That said, I am extremely familiar with comic books and graphic novels (total nerd! and yes, of course I saw Avengers: Endgame听and听Captain Marvel听on opening night), but I糖心传媒檝e never tried to write about them听in the ways in which I糖心传媒檝e written about translated fiction. Or even poetry. Although I feel like this post is pretty much in parallel with any of my posts on poetry in the sense that I know from the start that I don糖心传媒檛 have the proper set of terms and concepts to clearly elucidate what makes a poetry collection 糖心传媒済ood糖心传媒� or 糖心传媒済reat糖心传媒� or 糖心传媒渇ine糖心传媒� or 糖心传媒済arbage,糖心传媒� but I have some undefined, general understanding of what I like. 听

Since I haven糖心传媒檛 even had time this week to steal a听fun framework from Sam Miller, I think I糖心传媒檓 going to simply write听something听about each of the four books听I read, namely one aspect of听what makes reading graphic novels interesting.听听

First though, a couple digressions. (Would this even听be听a Three Percent post if I went straight at that听topic?)听听

Over the years, a number of people have asked me听why we don糖心传媒檛 track graphic novels in the Translation Database. The answer is so much more mundane and dumb than hoped for, but also has some odd corollaries. Basically, I can糖心传媒檛 figure out how to get accurate, reliable numbers on manga published here in the U.S.听

When booksellers or translators ask about graphic novels in translation, they usually are thinking of books from Drawn & Quarterly or听Fantagraphics听or First Second or NYRB Comics. They糖心传媒檙e not necessarily thinking about Dragon Ball or Naruto or听Fruits Basket听or听Death Note. All of which have tons of volumes available in English, mostly from presses I don糖心传媒檛 regularly come in contact with.听听听

This is unfortunate, especially since it results in Japanese works in translation being听grossly听under represented in the Translation Database. I have done a lot of research lately to try and capture all the Japanese 糖心传媒渓ight novels糖心传媒� that have come out (again, thank you Rachel听Cordasco), but manga is something I don糖心传媒檛 currently have a hold on.听

And so we end up with a weird situation in which, if I were to add the translated graphic novels that I听do听know about, it糖心传媒檒l ignore far too many Japanese works. OR, I could figure out all the manga, and all the D&Q/Fantagraphics/NYRB Comics books would听be a pretty tiny percentage of all the graphic novels in translation that are available.听Which听actually makes me wonder what the language distribution really听would听be. Like 90% Japanese, 10% French, 10% everything else? I feel like Spanish graphic novels are a bit of a rarity, much less a book from the Balkans or听Baltics.听听

Someday. Someday . . .听听

by Aisha Franz, translated from the German by Nicholas Houde (Germany)

After an unexpected breakup, a young woman named Selma experiences a series of reveries and emotional setbacks. Struggling to relate to her friends and accomplish even the simplest tasks like using a modern laundromat, she sinks deeper into depression. After witnessing another couple break-up and chancing upon the jilted male of the couple, Anders, at his pet store job, Selma realizes that her mysterious neighbor is the woman of that same couple. Her growing despair distances her from from her eager and sympathetic friend. One day, as the mysterious glamorous neighbor is leaving for a business trip, Selma discovers the woman has dropped her key card to her apartment. Selma initially resists but eventually she presses the key to her neighbors lock and enters.

Aisha Franz is a master of portraying feminine loneliness and confusion while keeping her characters tough and real. Her artwork shifts from sparseness to detailed futurist with ease. Her characters fidget and twirl as they zip through a world both foreign and familiar. Base human desires and functions alternate with dreamlike symbolism to create a tension-filled tale of the nightmare that is modern life.

A book with a swear in the title糖心传媒攊s听this听not听the most 糖心传媒渙n brand糖心传媒� graphic novel for me to start with?听听

For this book, which I didn糖心传媒檛 love as much as the others, but did totally enjoy, I want to highlight the idea that听graphic novels are, for me, the Netflix of reading.听Not just in terms of comic books as monthly 糖心传媒渆pisodes糖心传媒� in a particular series, but in the way that you can generally finish a graphic novel in a few sittings, a few hours. In less time than it takes to watch听Avengers: Endgame.听

And as I糖心传媒檝e been reading these books, I糖心传媒檝e gotten so much gratification about being able to听finish things. Contrast this with the糖心传媒攑robably never–别苍诲颈苍驳糖心传媒攑谤辞箩别肠迟s听of reading听Anniversaries听or Marie-Claire Blais. Not that one is 糖心传媒渂etter糖心传媒� than the other, but the process of reading听Against the Day听by Thomas Pynchon over 55 audiobook hours and that of reading听Shit Is Real听over two beers on a Friday night is wildly different.听听听

