The Graphic Novels Guy

                        

Book Expo America and Kids Who Shriek With Delight Over Books

What a week it was for graphic novels creators at Book Expo this year.  As the book publishing industry invaded the Los Angeles convention center a new force began to make itself felt: the graphic novel.   We had a great day of programming featuring some of the best known talent. 

The American Bookseller's Association opened the door on Thursday with a panel discussion on the selection and buying of graphic novels for the independent bookstores.   Lisa Winn from ABA was an excellent moderator and she invited me along with author/creator Scott McCloud and Jessica Stockton-Bagnulo, the graphic novel buyer for McNally Robinson in NYC to participate in this panel.   The discussion went pretty well and the audience had great questions regarding where to shelve and how to buy manga.  Some folks will be confused about manga for quite sometime and Scott pointed out that, because many of the characters have such child-like features doesn't mean the subject matter is.   There are methods for deciphering manga but the best thing for any bookseller to do is find and hire a person who really understands the format well. 

Saturday morning dawned with a moment I hope will last me a life time.  The Graphic Novel Authors Breakfast featured some of the best living talent in our world.  Jeff Smith, the author of the Bone series was the moderator for a panel that held Pulitzer Prize-winning author Art Spiegleman.  Next to Art sat the creator of the Hellboy series, Mike Mignola, and with them is the man behind the smash TV series: Heroes-Jeph Loeb.   Each has made an indelible mark on the history of comics and graphic novel publishing.  The discussion ran the gamut of influences and early works to current trends and the movie industry.   One of my favorite moments was when Jeff Smith brought out his own camera to take a picture of the other panel members.

The New Voices
In the Emerging Voices & Artists: The Graphic Novel Edition which was presented by Gene Yang of American Born Chinese, there was Kazu Kibuishi of Amulet from Scholastic, Danica Novgorodoff of Slow Storm from First Second, Neil Babra with Hamlet from Sparknotes and Lars Brown with North Book from Oni Press.   Each described their creative process and the time spent on creating each page.  This was a direct contrast to the years that the likes of Jeff Smith, Art Spiegelman, Mike Mignola and Jeph Loeb spent on their projects.   The 'new kids' had an entirely different perspective on the development of their books and were more than likely to use a computer program or include it in their creative process. 

There was an interesting line of dialog that developed as one of the authors described a discussion that had taken place with editors who were determined to ensure the book in development was targeted for the YA or Teen reader.   The author was being steered toward pulling the more adult language from the copy.   Normally, I would endorse an editor who was providing direction on issues of language or nudity if it was something gratuitous or unnecessary.   What worries me is when an editor or publisher tries to force changes to meet a specifically targeted market.  I know we see this in virtually every form of media, I just hope that the author is strong enough in his or her convictions to write the story as it is meant to be told. 

Sex and Graphic Novels!
I really enjoyed sitting in on this panel.  Milton Griepp of ICV2.com was our moderator and, as the man who has been keeping track of our industry since the arrival of the format, he has been watching the discussion about the application of age ranges unfold.  On our panel were Nick Smith, a librarian technician and trade reviewer from Pasadena Public Library, Chris Staros of Top Shelf, myself, Matt Gagnon, Editor, Boom Studios and a former buyer for Meltdown Comics, Kasia Pierkarz, Marketing and Merchandising Manager for TOKYOPOP and Wendi Pini of Elfquest fame and who is now doing Masque of The Red Death for GO! Comi.   The gist of the conversation was is it now time for publishers to begin applying age ratings to the format.  In many cases, the graphic novel publishers are already doing this.  Wendy Pini, who has created some very adult stories, was in favor of some sort of system.   The TOKYOPOP representative was happy to announce that they already had a very detailed program in place.   

While it's great to see TOKYOPOP working with a great librarian like Michele Gorman to develop a solid ratings program, it leads one to believe that they would like to have all publishers use the TOKYOPOP guidelines.  The problem with this has its roots back in the days when the Comics Code Authority was created.  In addition to that, the TPOP program could put other publishers at risk of legal action.  If a librarian or store owner gets called on the carpet for an issue with a particular book, what's to say the opposing council in court doesnt hold the TPOP system up as the industry standard?  I know that may sound extreme but it's entirely possible.   As the graphic novel format draws more attention it will also face certain challenges from many different corners.

Ostensibly the code was created as a tool for the publishers to police themselves, what it did was drive EC Comics into the ground.  The code forbade the use of all manner of ghoulish behavior and that was the bread and butter of EC, it was also the hottest selling genre in the comic industry at the time.  So, not only are the publishers unwilling to use a system developed by a competitor there is an inherent feeling of censorship when it comes to a ratings system.

The Times They Are A-Changing.
When you look at the other media who use ratings systems you can see it didn’t really do anything negative to the overall business.  In fact, one could argue that it makes perfectly good business sense.   Movie ratings have adjusted over time.  The Last Tango in Paris was given an X rating when I was a kid and now it would probably get an R.   E.T. is a classic case of the fear of a G rating.  There is a great story about Spielberg adding the word penis to the script in order to get a P.G. rating because he or the producers were afraid that a G rated movie wouldn't sell tickets.   In the music industry we can thank Tipper Gore for the PMRC label for explicit lyrics on rap songs.   Because of Tipper and her group of friends, 2 Live Crew sold a million or more really crappy rap records to kids across the country.  The PMRC sticker made sure that kids were gonna buy as much as they could.   

