Author
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Topic: The history of the term "graphic novel" . . .
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Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 20, 2003 12:02 PM
Does anyone here
know what work, if any, has been done to trace the history of the term
"graphic novel"? The earliest appearance of the term "graphic novel" in print that I've seen is on the inside front dustcover of Bloodstar (1976) by Richard Corben and Robert E. Howard: quote: BLOODSTARA SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY ADVENTURE IN WORDS AND PICTURES ILLUSTRATED AND ADAPTED BY RICHARD CORBEN ORIGINAL STORY BY ROBERT E. HOWARD BLOODSTAR
is a new, revolutionary concept--a graphic novel, which combines all
the imagination and visual power of comic strip art with the richness
of the traditional novel. Master of fantasy literature, Robert E.
Howard, creates a mythic land of fantastic thrills and high adventure
which comes to life through the dazzling illustrations of world renoun
[sic] comic strip artist, Richard Corben. Together they bring you one
of the greatest science fiction-fantasies of all times. [....]
Although
I seriously doubt the people at Morningstar Press (the original
publishers of BLOODSTAR) coined the term "graphic novel," I'm
interested to know who did. But let me be clear: what I'm looking for
here is not oral history but nominations for the earliest printed reference to "graphic novels."IP: Logged |
Andrei Molotiu Member
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posted November 20, 2003 01:36 PM
Martin Vaughn-James' "The Cage" (1975) is subtitled "a visual novel." Not quite the same thing, but close. IP: Logged |
Andrei Molotiu Member
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posted November 20, 2003 01:37 PM
Oh damn, I forgot to make a snotty remark.IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 20, 2003 02:07 PM
Yes, "visual novel" is close, but I say, no cigar.Here's the main reason why I'm curious. In a recent article entitled "The Graphic Novel Diamond Jubilee" (Friday, Nov. 14, 2003), columnist Andrew D. Arnold tells the following story: quote: Will
Eisner's "A Contract with God," published in 1978, gets the credit for
being the first graphic novel. "It was intended as a departure from the
standard, what we call 'comic book format,'" Will Eisner recently told
TIME.comix. "I sat down and tried to do a book that would physically
look like a 'legitimate' book and at the same time write about a
subject matter that would never have been addressed in comic form,
which is man's relationship with God." There wasn't even a name for
such a thing at the time so Eisner had to come up with his own,
spontaneous sleight-of-hand marketing. "[The phrase] 'graphic novel'
was kind of accidental," Eisner said. While pitching the book to an
important trade-book editor in New York, says Eisner, "a little voice
inside me said, 'Hey stupid, don't tell him it’s a comic or he'll hang
up on you.' So I said, 'It's a graphic novel.'" Though that particular
editor wasn't swayed by the semantics, dismissing the book as "comics,"
a small publisher eventually took the project and put the phrase "A
Graphic Novel" prominently on the jacket, thereby cementing the term
permanently into the lexicon.
Now,
if Eisner really coined the term "graphic novel" in reference to a book
that was published in 1978, what was the term doing on the dust jacket
of Bloodstar, published two years earlier, in 1976. And anyway, Arnold's claim is that A Contract with God gets the nod as the first graphic novel, so labelled, which is clearly not the case.It
interesting to note that Eisner was, at the time, actually a
self-professed fan and follower of Corben's work,* which means it is
not out of the realm of possibility that he picked up the term from
reading the Morningstar Bloodstar hardcover! Given the actual
publication history, this makes more sense to me than Eisner's story,
but maybe there's an explanation of how the term jumped from Eisner's
meeting with a trade-book editor in New York to the cover of Bloodstar. Anyone? ----- * See the introduction to The Odd Comic World of Richard Corben
(Warren, 1977), wherein the author, Will Eisner, states: "I have
watched Corben's work for some time now, awed by his enormous
imaginatin, composition, capacity for story telling, draftsmanship and
technical virtuosity." IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 20, 2003 02:38 PM
Hey, if I'm not mistaken, this topic has just inspired a entirely separate and self-contained parody topic. I feel so proud!IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 21, 2003 12:05 PM
According to the Web Page Graphic novels in the Merril Collection, "[t]he term 'graphic novel' was probably invented by Milt Gross (1895-1953)." "Probably"? Why "probably"? More anecdotal oral history, I guess. No evidence required. In "The Publication and Formats of Comics, Graphic Novels, and Tankobon," an article published in Image [&] Narrative, Chris Couch repeats the same old story: "The term 'graphic novel' was coined by Will Eisner with the publication of A Contract with God in 1978." And Neil Adams "is, simply put, one of the greatest draftsmen this country has ever produced." And NBM was "First to publish fully painted graphic novels with the sell-out launch of 'The Mercenary' by Spaniard Vicente Segrelles (1985)." And so on. IP: Logged |
R. Fiore Member
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posted November 21, 2003 01:58 PM
quote: Originally posted by Benjamin D. Brucke: "Probably"? Why "probably"? More anecdotal oral history, I guess. No evidence required.
