Pros
1. The visuals- Yup, this part is blatantly obvious. Graphic novels have pretty, pretty pictures… how clever of me for noticing. They are fantastic though and they change the way you experience a story. When you’re reading a graphic novel set in a world you know from a book it can be really exciting to see things come to life in front of you. This also forces a closer attention to detail that I know I sometimes lack when I am flying through an action scene, desperate to see what happens.

2. A change of pace- This is fairly simple but for those of us who read a lot (so, probably anyone here) it can be nice to change things up a little bit and experience a story in a different way. Graphic novels still possess many of the qualities I love about books but manage to touch my imagination differently.

3. A chance to reunite with old friends- A fairly recent trend in graphic novels is to continue stories (I’ve manly noticed this with TV shows) that may have been unfinished for some fans. The most obvious example of this is the Buffy Season 8 comics, that may not have gone over perfectly with the fan base but were still a wonderful opportunity to return to beloved settings and characters.

Cons
1. The Price- This is always the big one for me. For something I could read in an hour, I need to spend twice as much as I do on a book that might be able to last me a few days? I understand the why’s behind the price, there is a lot of work (and artistry) that goes into a graphic novel or comic book, but it’s still not a choice a lot of consumers can make lightly.

2. The length- As I said above, many of us can read through an entire volume in an hour or two. There is less of a chance to become fully involved in the story. Sad face.

3. Minimal opportunity for imagination- Part of the fun of reading is imagining the characters for yourself. With graphic novels there is very little room for interpretation. Sometimes this can be a great thing, but mostly it can make it more difficult to fully visualize everything in your head.

What are your thoughts on graphic novels? Are we for, against or indifferent?