The most recent application of age ratings comes with the video game industry.  Sure the industry and gamers railed against the system but in the end more games were sold.   Parents still let kids play Halo and Grand Theft Auto.   Parents still let kids buy or download music and parents still take their kids to see PG, PG 13 and R rated movies.  The rating allows them a choice in the matter.   They still chose to buy what ever it is but they get that right to choose according to the information provided.   

I guess it really is all about money anyway isn’t it?   If the ratings system is developed by a trusted source-such as a group of librarians, then there is credibility.  If the ratings are applied after the book is published, then that isn’t censorship is it?  If the parent is allowed to make an informed purchase based on the information you have placed on the jacket then that's a good thing.  Parents don't really care for surprises and are normally quite ok with PG and R rated stuff-as long as they know it's in the book.   It's those parents who are waiting to play the 'gotchya game' you need to look out for.   They need to see the ratings as well.  If you do it for one audience then you have done it for all audiences. 

This way, the librarian, the store owner and the parent all come out winners.  Eventually, the kid is gonna read the book.

New York City Department of Education and Students Shrieking With Joy-over a BOOK!
On the day before my flight out to Los Angeles I did another presentation for the NYC DOE and this event was in Brooklyn for the Middle School and High School librarians.   The audience was very attentive and many of them were already familiar with manga and graphic novels.   What struck me as quite funny was a question from one librarian who seemed almost angry that students would want 'these things'.   As the usual Q&A progressed this flustered gentleman gave what I can only describe as a very agitated presentation of a question.   "Why are they so hysterical?"   I said "I'm sorry, I don't understand."  He replied "They get so hysterical when I open the box to bring out the new book-they literally shriek!  What do I do about this?"   He truly seemed irritated.

I replied "Ummmmm...You buy more books?"   

Seriously, can you ever recall kids shrieking with joy over the arrival of a new book?   Harry Potter probably drew that kind of response.   Oh wait, in the eyes of this particular librarian, Harry represents a 'real book'.   If a book of any kind, can elicit screams of delight...make that shrieks of joy-and it bothers you?   You may need to reconsider your current outlook on life in general.   Kids who read graphic novels have discovered that they can enjoy reading.   The joy of reading really is what we are all about anyway isn’t it?

Next on The Graphic Novels Guy:  Literature and Art Merge in An Educational Setting

John Shableski works for Diamond Book Distributors as a sales manager with a focus on the independent bookstore market, public and school libraries.  He's been a panelist at Book Expo, a moderator for library panels at the New York Comic Con, a guest speaker at library events, regional book shows and a symposium coordinator. He is currently collaborating on several graphic novel symposiums across the country.  He can be reached via email at shjohn@diamondbookdistributors.com

Comments

[Alex W.]

Thank you, John, for your usual excellent wrap up. (I remember being quite taken aback by the use of "penis breath" in E.T., finding it quite daring at age 11 when I saw it -- it's cool to get some back story for that. :-) )

I had some thoughts about the age-ratings issue, esp. your take that "I guess it really is all about money anyway isn’t it?"

As someone looking to publish graphic novels, for me the age-ratings are primarily about protection, in particular legal protection, for myself, but especially for the retailer. The laws in most states have much more stringent requirements for visual art with sexual content that minors are allowed to see than they do for textual material. If there's a picture or drawing, even if it is more suggestive than explicit, the chances of it being illegal to sell to a minor with significant criminal penalties is a serious concern.

In addition, as I'm sure you know, there's a real double-standard for what's acceptable to show visually in a comic vs. say a film because many communities in the U.S. are convinced that all comics are for kids. The heroic Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has defended many retailers from aggressive DAs who prosecuted them "for the sake of the children", in at least
one case despite the fact the comics were bought in an "adults only" section!

(Here's the link to that in case my embedded link doesn't work:

http://www.cbldf.org/pr/001122-texas-trial.shtml )

So there is extra reason to be cautious when it comes to adult content in graphic novels.

As for censorship, the issue for me would have less to do with when the rating is applied than *who* applies it. As Kirby Dick's excellent documentary "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" so clearly illustrated, even a self-regulating industry can be destructive when its decision making is both arbitrary and lacks transparency. This is why as a publisher I would much rather determine the age-ranges of my own books -- despite the fact that there are no clear rules. Certainly this would be a place where I would look for guidance from a distributor like Diamond, but I'd hate to have some age-ranges imposed from on high, unless I could be assured the process was both fair and completely transparent.

It's a complicated issue for all artists, but for those who create sequential art in the U.S. that is not "all ages", it's one that merits serious and careful thought and absolutely cannot be ignored.

[Esther K.]

Age ratings is always a tricky business, and yet, it's an important tool for librarians. It will take a long time for the professional reviewing process to really keep up with the plethora of manga and graphic novels being published. Until then, what do I have to turn to to guide my selection? If I'm in a public library, I'm going to want to know if it should be put in a children, YA or adult collection and in my school setting, I want to know if this is okay for my specific age group. The fact is, my middle schoolers are reading manga and GNs that I can't order for my library because it's rated 16+. So they go to the public library or buy the books. That's fine with me as long as it's fine with their parents.

As for the librarian who's perplexed by the shrieking kids... still makes me laugh every time I think about it. But you know, he bought the books in the first place. That's impressive, no?

[James Bucky Carter]

Great stuff as always! Been a while since we met at NCTE, but glad to see you're going strong! I just added a link to your blog on my own. Keep up the good work!

[john]

Thanks guys! Charles, valid points all the way around. Establishing a group of respected individuals-librarians?-to do the age ratings thing would def help the situation. I'm sure we will continue the talk for a long time.