Probably
because it was the earliest citation they could find, but this didn't
rule out the possibility that there might be an earlier one they didn't
find. The citation and its date are the evidence. IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 21, 2003 02:11 PM
quote: The citation and its date are the evidence.
Exactly
so. Now all we need is the Milt Gross citation and its date, and Milt
Gross will get the tentative nod as the originator of the term "graphic
novel." But until then . . .IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 22, 2003 10:28 AM
quote: Here's Andrew Arnold's latest (scroll down to the "Readers Respond" section): The First What? A
few readers, none of whom wished to be identified, sought issue with
the 25th anniversary concept of the article, pegged to the use of the
term "A Graphic Novel" on the cover of Will Eisner's "A Contract with
God." Some dissenters pointed out that long-form graphic books such as
Osamu Tezuka's "Metropolis" pre-date Eisner's work. Another reader took
issue with the term's first appearance, citing a Richard Corben book
published two years before Eisner's that uses the phrase "graphic
novel" on the inside dust jacket. Without doubt both the etymology of
the term "graphic novel" and the origins of the form are debatable. Art
Spiegelman spoke of first seeing the term in the early 1960s among
fanzines. "There was a man named Bill Spicer who did a thing called
'Graphic Story Magazine'," Spiegelman says, "And one of the things
being discussed in those books was the possibility of a comic book
story that could partake of the qualities of a novel. So the phrase
sort of was kicking around." For the record, Eisner admits, "graphic
novel" had been coined prior to his book but that, "I had not known at
the time that someone had used that term before." Nor does he take
credit for creating the first graphic book. Citing the silent picture
stories of Lynd Ward, Eisner admits that, "I can't claim to have
invented the wheel, but I felt I was in a position to change the
direction of comics." My argument is that Eisner's book, published
outside the comic book system and pretty clearly the first comix work
deliberately aspiring to literary status, by having the term on the
front cover, crystallized the concept of a "graphic novel."
So I guess we're all gonna stop repeating the story that Eisner coined the term "graphic novel" now, right? (See, for instance, the article I cited earlier by Chris Couch, as well as the following glossary entry in The Comic Book by Paul Sassienie: quote: graphic nove
Coined by Will Eisner in the late 1970s, it describes a hard- or
soft-back comic book of high quality reproduction. It has come to mean
new work rather than reprints. See 'trade paperback'.
)ANYway, what about Arnold's argument that A Contract with God "crystallized" or "defined" the term "graphic novel"? Before I'm misinterpreted, let me say right now that, yes, A Contract with God
was an important and influential book, and did in fact do a great deal
to "crystallize" or "define" the term "graphic novel." It's interesting
to note, however, that like A Contract with God, Bloodstar
was published outside the comic book system (by a company based in
Kansas City), it was explictly promoted on the dustjacket as a "graphic
novel," and it "deliberately" aspired to "literary status" ("BLOODSTAR
is a new, revolutionary concept--a graphic novel, which combines all
the imagination and visual power of comic strip art with the richness
of the traditional novel."). Furthermore, Bloodstar was one
long story (not a series of short stories), it was originally published
in hardcover (in an edition of 5000 copies), and it was successful
enough to be printed in softcover in 1979 by a mainstream publisher,
Arial Books. "Crystallized" . . . "defined the term" . . . okay, maybe . . . but notice how Bloodstar--despite
its ambition, clear labelling as a "graphic novel," and success in the
marketplace--doesn't rate even a mention in the official history of
"graphic novels." Why? If I had to venture a guess, I'd say because
Corben's book doesn't quite fit the story these people--Arnold, Couch,
and others--want to tell about how "graphic novels" were and are
serious stories for serious people. The first graphic-novel-to-be
identified-as-a-graphic-novel a fantasy by Richard Corben and Robert E. Howard? Well, dammit all anyway, that's just embarassing . . . Regarding the coinage question, Spiegelman's point about Bill Spicer's Graphic Story Magazine is a good one. Maybe Bill Spicer's the man! "Graphic Story" is pretty damn close . . . IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 22, 2003 10:30 AM
Before someone else has a chance to point it out, here's the corrected quotation: quote: graphic novel
Coined by Will Eisner in the late 1970s, it describes a hard- or
soft-back comic book of high quality reproduction. It has come to mean
new work rather than reprints. See 'trade paperback'.
IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 22, 2003 12:19 PM
Another (possible) link in the chain of usage: according to this page, something or other (probably an illustration*) by Richard Corben appeared in issue #15 of Spicer's Graphic Story Magazine
(Summer 1973)--which (if it's true) would mean that Corben definitely
was familiar with the term "graphic story" before the term "graphic
novel" was used (for the first time ever in print? for the first time
ever on/in a comics album?) on the cover of Bloodstar (1976).----- * Fat Cat Books - What's New: quote: Graphic
Story Magazine #15 Summer 1973 - Gahan Wilson feature and Harry
Harrison interview. Slick, lots of illustrations. $6.00
----- I
didn't realize this, but the term "graphic story" seems to have been
pretty popular in the late '60s and early '70s. For instance, in
addition to a partial run of Bill Spicer's Graphic Story Magazine, the Inge Collection of Comic Art reference Journals has the following: quote: Graphic Story WorldNewsletter
published quarterly covering comics books, comix, animated film, and
international interests. Features editors from France, Australia,
Finland, Italy, Japan, Spain, and Sweden in mostly column format.
Expands into a magazine format by issue #5. Issues: Vol. 1 #1, 2, 4 Vol. 2 #1 - 4 Dates: May 1971 - December 1972 [and] Wonder World: The World of the Graphic Story Magazine
dedicated to publishing graphic stories focused at adults. It features
comics, articles, commentary, news and advertisements. Issue: Vol. 3 #2 (November 1973)
So, the term "graphic novel" was derived from "graphic story," which in turn was derived from "graphic art"?IP: Logged |
Domingos Member
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posted November 23, 2003 01:32 AM
What can I add, but say: thanks for a fascinating thread. No
one seems to know shit about this subject though. I'm going to quote
you from now on.IP: Logged |
Domingos Member
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posted November 23, 2003 01:35 AM
The next question is: who coined "graphic story". He he, it never ends... IP: Logged |
Andrei Molotiu Member
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posted November 23, 2003 02:16 AM
According to
Jones & Jacobs, "The Comic Book Heroes," p. 116, "Richard Kyle...
invented the terms 'graphic story' and 'graphic novel' for works that
deserved better than 'comics'." The time is unspecified, but clearly
before 1967, as the next sentence refers to "Bill Spicer, whose
subsequent Graphic Story Magazine (1967)..."Then there's Steranko's take: http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4576 Discussing his "Red Tide" (1976), he says: "The
words "Visual Novel" appear on Red Tide's cover; the term "Graphic
Novel" appears inside the book. I'm not even suggesting I created it,
but it was used in the book and in promotional material before
publication." IP: Logged |
Andrei Molotiu Member
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posted November 23, 2003 02:32 AM
And remember that Rodolphe Topffer (add an umlaut there) called his comics "litterature en estampes" or "histoires en estampes," which basically means "graphic stories," and this back in the 1830's.IP: Logged |
Jaz Williams Member
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posted November 23, 2003 10:22 AM
quote: Originally posted by Andrei Molotiu: According
to Jones & Jacobs, "The Comic Book Heroes," p. 116, "Richard
Kyle... invented the terms 'graphic story' and 'graphic novel' for
works that deserved better than 'comics'."
