I was growing up in the 1990s, when manga comics gained popularity in my home country. At that time, almost all teenagers read comics. We loved comics so much. However, schools and families often disagreed and prohibited us from reading comics. The school even raided and confiscated comics.
Some common opinions about comics circulated, such as “Comics are inappropriate,” “Comics are not good reading,” and “Comics cause moral degradation in young generation.”
Later, in my adult years, I read graphic novels, such as Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Art Spiegelman’s Maus. These graphic narratives debunk misconceptions about comics. Comics can talk about war, genocide, and authoritarianism, as well as freedom, and humanity.
Here are some misconceptions about comics, manga, graphic novels, illustrated books, and other graphic narratives:
1. Comics are just for kids
Many comics are produced as entertainment for kids, but many others are also created for all ages. Superhero comics, either in America or Japan, can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of their age. Superhero comics also tell beyond superheroes’ stories. It might speak about tragedy, structural injustice, trauma, and self-knowledge.
Furthermore, many graphic novels also deal with ‘precarious’ topics, like political conflict, racism, and massacre. One of them is Joe Sacco’s comic journalism that depicts the Bosnian war and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Visual narratives that convey rich stories and fascinating ideas are interesting for everyone!
2. Comics are bad and low art
There was a time when comic books were burned because they were considered inappropriate and degraded young people’s manners and morals. When compared to fine arts, comics are frequently regarded as bad and low art. Simply because comics are more accessible, easy to understand, and popular, they are classified as low art. Meanwhile, high art, like fine art, needs “aesthetic contemplation and cultivated taste.” This distinction seems obsolete, as many comics also involve high- aesthetic skills, speak about important life values, and invoke aesthetic experience. Comics are not bad or low art.
3. Comics are not literature
Are comics literature? To answer this question, as Chute (2020) says, “we need to go beyond pre-established rubrics: we have to reexamine the categories of fiction, narrative, and historicity.” Today’s comics and graphic narratives have proven that they can help people understand the complexity of life through their narrative design. Graphic narratives have also moved beyond modernist aesthetics into postmodernist practices. They embrace both mass circulation and rigorous & experimental arts. (Chute, 2020: 462).
4. Comics are a waste of time
Definitely not! Reading comics has some benefits, such as increasing inference in young readers, improving creative thinking, and raising awareness of social issues. Children can learn logic and causality by following comics’ panels. They are also practicing inferring meaning from the images. Comics help the readers, both little ones and adults, think differently, which is useful in solving problems. Many comics and graphic narratives also assist readers in understanding and responding to various social issues. It is no wonder that comics are also currently used as media in education.