While I love novels, I love reading comic books and graphic novels just as much.....
BOOKSHELF
While I love novels, I love reading comic books and graphic novels just as much, although many people consider them to be inferior to novels. They’re often understood to be for kids, which cannot be farther from the truth. This is a list of graphic novels for all ages that are just as, if not better, than many novels I’ve read.
Persepolis
Written by Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis is a graphic memoir that depicts Satrapi’s childhood growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In the introduction to Persepolis, the author states how the Islamic Revolution had led people in the West to think Iran was full of religious extremists and terrorists. She wanted to show that the revolution negatively affected most Iranians and that it’s wrong to judge an entire country from the actions of a few extremists. The graphic novel talks about big issues like war, rebellion and the veil, but it’s also a story about a young girl living in a highly oppressive regime and how that affected her throughout her life. I found it fascinating to see just how different Muslims’ experiences can be in various parts of the world and the popularity of Persepolis in the West shows that Western people might be more open to stories of Muslims than one might think.
The Best We Could Do
This was my first book by a Vietnamese author and it did not disappoint. The Best We Could Do is a graphic memoir in which Thi Bui shares her family’s story of escaping from war-torn Vietnam to America and their life as refugees. I did not have much knowledge about the Vietnam War, but the novel does a great job of explaining the origins and complexity of the war while showing how it affected one family. Even though Thi Bui and her family are able to successfully escape from Vietnam and build a life in America, the war continues to haunt them. The novel sheds light on what it’s like to be a refugee and with the growing refugee crisis in today’s world, stories like these are more important than ever. Moreover, I found it fun to learn about and relate to people from a completely different culture.
Nimona
Nimona is a rather bizarre fantasy story that began as a webcomic and is now a young adult graphic novel by Noelle Stevenson. The story starts with the arch villain Lord Ballister Blackheart, who meets a young girl Nimona when she insists upon becoming his sidekick.
What follows is a series of adventures as Blackheart tries to foil his nemesis Sir Ambrose Goldenloin, the hero of the kingdom. In an interesting twist, Nimona is the one who is eager to carry out evil deeds while Blackheart tries to hold her back. Despite their moral ambiguity, the two main characters are quite charming and entertaining, eventually forming a sweet father-daughter relationship. With its difficult questions about morality, this dark and adventurous tale is one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read.
American Born Chinese
American Born Chinese is a young adult graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang about a young boy named Jin Wang, who wants nothing more than to fit in his school where he is the only Chinese-American student. Jin is constantly bullied and teased for being Chinese and dreams of being a typical blonde American guy.
His self-hatred and isolation might be hard for younger readers to read but the author manages to insert humour at just the right moments without reducing the seriousness of the matter. Reading this made me realize just how tough it must be to hold on to and be proud of your identity while living as a minority in America.
A Silent Voice
A Silent Voice is a manga (Japanese comic) by Yoshitoki Oima and is one of the few stories I’ve read that tackle heavy subjects like bullying, disability, depression and suicidal thoughts in a sensitive and thoughtful manner. This comic caught my attention when I saw that the main character is the one who is the bully and the ‘bad guy’.
The story begins with the sixth grader Shoya Ishida, who mercilessly bullies the new deaf student in his class, Shoko Nishimiya. Years later, now a regretful and depressed high school student, Ishida seeks out Nishimiya to make amends. Although some parts, particularly the first two chapters, are hard to read, I found it to be an ultimately optimistic story about friendship, forgiveness and second chances.
Pashmina
Immigrant life is quite a common theme in graphic novels and it shows up once again in Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani, which is about an Indian-American teenager called Priyanka Das. Pri lives with her mother in California and only knows about her homeland India through movies. Her mother refuses to talk about why she left India and Pri is left with burning curiosity about her family and her country.
Then one day she finds a mysterious shawl (pashmina) that transports her to a fantastical, idealized version of India. While immigrant conflict has become an extensively covered topic in novels, Chanani adds a touch of originality with the inclusion of a fantasy element. I liked how the novel showed a contrast between India and America with India being a colourful, magical world in Pri’s imagination while her life in America was dull.
Sarah: The Suppressed Anger of the Pakistani Obedient Daughter
Sarah: The Suppressed Anger of the Pakistani Obedient Daughter is a graphic novel by Ayesha Tariq, who wrote it for her university thesis in 2011 and got it published in 2015. Its titular character Sarah is an ordinary 17-year-old girl living in Karachi with her conservative family and as the cover shows, she keeps all her anger bottled up until one day her patience runs out.
Sarah’s suppressed frustration stems from the expectations her society and family has from her; she has to do all the chores and uphold her reputation as a good, obedient girl while her brother is given freedom. But this isn’t a rant – the author uses humour to show how ridiculous the rules and norms of society can be. There are some great laugh-out-loud moments that help balance the real-life issues. The only complaint I have is that it’s too short.
Ms. Marvel
Kamala Khan is your average Pakistani-American teenager living in New Jersey except for one thing- she has superpowers. Ms. Marvel, written by G. Willow Wilson, follows what initially appears to be any other superhero origin story: an ordinary person suddenly gains powers, dons a secret hero alter ego and protects their city from villains.
Although this is a familiar narrative for any superhero fan, Ms. Marvel makes it unique by showing how Kamala has to be a hero while having overprotective, traditional parents. I liked how the comic showed Kamala being inspired to become a hero by her father’s religious teachings. It also felt great to read a Marvel comic with references to Pakistani culture and poets like Rumi.
Silver Scorpion
Craving another Muslim superhero comic after reading Ms. Marvel, I came across Silver Scorpion. Created by Ron Marz and Mukesh Singh, the idea for Silver Scorpion was born from the 2010 Youth Ability Summit in Damascus where 26 differently abled American and Syrian youths gathered.
They came up with the character of Bashir Bari, a Syrian teenager who had lost his legs in an accident and had isolated himself out of grief and anger until he gained the power to bend metal with his mind. This was the first time I’d read a heroic character with a disability and I liked how the comic didn’t ignore Bashir’s disability but didn’t let him get defined by it either. The story is also interesting and different from other superhero comics.
