When's the last time you read a comic book? Oh, right, the term now is "graphic novel" — as if calling them "comics" was somehow undignified or not sufficiently intellectual. But the problem with "graphic novel" is that it's far too limiting — because, sure, while all comics are graphic, many of the smartest and most exciting examples don't even remotely resemble novels. In fact, I'm about to recommend five books that — each for its own reason — can only be called comics, representing a wide range of literature being produced in what is truly a golden age.
So there. Five books that combine words and images that you really should read, that don't smell or taste like graphic novels at all. So can we all go back to calling them comics, as nature intended? Go ahead. Try it. Now doesn't that feel better?
Myla Goldberg is the author of Bee Season and The False Friend.
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