For me, personally, the main benefits are two-fold: 1) being able to actually听finish听something really triggers that lizard听part of the brain that gives you an adrenaline boost for things like this, and 2) it糖心传媒檚 much easier to think about a narrative糖心传媒檚 糖心传媒渟tructure糖心传媒� if you can digest it in one or two sittings. Trying to keep the shape of听Against the Day听in my mind糖心传媒攐ver the FIVE months I糖心传媒檝e been reading it糖心传媒攊s impossible. I have to keep rereading the synopses of each section, and reading other overviews. And will have to read a lot more after I糖心传媒檝e finished to try and hold all the pieces, all the storylines, all the ideas in mind at once to see how these things fit together.听听

A graphic novel can be like a good TV episode or miniseries in that you actually听can听hold the various parts in mind simultaneously and examine how things fit together or don糖心传媒檛. What the progression is, and听how various scenes mirror or play off of one another.听Narrative structures are fascinating, and it can be hard to pick them out when it takes a month/twenty hours to read a novel.听听

I don糖心传媒檛 have a lot to say about听Shit Is Real听other than it was a bit heartbreaking and surreal and I liked that. And it had a lot of pages like these, which allowed me to be able to read it in one sitting:听

听

And听here糖心传媒檚 a short review from听听that will give you a bit more context:听

We take for granted that visions of tomorrow糖心传媒檚 technology will be drawn with sleek lines and popping sheen, but Aisha Franz糖心传媒檚 Shit Is Real听tacks in the opposite direction, rendering a听Black Mirror糖心传媒�esque world with chalky pencils and deliberately childish figure-work. The result is hypnotically surreal. It provides a backdrop for the achingly relatable tale of Selma, a woman who糖心传媒檚 just been booted by her boyfriend and is trying to sort out her life while navigating a complicated friendship, recurring nightmares, and an awkward romance born in a pet shop. Sexual frustration and crippling loneliness abound, yet the book is curiously buoyant and consistently engaging

听

听by Anneli听Frumark, translated from the听Swedish by Hanna Str枚mberg (Sweden)听

One thing that糖心传媒檚 easy to dismiss糖心传媒攆or non-comics readers糖心传媒攊s the depth and weight of the stories told in graphic novels.听Red Winter听has all the makings of a novella, and was as much of a gut punch as anything else I糖心传媒檝e read this year.听

听The story opens听in media res听and slowly unveils the situation of听Siv听(a married mother of three who lives a not-so-amazing home life with her labor-centric husband) and Ulrik (a young communist she糖心传媒檚 having an affair with, who is trapped by his communist ideals and his age).听It unfolds through a variety of perspectives, each section presenting the viewpoint of one of the characters impacted by this affair:听Siv听and Ulrik, obviously; but also听厂颈惫糖心传媒檚听children, her husband, etc.听听

听Granted, I糖心传媒檓 a sucker for books in which various perspectives clash and bounce off one another, in which you can see the emotional motivations and rights and wrongs of each of the characters. But this affair, the听doomed听(1970s Sweden) aspect of it, the issues with the communist party at that time糖心传媒攖hey all hit home.听听

Although none of them are as impactful as when听厂颈惫糖心传媒檚听daughter is left alone for the night.听This section (54-?) is听a testament to the sort of storytelling you can find in graphic novels that you can糖心传媒檛 exactly replicate in a normal prose book.听There糖心传媒檚 a latent anxiety in the drawings, and in her actions exploring the house, answering the phone (and accidentally covering for her mom), her fears of waking up and finding that her mom听still听isn糖心传媒檛 home . . .听

Again, I don糖心传媒檛 have the right critical vocabulary at hand, but听there糖心传媒檚 something intriguing about how your mind fills in narratives in graphic novels based on existing tropes, subtle artistic elements, and听unadorned dialogue. (By which, I mean, it糖心传媒檚 perfect that graphic novels NEVER have 糖心传媒渉e yelled糖心传媒� or 糖心传媒渉e whimpered糖心传媒� or any other dialogue tag糖心传媒攖he reader听sees听those tags听and听knows听how the lines are being spoken.)听听

That same principle can be extended much more broadly though, to more complicated emotions and reactions.听听

And there is something compelling about听allowing the reader to fill things in . . . I糖心传媒檝e always been a fan of the Cortazar/Calvino reader-interaction theories, but听that糖心传媒檚 a bit more limited听with prose than it is in relation to听graphic novels.听听

This was my favorite of the four books in this post. I糖心传媒檓 not 100% sure I know why, but I听really听got into this. Read it in a sitting. Felt things.听And enjoyed the cartooning and color palate:听