I was wondering who to blame for the self-conscious attitude toward the term "comic book"... I HATE the phrase "graphic novel"! Having
spent years working in a large bookstore that gets plenty of
comics-buying activity, I've learned how much even the
non-comics-enthusiast public has latched onto the term... Some parent
will ask on behalf of their five-year-old for any YU GI OH or DRAGON
BALL Z books, and I tell them there's plenty of "comic book" versions
of such, take them to the section, and the reply is, "Oh, these aren't
comic books, they're graphic novels! I've heard these aren't
appropriate for younger readers--is that true?" Yow! IP: Logged |
PatrickRosenkranz Member
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posted November 23, 2003 12:08 PM
Don't forget Beyond Time and Again by George Metzger (1976)
and Comanche Moon by Jaxon, which was begun in comic book form in 1977
and collected in a paperback edition in in 1979. Only Jaxon says, it's
not a novel, it's non fiction.IP: Logged |
Domingos Member
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posted November 23, 2003 12:28 PM
This thread is about the history of the term "graphic novel", not about what's the first graphic novel.IP: Logged |
JackieEstrada Member
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posted November 23, 2003 06:36 PM
Metzger's
"Beyond Time and Again" is subtitled "A Graphic Novel" and was
published by Richard Kyle, who has often claimed to have coined the
term.Jackie Estrada IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 23, 2003 07:26 PM
Thanks,
Domingos, for the positive comments, and thanks, Andrei, Patrick, and
Jackie for the additional information. Might be a good idea at this
point to provide a quick summary of where we're at:First Graphic Novel (so labelled):
- Bloodstar (1976) by Richard Corben and Robert E. Howard (see inside front dust-cover of book) and/or
- Red Tide (1976) by James Steranko (see "inside the book"; see also "promotional material" for the book)
- Beyond Time and Again
(1976) by George Metzger (see cover [the book is subtitled "a graphic
novel"]; published by Richard Kyle, "who has often claimed to have
coined the term")
(Turns
out 1976 was some kinda big year for "graphic novels"! It's a wonder
nobody has noticed before now. Or maybe somebody has . . . )Originator of the term "graphic novel":
- Richard Kyle (nominated by Jones & Jacobs, "The Comic Book Heroes"; also nominated by Kyle himself, who published George Metzger's Beyond Time and Again, which is subtitled "a graphic novel")
- Someone involved in the production and promotion of Bloodstar and/or Red Tide (this doesn't seem likely; or is it? LOL!)
- Bill Spicer (nominated by Art Spiegelman; no citation available)
- Milt Gross (nominated by whoever wrote this page;
no citation available, but I have written to the owners of the site to
request the citation, so watch this topic for breaking news! LOL!)
Originator of the term "graphic story":
- Bill Spicer (nominated by Art Spiegelman (?); see any issue of "Graphic Story Magazine"; doesn't seem likely)
- Rodolphe Topffer ("graphic story" was a translation of "litterature en estampes" or "histoires en estampes"; see next category)
Originator of the term "litterature en estampes" or "histoires en estampes"
- Rodolphe Topffer
(add an umlaut there; nominated by Andrei Molotiu; no specific citation
available, but Molotiu claims Topffer's usage of the term dates back to
the 1830s)
Hope
I haven't forgotten anything. I'll probably see the mistakes right
after I post the message. Don't it always seem to go . . . quote: Posted November 23, 2003 10:22 AM by Jaz Williams I was wondering who to blame for the self-conscious attitude toward the term "comic book"... I HATE the phrase "graphic novel"!
Yeah,
lots of people feel your pain. Alan Moore has argued that "graphic
novel" is nothing more than a marketing term, and it's difficult to
disagree. (If I remember correctly, Moore prefers "graphic story.")
Trouble is, as you say, lots of people are using "graphic novel," and
making claims about who coined the term "graphic novel," and who
published the first book labelled "a graphic novel," etc., etc. quote: Posted November 23, 2003 12:28 PM by Domingos: This thread is about the history of the term "graphic novel", not about what's the first graphic novel.
