, 14.95, Dark Horse Comics)

There are also many Star Wars books available from Dark Horse that are very popular—start with Dark Empire (1569710732, 17.95) and the manga version of Star Wars: A New Hope (Vol. 1 of 4 is 1569713626, 9.95).

One more note—some comics companies mark some of their titles “for mature readers,” and you’ll need to decide whether such books are more appropriate for the young adult section or the adult section of your library. Among titles for mature readers, my highest recommendation goes to the excellent Sandman series written by Neil Gaiman (start with Preludes and Nocturnes, 1563890119, 19.95, DC Comics). If you don’t buy them for your YA section, buy them for your adult section.

These titles only begin to hint at the amount of quality material available in graphic novel form. There are a LOT of other worthwhile things out there, including titles for adults and children, and nonfiction books as well. Have fun delving into the world of comics!

For more information, see my own Web site, Recommended Graphic Novels for Public Libraries, at http://my.voyager.net/~sraiteri/graphicnovels.htm, which features an annotated list of more than 350 titles I recommend, and links to many other useful graphic novel Web sites, including several provided by librarians.

©2002 by Steve Raiteri