EVERYTHING BUT IMAGINARY #213: BUT AM IT ART?

[Blake Petit]

Recently, I was wandering a bookstore. Not a comic book store, mind you – a store that includes not only comics, but books without pictures, books with minimal illustrations, magazines, newspapers, books loaded with topics of regional interest, and an utterly generic coffee bar just like the ones in 1,953,728.4 different bookstores across these United States. I love these stores. There’s just so darn much paper.

As I wandered the stacks, I found myself again perturbed by how the Lords of the Bookshop choose to separate their wares. There are obvious divisions: current events, reference, humor, mystery, horror, science fiction… But there are two categories which continue to perplex me: “literature” and “fiction.” Now clearly, once they’ve differentiated the work that clearly belongs in (horror of horrors) a genre, they need a place that doesn’t belong in one of those other bookstore ghettos. But how do they decide what’s literature and what’s merely “fiction”? And more importantly, who gets to make that decision? How do I apply for that job?

I’ve often thought that comics – in bookstores, at least – should be shelved the same way as regular fiction. For example, Preacher and Amelia Rules are about as far apart as comic books can get, but most bookstores will happily put them right on the shelf next to each other instead of shelving Preacher with the fantasy novels and Amelia Rules with the children’s books, which would be the logical way to do it. The Star Wars comics could be shelved with the novels in the science fiction section, while books like Fell and Criminal belong in the crime section. Superhero comics are a tough place – depending on the title they could belong in anything from horror to humor to fantasy and virtually everything else in-between. When a superhero novel is written, it goes in the science fiction section, and until bookstores, libraries and everyone else recognizes superheroes as a separate genre of its own, I suppose the superhero comics can go in sci-fi as well.

But “fiction” and “literature….” How do you decide? What are the qualifications for literature? Does it have to require “literary” elements like foreshadowing, political allegories, and back cover blubs from J.D. Salinger? Or is it enough for a book to just be really good?

Is Strangers in Paradise literature, or just “fiction”?

Let’s take a trip to “Blakeland.” This is the universe where I make all the rules – which means, among other things, gas prices are 15 cents a gallon, bacon double cheeseburgers contain outrageous health benefits while cauliflower is deadly poison, 9th grade students actually pay attention, and all the books go where I think they should go on the shelves. Here in Blakeland, I have to make the decision – what comic books qualify as literature? Which ones reach that lofty plateau? Look at Kamandi – sure, it’s good, but as Bizarro would ask, “but am it art?” Only one thing is clear – in Blakeland, I have abolished the generic “graphic novel” section, and now have to decide where to reshelve all of these books.

How do you decide how to rearrange the books? What goes where? What about, for example, Jeff Smith’s Bone? The book is clearly a high fantasy – magic and monsters and grand adventure, but with a different bent than traditional fantasy. It certainly belongs on a fantasy bookshelf. But wait! In the last few years, Scholastic Books has begun reprinting the series in digest-sized colored volumes that are proving to be enormously successful with young readers, so should Bone go in Fantasy or Young Adult? Well, friends, in Blakeland, it goes in both categories – the ginormous “One-Volume” paperback in fantasy and the color digests in with the young adult stuff. If they can have separate “adult” and “young adult” editions for Ender’s Game and Harry Potter, why not Bone?

Are you starting to see how this is gonna work?

Now some comics will be easy to classify. The Walking Dead goes with the horror comics. Jonah Hex goes with the westerns (along with a new print of the unjustly-obscure The Kents). PVP goes under humor. Sin City is a crime comic and, of course, How to Pick Up Girls if You’re a Comic Book Geek is in the self-help section.

Sandman is a tricky one. It’s both fantasy and horror – the book drips with elements of both genres, so how do you choose? It’s Blakeland, so I suppose I could just shelve it in both places, but that would be cheating, wouldn’t it? So ultimately, I’ve got to decide which of these would be better for the story. Is Sandman intended to scare? Well… it’s got a lot of scary elements, but I think I’ve got to say no. It’s really a story about Story itself, about the power of dreams and imagination, about how a dream can shape entire worlds. It can be a scary thought, but there’s an undeniable magic in it as well. So when I make my pick, Sandman goes under “fantasy.”

What about stuff like G.I. Joe? I suppose the gut reaction would be to stick it in the kids’ section, but have you read the current series? People are dying, people are being betrayed, the Baroness was held captive and her child stolen from her before she even knew if she’d given birth to a boy or a girl… it’s not really a kids’ story. Indeed, it’s a comic for the people who were kids in the 80s, and still love G.I. Joe today. So the kids’ section gets scratched off. My next choice would be “action/adventure,” but while that’s considered a viable genre in movies, you don’t see that section in bookstores too often. There are other sections that may be logical – if there’s a “television” or “media” section, I suppose that’s where it would get shelved.

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is another one that would automatically get shunted off to the kids’ section, but I don’t think it fits there either. Oh, sure, it’s a great book to give kids, but it’s not only a kids book. I’ve often said that, thanks to Carl Barks, Scrooge McDuck was having Indiana Jones’ adventures decades before Indiana Jones. I don’t want to stick it in some generic “movie” or “film” category either. Screw it, this is Blakeworld. Henceforth, book stores shall include an “action/adventure” section, which will include works as diverse as G.I. Joe, The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, Athena Voltaire, Asterix and DMZ.