I
certainly don't want to discourage people from participating in this
little hunt--in fact, the more people who participate, the better
chance we have of pinning a few of these things down--but Domingos is
right, this thread is not about the definition of "graphic novel" or
about what might be the "first" graphic novel. It's about tracing the
career of the term "graphic novel."More later. IP: Logged |
Andrei Molotiu Member
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posted November 23, 2003 08:29 PM
To be more specific: Topffer wrote in his "Essai de physiognomonie [sic]" of 1845 (my translation):"One
can write stories with chapters, lines, and words: that is literature,
proper. One can write stories with successions of scenes represented
graphically (successions de scenes representees graphiquement): that is literature in prints (litterature en estampes). One can also do neither one nor the other, which is sometimes the best thing." Writing
in 1837 about his book "M. Jabot," Topffer discusses how it is a
mixture of words and images working together, then says: "The whole
ensemble forms a kind of novel (roman), that much more original
since it doesn't anymore ressemble a novel than anything else." (Both
citations from 1996 Slatkine edition of Topffer's complete graphic
works, first page of introduction, which is otherwise unpaginated). In
the intro, Francois Caradec also claims that Topffer called them
"histoires en estampes," but does not give a specific quote. BTW,
I should point out that it was David Kunzle who, at the 2003 ICAF,
claimed that "histoire en estampes" can basically be translated as
"graphic novel." That's what I was thinking of in my previous post, but
I just remembered the Kunzle reference today. In
any case, already in the 1830's, Topffer was calling his works
"novels," said they were "represented graphically," and called them
"stories in prints." IP: Logged |
Andrei Molotiu Member
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posted November 23, 2003 08:35 PM
Oh, also, I found an 1867 biography of Topffer which calls his graphic works "albums" (in French), maybe the first use of that term as applied to comics...IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 24, 2003 07:51 AM
More good info, Andrei! But one bit you posted raises a couple of questions for me. You wrote: quote: BTW,
I should point out that it was David Kunzle who, at the 2003 ICAF,
claimed that "histoire en estampes" can basically be translated as
"graphic novel."
Now, if the translation of "histoire en estampes" (Google translation: "history in prints"
) as "graphic novel" has only recently been suggested (in 2003!), then
the English term couldn't have derived from the French term, could it?
To begin to make the case, wouldn't one have to find at least one
example of an English translation of "histoire en estampes" as "graphic
novel" that predates the appearance of "graphic novel" as an
independent term in English? (So far as I can tell, the earliest
verified citations we have for "graphic novel" are from 1976.) Just wondering . . . IP: Logged |
JackieEstrada Member
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posted November 24, 2003 09:36 AM
If I recall
correctly, it was in Bill Spicer's "Graphic Story Magazine" that
Richard Kyle wrote about graphic novels. So that reference to Bill
Spicer is actually to Kyle.Jackie Estrada IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 24, 2003 10:48 AM
quote: If
I recall correctly, it was in Bill Spicer's "Graphic Story Magazine"
that Richard Kyle wrote about graphic novels. So that reference to Bill
Spicer is actually to Kyle.
That's a great lead, Jackie. Now it's Google to the rescue. In his column "Master of the Obvious" (Wednesday August 13, 2003, Issue #100), Steven Grant writes: quote: Whether
or not you accept or dismiss the idea that Will [Eisner] created the
first "graphic novel," REINVENTING COMICS clearly suggests Will coined
the term, which, as far as I know, was coined in the late '60s by one
of Bill Spicer's FANTASY ILLUSTRATED crew (Richard Kyle, I think) as
demonstrated in an interview with Alex Toth from the Spring 1969 issue
of GRAPHIC STORY MAGAZINE: [quote]INTERVIEWER: Someday
graphic novels will take up where comic books are leaving off, but what
about the artist who has to sit down and drawn them? If someone came to
you with a 200 page pictorial novel to illustrate, and if the money was
okay, do you think you'd be interested?[b]TOTH:[\b]
I'd probably blow my brains out. It could be done, and there are plenty
of guys around who could and would do it. But I'd rather have twenty 10
page stories than one 200 page story... this graphic novel concept
frightens me... If they would reach into new subject areas, maybe
graphic novels will happen as dollar or two dollar softcovers in black
& white or color. The medium deserves a better shake than it's
gotten from its practitioners who're making it go on the way it's been
going down...
[/quote] If
Richard Kyle is indeed the "INTERVIEWER," then he's clearly got the
best claim yet to the "Who coined the term 'graphic novel'?" no-prize.And good on ya, Steven "I do my homework" Grant! Maybe we'll all have to quote you from now on! IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 24, 2003 11:26 AM
And it looks like Milt Gross is out of the running.
According to a Reference Librarian with the Merril Collection of SF,
the Web page on which the claim that Milt Gross probably coined the
term "graphic novel" appeared was written by a former staff member and
seems to have been misquoted from the source material. The reference to
Milt Gross came from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction,
edited by John Clute and Peter Nicholls (New York : St. Martin's Press,
1995, c1993), in the article on GRAPHIC NOVELS, pp. 515-516. Here's the
relevant paragraph: quote: Though
comic-derived tales - like He Done Her Wrong: The Great American Novel:
And Not a Word in it - No Music, Too (1930) by Milt Gross (1895-1953) -
were not uncommon from an early date, the term "graphic novel" was
coined, possibly by the author himself, to describe what was itself in
fact a collection of linked stories, A Contract with God (graph. 1978)
by Will Eisner (1917- ), but it did not become a widely used label
until the release of a strangely ill matched trio -- Maus (1980-1985
RAW, graph. 1987) by Art Spiegelman (1948- ), WATCHMEN (1986-7; graph.