听

听

by J茅r么me Ruillier, translated from the French by Helge Dascher (Madagascar)听

Speaking of the art, let糖心传媒檚 talk about听The Strange, a graphic novel that糖心传媒檚听likely going to get the majority of its attention because of its status as an allegory about immigration (and on that level, it听is听horrifying and unnerving), but for which the art does so much heavy lifting.听听听

I hate talking animals in fiction. Drives me absolutely insane, since the rules about what the animal knows/doesn糖心传媒檛 know (aka how much its simply a human in polar bear form), is usually inconsistent and logically troubling. Which then leads to a lot of questions about听why you chose to use an animal to speak in the first place?听And then shit goes sideways and I can糖心传媒檛 focus on the narrative because I糖心传媒檓 nitpicking over how a dog would or wouldn糖心传媒檛 think and gah. Fuck books with animal narrators.听听

But then we have this.听听

All characters are 糖心传媒渁nimals糖心传媒� in this book, emphasizing how 糖心传媒渢he听stranges糖心传媒� stand out in this society. And for me, for that reason, it works. It糖心传媒檚 not forcing some sort of bullshit logic, or over-explaining an animalistic perspective糖心传媒攊t糖心传媒檚 simply illustrating how society quickly identifies others as听other.听There糖心传媒檚 a lot going on in presenting the protagonist of this graphic novel as a hulking dog, much larger than the duck/cat/mouse people who surround him. Is that realistic, or some sort of prejudice of the mind? 听听

It糖心传媒檚 also worth noting that this book (#19 on Paste Magazine’s ““) is clearly French糖心传媒攁nd loaded with shitty quotes from Marine Le Pen糖心传媒攂ut could so easily apply to parts of 2019 America. Remember when the future was all flying cars and home robots, and not a burning trash fire, no water, and insane amounts of xenophobic hatred? Remember when 糖心传媒渢he future糖心传媒� meant something space age and glorious and not imminent doom? I know this is a digression, but things have gone off-the-rails, and I want to spend some time with some books/movies that present almost idealistic amounts of hope about the future, instead of seeing the next thirty years as the end of everything.听

I mean, not to get too political糖心传媒攁nd this is a Chad W. Post statement, not anything from Open Letter or the University of Rochester糖心传媒攂ut it糖心传媒檚 2019 and we糖心传媒檙e having states ban abortion. We are living in a backward world in which the wrong side is fucking up. Constantly.听

Again: Not to get too political, but instead of wasting your time on this bullshit, why don糖心传媒檛 you try and pass legislation so that my one-year-old son has even a 50% chance of living to the age of 80. Instead of being the worst combination of moralistic, misogynist, xenophobic, pro-Uber-capitalist, and just overall disconnected from people.听听

听/end rant.听

by Ancco, translated from the Korean by Janet Hong (South Korea)

I have听yet to talk about translation at all in this post. (Although, apologies again for a minor political interlude. @ me all you want. I kind of don糖心传媒檛 care anymore.) But given that I talked to Janet already about this book糖心传媒攚hich is great! And violent! And quite complicated in its structure!糖心传媒攖his seems like a good time to highlight a few issues in translating/publishing graphic novels versus doing the same for more conventional novels.听听

One of the big things糖心传媒攆or both translators and publishers糖心传媒攊s lettering. From a very pragmatic perspective, if you already have a book available in Korean, drawn with word bubbles of a particular size,听you would prefer to change as little as possible and just replace the text in the original word bubble with words in a new language.听听

Obviously.听听

But if you糖心传媒檙e going from Korean to English? How easy is that, really? There are a number of languages that require 20% fewer糖心传媒攐r more糖心传媒攚ords when going into English, which is an insane percentage to think about when you糖心传媒檙e talking about fitting these words into a specifically sized bubble.听听

That糖心传媒檚 a logistical issue. One that translators don糖心传媒檛 necessarily have to consider when they糖心传媒檙e translating a novel.听听

Another thing: For the most part, graphic novels are told through dialogue. Which is one of the hardest things for translators to translate. Novels in translation that fail糖心传媒攐r receive 糖心传媒渢oxic糖心传媒� reviews糖心传媒攁re generally those in which the dialogue sounds flat or off or dumb or not native. Sure, every example cited here has some sort of first- or third-person narration, but dialogue still drives the majority of graphic novels. (I think.) And that makes it a trick thing! Get the tone right糖心传媒攊n a predetermined amount of space/words . . .听听

Bad Friends听is phenomenal, by the way. Maybe one day there will be a major听U.S.-based graphic novel award in translation for this book to win. Because it deserves it.听