Guardian Graphic Novel of the Month

[Will Cooling]

https://www.theguardian.com/books/series/graphic-novel-of-the-month

Anyone notice anything strange about this list of the graphic novels that the Guardian recommends each month?

[I, Cosh]

Nope.

[James Stacey]

It lacks the usual Guardian spelling mistakes every couple of lines ?

[TordelBack]

I'm afraid my male gaze means that the main thing I noticed is that Kate Beaton is gobsmackingly lovely. And that there's a new Clowes!

[Satanist]

is it that its up its own arse?

[Will Cooling]

In over six years they've never recommended a 2000AD or related collection. You'd think some of the more political releases might have interested them

[Geoff]

is it that its up its own arse?

Yes I suppose the lack of anything 2000ad related is strange...but I still think the Satanist has it...

[I, Cosh]

In over six years they've never recommended a 2000AD or related collection. You'd think some of the more political releases might have interested them

Not really and I can't think of anything especially political from Tharg's mighty organ which might have been included.

It's very heavily skewed towards the sort of reportage and autobiographical stuff which I can't be arsed with but it's not like they're bigging up Civil War 2 or anything. Grandville seems about as close to genre fare as they get and I'd only be half joking if I was to suggest that having a single "auteur" rather than separate writer and artist is probably a factor in their selections.

[TordelBack]

Some really great stuff in that back catalogue, though, and some late additions to my Santa list. SF/Fantasy isn't the genre of Graphic Novel they're going for, and in that way it's no different from any given book review column not featuring the latest Bernard Cornwell or Joe Abercrombie, for all that they may shift more copies than Paul Beatty (pre-Booker). 

[Theblazeuk]

I've always felt the problem the Guardian faces is that it's the only one flying its particular flag. A bit high brow and upper class for the nicer people who don't take themselves so seriously/earn so much money, but what else is there? Other than the more niche stuff I am sure we all know and love.

A long time ago I spoke to the Observer magazine editor, and his look of frustration when I asked him about how almost everything in the supplements was far beyond those on a typical income spoke volumes. His response basically amounted to the top few percent of his audience being what attracted advertisers.

[Colin YNWA]

I'd just suggest that the Guardian is bigging up books that met the real mainstream and those that better represent the books and other literature that it would big up.

Its a great thing that they are supporting the diversity of material out there and yeah the fact that they are clearly so very, very wrong not to realise the Galaxies Greatest is indeed... well the Galaxies Greatest is not actually a bad thing at all. We know what we got, let them give a nod to the great other stuff out there...

... mind I'm embarrassed how little of the stuff on there I've read!

[Trout]

It's easier to write about publishers who send you books, and the people most likely to do that are the publishers with smaller-run books targeted at an older demographic. In newspapers, that tends to mean serious, less populist stuff arrives in the mail, and in newspapers everyone is insanely busy so the easier option is tempting.

I write a graphic novels column for two Canadian newspapers, and I have to make a special effort to find a variety of material, despite having a large readership. i get plenty of graphic biographies sent to me, but lately I've set some of them aside to write about Batgirl, Klaus, and Dreaming Eagles, among others.

And yes, I have written about 2000 AD. 

Edited to add: I don't mean to suggest 2000 AD isn't sending stuff to The Guardian. I'm sure they are. It's just that the majority of stuff will be of a different nature.

[AlexF]

Out of interest, which recent 2000AD collections would people recommend to the relevant Guardian editor, who presumably assumes, at this point, that the core readership is excited by the biography / journalism comics subgenre? Maybe Misty for the nostalgia angle?

It's maybe a bit old at this point, but for my groats the most literary of the recent crop has been Ichabod Azrael. There's an argument that the upcoming Dredd epic 'Every Empire Falls' might fit the bill nicely as an action story that has political overtones. Also, both are funny, which usually makes things an easier sell!

[IAMTHESYSTEM]

A long time ago I spoke to the Observer magazine editor, and his look of frustration when I asked him about how almost everything in the supplements was far beyond those on a typical income spoke volumes. His response basically amounted to the top few percent of his audience being what attracted advertisers.

Advertisers are king I'm afraid so that's why a lot of the supplements provided by newspapers tend to little more than Ad mags sprinkled with celeb projects.   

[Dandontdare]

The Guradian has a monthly GN section in the Saturday Guide, and it often includes more mainstream stuff like Marvel, DC or 2000ad