1987) by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, and Batman: The Dark Knight
Returns (1986; graph. 1986) by Frank Miller - raised the profile of the
serious narrative comic book and, in large part because of the low
prestige of the comic-book medium, instigated a commercial need for a
distinguishing term ("Adult Comic" had already been taken by comics
with explicit sexual content).
Of course, we now
know that even if the person who wrote the Web page on the Merril
Collection site had been faithful to this source material and credited
Will Eisner, he or she would have been wrong.IP: Logged |
Andrei Molotiu Member
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posted November 24, 2003 11:38 AM
quote: Originally posted by Benjamin D. Brucke:
Now, if the translation of "histoire en estampes" (Google translation: "history in prints"
) as "graphic novel" has only recently been suggested (in 2003!), then
the English term couldn't have derived from the French term, could it?
To begin to make the case, wouldn't one have to find at least one
example of an English translation of "histoire en estampes" as "graphic
novel" that predates the appearance of "graphic novel" as an
independent term in English? (So far as I can tell, the earliest
verified citations we have for "graphic novel" are from 1976.) Just wondering . . .
I
didn't say Kunzle in 2003 was the first to make that connection, just
that that was the instance I personally remembered. Since some of
Topffer's pieces were translated into English in the 19th c., it would
be interesting to see what those were referred to as. Nevertheless,
there probably isn't any continuity from Topffer to Richard Kyle and
1976. I guess there's a difference between "first instance," period
(not that Topffer is that, but he does approach it), "first instance in
English," and "first instance in English as part of a continuing
tradition that leads in a straight line to the present-day usage of the
term."IP: Logged |
Andrei Molotiu Member
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posted November 24, 2003 11:55 PM
from Andrew
Arnold's current column at Time.com--a letter from R.C. Harvey
responding to Arnold's previous column, on the supposed "25th
anniversary of the graphic novel": quote: I
have no. 909 of the 1,500 copies of the first edition of Eisner's "A
Contract with God." It is a handsome hardback book. No dust jacket. And
nowhere on the cover or title page or, even, in Will's introductory
remarks does the term "graphic novel" appear. Since the publication of
this seminal work, the term "graphic novel" has come into more
widespread use than it enjoyed then in 1978, and in subsequent editions
of the book, apparently insinuated itself onto the cover. But it wasn't
there on the first edition; so the first appearance of "A Contract with
God" did not, ipso facto, inaugurate the use of the term "graphic
novel." The term "graphic novel," as it applies to the "long form comic
book," was originally coined in November 1964 by Richard Kyle in a
newsletter circulated to all members of the Amateur Press Association.
The term was subsequently modified and used by Bill Spicer in his
"Graphic Story Magazine" (a usage Spicer gained Kyle's approval for in
advance). The first time a "long form comic book" was identified as a
"graphic novel" was the 1976 publication of "Beyond Time and Again," by
George Metzger, where the term "graphic novel" appears on the title
page and on the dust jacket flaps. There had been other efforts at
"graphic storytelling" before. Eisner mentions the work of Lynd Ward
[creator of the wordless novel "Gods' Man" in 1929] in his
introduction, for instance. Milt Gross did an entire narrative in
pictures with no words: "He Done Her Wrong" in 1930. Gil Kane and
Archie Goodwin produced "His Name Is? Savage," [a book-length comic,]
in 1968. "A Contract with God" gathered all of these narrative
strategies together between the covers of a single publication ? and
set the pace for those who would follow. Will Eisner has, without
question, done more to advance the medium of comics than just about
anyone. But he didn't invent the graphic novel form; nor did he coin
the term (as he would be among the first to acknowledge). R.C. Harvey Champaign, ILTIME.comix
responds: For the record, Will Eisner confirmed with TIME.comix that
the words "A Graphic Novel" appeared on the cover of the paperback
edition of "A Contract with God," but not the hardcover, which had no
dust jacket. The paperback was published in 1978 simultaneously with
the hardcover, says Eisner, with a larger print run. In fact Eisner
acknowledges that the term "graphic novel" had been coined prior to his
book. But, he says, "I had not known at the time that someone had used
that term before." Nor does he take credit for creating the first
graphic book. Eisner admits that, "I can't claim to have invented the
wheel, but I felt I was in a position to change the direction of
comics." TIME.comix' argument is that Eisner's book, published outside
the comic book system and pretty clearly the first comix work
deliberately aspiring to literary status, by having the term on the
front cover, crystallized the concept of a "graphic novel." But the
matter is clearly open to debate.
