A comic book may seldom be considered a great literary work. But the format is gaining legitimacy as publications have focused on more than your standard superheroes, mutants and space demons.
The art form of the graphic novel is nothing new to Baldwin City resident Ande Parks, who will come to Baker University to present his knowledge of the graphic novel for the second installment of the Baker reading series at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Owens A-V Room.
“This is a brand new series that we’ve started this year,” said Marti Mihalyi, adjunct instructor of English. “I think it’s absolutely wonderful when students are able to hear from an author about his or her work and particularly about process related to any art form.”
Parks has previously worked as an inker on “Green Arrow” and “Night Wing” for DC Comics and has most recently been working on “the Irredeemable Ant-Man” for Marvel Comics.
Though he has continued as an artist, Parks said he has decided to expand his creative endeavors by writing as well.
“Because there’s not a lot of money in the writing I’ve done, I can’t really afford to take the time away from my commercial art,” he said.
Parks’ first graphic novel was “Union Station,” a historical fiction work recounting the 1933 Union Station massacre in Kansas City, Mo. Parks said he spent about two years researching the events and about a year writing the novel. However, his second novel wasn’t such a lengthy process. Less tied to research, Parks said his second graphic novel, “Capote in Kansas,” took about a year.
His second novel depicted Truman Capote during his time spent in Kansas researching for “In Cold Blood.” Parks’ novel was named a 2006 notable book by the Kansas Center for the Book.
“That’s really cool for me seeing it taken seriously as a book and not just another comic book,” he said.
Though Parks said he has been happy to find positive reviews and some success locally, he said the whole genre is hindered in America by people’s perceptions of graphic novels.
“In America, the comic book format has stayed the same format,” he said. “I’m really passionate about the novel format. I think it can be used to tell any kind of story, and I think a lot of people don’t realize that.”
Parks said he hopes to see the graphic novel become known as a legitimate literary form. He said that is one of his main goals at presentations.
“When I demonstrate that we have the same concerns as a novelist, that’s usually what people walk away with – ‘Wow, there’s a lot of stuff going on there,'” he said.
To help illustrate the form, Parks said he compares the different stages of a graphic novel.
“I really try to focus on the process behind the writing of these things. What I’ll do typically is I’ll dissect one scene from ‘Capote,'” he said. “I’ll show them the script and compare it with how the scene came out.”
Mihalyi said students seem to show interest in graphic novels when they become aware of the form.
“I think it’s really important to bring in an artist of graphic novels to campus because half of the students do not seem to know what a graphic novel is,” she said.
Senior Kelly Gibbens said he’s looking forward to the chance to meet a graphic novelist. Gibbens, a graphic novel enthusiast, said he enjoys the genre.
“Just because they’re of comic fashion doesn’t mean they’re not of a literary genre,” he said.
Mihalyi said Parks is perfect for this event because of his local ties.
“I love being able to invite Ande Parks to give a presentation to the Baker community because he’s part of the Baldwin community himself, and many people have no idea about his work, let alone the high quality of it and the extent of his talent,” she said. “He’s a rare resource, and I wanted for years for students to be able to learn from him.”