Manga comics would not be exempt from this dissemination. We don’t put English-language translation of Japanese novels in a separate section, so why should comics get their own? Battle Royale goes in the action section. Pokémon goes under the children’s books. At this point, I would have to assign someone to shelve the rest of the Manga, because I can’t think of any others, but you get the point.

Oh – and because this is Blakeland, the bestsellers section would include PS 238, Manhunter, The Thing: Idol O’Millions and Showcase Presents Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew.

Finally, let’s look at the acknowledged classics:– Maus, Watchmen, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Deep, important, meaningful works. (The Dark Knight Strikes Again goes on the remainder table, but I digress.) Do these qualify? Do these make the break into the much-lauded “literature” section?

No.

Because in Blakeland, there is no separate “literature” section. In Blakeland, there’s nobody hanging around telling you which books are important or meaningful. In Blakeland, we trust you to make that distinction for yourself.

In the case of many people, we will be wrong, but we here in Blakeland like to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Favorite of the Week: April 18, 2007

In a week full of solid comics, but nothing truly mind-blowing, selecting a favorite was actually quite a chore. After much soul-searching, deliberation, meditation, prayer and Cool Ranch-flavored Doritos, I’ve decided this week’s trophy goes to Hero By Night #2. D.J. Coffman and Jason Embury’s miniseries about a guy who finds the hidden cache of a long-lost hero is original, refreshing, and a lot of fun. If you’re looking for a new look at superheroes without the doom and gloom, but with plenty of excitement and adventure, check out Hero By Night.

Blake M. Petit is the author of the superhero comedy novel, Other People's Heroes, the suspense novel The Beginner and the weekly “Think About It” humor column at Think About It Central. He’s also the co-host, with the inimitable Chase Bouzigard, of the new 2 in 1 Showcase Podcast. E-mail him at Blake@comixtreme.com and visit him on the web at Evertime Realms.

[Walt Kneeland]

an interesting issue, these genres. And as far as the divvying up amongst 'em, you reminded me of stuff from library classes and the issue that cataloguers face. and...well, you've written on library stuff; i know your'e no stranger to the issue in the libraries as well.

I've long despised the idea of "literature" versus "fiction"--to me, it essentially boils down to a high-brow versus low-brow issue. "literature" is the high-brow, the stuff you get brownie points for reading outside of academic assignments, and "fiction" is the stuff for "the non-educated masses," that arguably rots your brain just like TV.

"literature" also seems to be at its basest stuff by "old, dead guys."

The primary flaw I'd see offhand to shelving graphic with the non-graphic would be if one's specifically seeking one format over the other, in their various genres.

Then again, that's what the card catal...er...computer is for.

[Blake Petit]

Originally Posted by Walt Kneeland

The primary flaw I'd see offhand to shelving graphic with the non-graphic would be if one's specifically seeking one format over the other, in their various genres.

That would be a problem, but I think eventually it could be overcome. What I'd really like to see happen (in Blakeland) is that it no longer become an issue, whether it's a prose story or a graphic novel. I'd like people to become accustomed to seeing them shelved together, so that people who at present wouldn't wander into the graphic novel section could find stories they may like next to the prose stuff.

It'd take a long time, no doubt, to reach that point, but in Blakeland, that's the sort of golden tomorrow we dream about.

[Walt Kneeland]

and a worthy tomorrow-dream it is!

and it could go both ways. I got hooked on zombie films, then The Walking Dead...and from there discovered World War Z, and would be interested in other zombie prose.

Or reading Fell, and enjoyed Homicide: Life on the Street...so what other crime fiction (prose) might be there I'd enjoy?

If I'm shopping for comics or "graphic novels" or whatever...I go right to that section, find whatever's gonna suck up my money for the trip, and then I pay and get outta the store.

and I agree...for whatever problems, it'd be awesome to see an integration of the formats and such...

[Terry Verticchio]

In Terryland there are only two genres...the "Red-headed" section and the "Non Red-headed" section.

[B. Schatz]

Here in the Canader (or at least in the Alberta part of it) all the Chapters and Coles stores put all their "fiction" and "literature" into a "fiction and literature" section. Not exactly Blakeland material, but baby steps...

[thtadthtshldntb]

I think that it has to do more with publishing companies and how Author's prefer to be marketed.

For example, in general fantasy and sci fi authors and their publishers prefer to be grouped together, as fans of sci fi and fantasy tend to buy their product more readily that way. Whereas horror, suspense and techno-thrillers prefer to be grouped under more generic literature, as they and their publishers think that they sell more that way (in my own experience this is not true).

An example. Eric Van Lustbader. He writes both thrillers and scifi /fantasy novels.

In the past his thriller material (The Nicholeas Linnear Ninja series and the sequels to the Bourne novels most recently) would listed under Eric Lustbader and be in the literature or generic fiction sections, whereas his sci fi and fantasy (The Sunset Warrior trilogy and another series whose name escapes me) would list under his full name.

NYT bestselling fantasy author Terry Goodkind, of the Sword of Truth series hates being considered a fantasy author and won't identify himself as such, even to the point of knocking the genre and its readers.