IP: Logged |
Andrei Molotiu Member
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posted November 25, 2003 12:00 AM
Oh, I see that Benjamin had already linked to this column,
but for some reason missed R.C.'s mention that the term "was originally
coined in November 1964 by Richard Kyle in a newsletter circulated to
all members of the Amateur Press Association." IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted November 25, 2003 05:42 AM
No, I didn't
miss it. I quoted exactly what was there. Arnold obviously received
RC's letter and edited that section of the page. Here's the original
post: quote: The First What? A
few readers, none of whom wished to be identified, sought issue with
the 25th anniversary concept of the article, pegged to the use of the
term "A Graphic Novel" on the cover of Will Eisner's "A Contract with
God." Some dissenters pointed out that long-form graphic books such as
Osamu Tezuka's "Metropolis" pre-date Eisner's work. Another reader took
issue with the term's first appearance, citing a Richard Corben book
published two years before Eisner's that uses the phrase "graphic
novel" on the inside dust jacket. Without doubt both the etymology of
the term "graphic novel" and the origins of the form are debatable. Art
Spiegelman spoke of first seeing the term in the early 1960s among
fanzines. "There was a man named Bill Spicer who did a thing called
'Graphic Story Magazine'," Spiegelman says, "And one of the things
being discussed in those books was the possibility of a comic book
story that could partake of the qualities of a novel. So the phrase
sort of was kicking around." For the record, Eisner admits, "graphic
novel" had been coined prior to his book but that, "I had not known at
the time that someone had used that term before." Nor does he take
credit for creating the first graphic book. Citing the silent picture
stories of Lynd Ward, Eisner admits that, "I can't claim to have
invented the wheel, but I felt I was in a position to change the
direction of comics." My argument is that Eisner's book, published
outside the comic book system and pretty clearly the first comix work
deliberately aspiring to literary status, by having the term on the
front cover, crystallized the concept of a "graphic novel."
And here's the new version, with RC replacing the "few readers, none of whom wished to be identified": quote: The First What? There
were, predictably, some objections to the anniversary concept of the
article, pegged to the use of the term "A Graphic Novel" on the cover
of Will Eisner's "A Contract with God." Here is one such example: I
have no. 909 of the 1,500 copies of the first edition of Eisner's "A
Contract with God." It is a handsome hardback book. No dust jacket. And
nowhere on the cover or title page or, even, in Will's introductory
remarks does the term "graphic novel" appear. Since the publication of
this seminal work, the term "graphic novel" has come into more
widespread use than it enjoyed then in 1978, and in subsequent editions
of the book, apparently insinuated itself onto the cover. But it wasn't
there on the first edition; so the first appearance of "A Contract with
God" did not, ipso facto, inaugurate the use of the term "graphic
novel." The term "graphic novel," as it applies to the "long form comic
book," was originally coined in November 1964 by Richard Kyle in a
newsletter circulated to all members of the Amateur Press Association.
The term was subsequently modified and used by Bill Spicer in his
"Graphic Story Magazine" (a usage Spicer gained Kyle's approval for in
advance). The first time a "long form comic book" was identified as a
"graphic novel" was the 1976 publication of "Beyond Time and Again," by
George Metzger, where the term "graphic novel" appears on the title
page and on the dust jacket flaps. There had been other efforts at
"graphic storytelling" before. Eisner mentions the work of Lynd Ward
[creator of the wordless novel "Gods' Man" in 1929] in his
introduction, for instance. Milt Gross did an entire narrative in
pictures with no words: "He Done Her Wrong" in 1930. Gil Kane and
Archie Goodwin produced "His Name Is… Savage," [a book-length comic,]
in 1968. "A Contract with God" gathered all of these narrative
strategies together between the covers of a single publication — and
set the pace for those who would follow. Will Eisner has, without
question, done more to advance the medium of comics than just about
anyone. But he didn't invent the graphic novel form; nor did he coin
the term (as he would be among the first to acknowledge). R.C. Harvey Champaign, ILTIME.comix
responds: For the record, Will Eisner confirmed with TIME.comix that
the words "A Graphic Novel" appeared on the cover of the paperback
edition of "A Contract with God," but not the hardcover, which had no
dust jacket. The paperback was published in 1978 simultaneously with
the hardcover, says Eisner, with a larger print run. In fact Eisner
acknowledges that the term "graphic novel" had been coined prior to his
book. But, he says, "I had not known at the time that someone had used
that term before." Nor does he take credit for creating the first
graphic book. Eisner admits that, "I can't claim to have invented the
wheel, but I felt I was in a position to change the direction of
comics." TIME.comix' argument is that Eisner's book, published outside
the comic book system and pretty clearly the first comix work
deliberately aspiring to literary status, by having the term on the
front cover, crystallized the concept of a "graphic novel." But the
matter is clearly open to debate.
I'm
delighted to have a person of RC's stature weigh in on the issue of who
coined the term "graphic novel." Richard Kyle, November 1964, Amateur
Press Association newsletter.I
see that RC also mentions "The first time a 'long form comic book' was
identified as a 'graphic novel' was the 1976 publication of 'Beyond
Time and Again,' by George Metzger, where the term 'graphic novel'
appears on the title page and on the dust jacket flaps." I assume good
ol' RC knows about the other two contenders for that title . . . yeah,
I'm sure he doess . . . IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted December 31, 2003 06:32 AM
Since Andrei is still interested in this topic, I would just
like to add that a buddy of mine contacted R.C. Harvey by email, and it
turns out that although he was aware that Steranko's "Red Tide" was
published in 1976, he was *not* aware that "Bloodstar" was published
the same year. Although R.C. disqualifies "Red Tide" because he does
not consider it a graphic novel (even though it is referred to as such
in a text pice in the book itself), "Bloodstar" is still in contention,
along with Metzger's "Beyond Time and Again," for the first *graphic
novel* to be identified as a "graphic novel." Now if one of R.C.'s
friends or relations would loan him a copy of the first edition of
"Bloodstar" for research purposes . . .IP: Logged |
Jesse Hamm Member
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posted December 31, 2003 10:08 AM
Though this
thread is about nomenclature per se, I can't resist making a point
about the origins of the graphic novel as a form. I
keep seeing Lynd Ward cited as the first graphic novelist (e.g., "Gods'
Man" in 1929), yet Wilhelm Busch's "Die Fromme Helene," a fictional
biography in comic form, came out in the late 19th Century and weighs
in at well over 100 pages. Is there any better contender for first
place? IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted December 31, 2003 07:59 PM
Is this it, Jesse?IP: Logged |
Benjamin D. Brucke Member
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posted December 31, 2003 08:11 PM
Jesse, you ask if there is any better contender for first place. Well . . . Andrei has already mentioned the work of Rodolph Töpffer.
In fact, according to the Lambiek Comiclopedia, "Töpffer's
picture-stories have been an influence on many of the early 'comic'
artists, such as Christophe, Wilhelm Busch and Cham" (bold added). In May 1999, Bob of "Bob's Comics Reviews" provided a short overview of Töpffer's production, and includes this very interesting quotation from the man himself: quote: This
little book has a mixed nature. It is composed of a series of
autographed pictures. Each picture is accompanied by one or two lines
of text. The pictures, without this text, would have only an obscure
meaning; the text, without the pictures, would mean nothing. Together
they form a sort of novel, all the more original in that it does not
resemble a novel more than any other thing. The author of this little
oblong volume [Töpffer is being coy here] is not known. If he is an
artist, he draws badly, but he has some skill in writing; if he is a
writer, he writes only moderately well, but in recompense he has a good
amateur's drawing skills.
Check it out!IP: Logged |
Jesse Hamm Member
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posted January 01, 2004 01:21 AM
Benjamin,That is indeed Die fromme Helene
-- thanks for the link! Unfortunately, the pictures at that site are
reproduced so small that their resolution is mediocre, and they appear
to be secondary to the text. (In print, they are much larger,
dominating the pages.) I
was aware of Topffer, but I figured he only did short booklets, not
novels. However, the Topffer page you linked says he did a book of 92
pages, which I suppose could be considered a novel. Since
my previous post, Andrei has posted a link (on the other "graphic
novel" thread) to a 160 panel comic from the 1700s that seems to
qualify as a graphic novel. Perhaps that was the first, then?
IP: Logged |