"Graphic novels" - what a joke. They're comic books, dammit. Does the Reaganite elevation of all things mediocre have to so long survive not only his presidency but now his death, and even the repudiation of his program that is the George W. Bush?? With the notable exception of The Dark Knight Returns, I have not seen or "read" a single comic book that was worth more than a cursory browse in a bookstore stack. It is a sad statement on the continuing decline of educational standards in this country that so money intelligent people waste so much energy obsessing over comic books.

Do yourselves a collective favor: Go out and read War and Peace. Then read it again. Once you've awoken from your slumber, burn your comic book collection.

Actually, while I still (occasionally) read comic books, "graphic novels," and collections of comic strips, I long ago gave up the world that Wolk describes. Not for any particular reason; just the same reason I never felt comfortable at Star Trek conventions, or such.

But when will we know that comic books are mainstream? It's simple, really: when it's not embarrassing to take one out of my bag and read it next to the pool while my children are swimming around. When I can read it at the airport gate while waiting for the plane. When I can read it on the bus. And so on.

And further, consider this: a whole host of comics come out every week, probably on par with the number of books printed and movies released. Salon runs quite a few book reviews, and a film review practically every day. Wolk's column? Once a month. (Yes, yes, I know; 90% of the comics released are crud. Please remember Sturgeon's Law.)

When the level of embarrassment a comics reader feels when he or she takes out their reading material is equivalent to that felt by the reader of the latest Laura Hamilton romance novel, the latest Michael Crichton thriller, or the latest by Terry Brooks, then we're in the zone. Until then, however . . .

How can it be embarrassing to read Joe Sacco's "Safe Area Gorazde" and "Palestine," or Art Spiegelman's "In the Shadow of No Towers? I began reading comics this year as part of my graduate work in literary criticism, and I'm hooked! People like Sacco and Spiegelman--and many others, I'm sure--are combining words and pictures, even "nostalgic" imagery in Spiegelman's case--to made pretty radical and intelligent political statements about failed US policy and international crises. Juxtaposing words and images seems to offer authors and readers tremendous opportunities to expose the ironies, contradictions, prejudices, psychology, etc. underlying contemporary society. I wouldn't prioritize comics over seminal works like "War and Peace," but neither would I say that Tolstoy offers a more profound reality than the best comics artists.

...you should try to read a few more comics before condemning an entire art form and insisting that those who enjoy it are wrong for doing so.

Have you read Joe Sacco's "Palestine" or "Safe Area Gorazde?"

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-8333766-2042317?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Joe+Sacco&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

Have you read Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's "Signal to Noise" or "Mr. Punch?" Or McKean's "Cages?"

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-8333766-2042317?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Dave+McKean&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

Have you read any of Dave Sim's "Cerebus?"

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-8333766-2042317?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Dave+Sim&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

What about Eric Shanower's "Age of Bronze", an explicit and exquisite retelling of The Illiad, praised by archaeologists and fan-boys, alike?

http://www.amazon.com/Age-Bronze-1-Thousand-Ships/dp/1582402000/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-8333766-2042317?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182567362&sr=8-2

There is a long list of comics that are the equal of any great work of literature or painting or film. And a lot of the people who make great literature, paintings, and film enjoy comic books.

War and Peace is just about a bunch of Russians killing each other and despairing...centuries ago. The Dark Knight Returns is about a loner trying to remain moral and good in a world of sellouts and cowards, prophetic of the Bush White House and Faux News.

You and I have agreed on a lot, but here you're taking on a Heather Havrilesky-like snootiness which is unworthy of you. I'm not saying that Frank Miller's work is better or greater than that long, boring novel you like. But it is possible to find intelligent discussion, moving drama and important themes in both all-text literature and in graphic novel...all right, comic book form. Just because one of those was recommended by anal-retentive and abusive teachers doesn't automatically make it better.

Back to Wolk's discussion: while he is right to praise graphic novels, he ignores the fact that most of them are compilations of the monthly comic books. They're similar to the TV series DVD's that people are buying instead of watching the shows on broadcast television. In both cases, because people are watching/reading the derivative products, the originals - monthly comics and TV series - are losing audience and slowly going out of business.

Part of that is the impatience of the age. Part of it is that, thanks to the Bush economy, people are working themselves into early graves, and they can only watch TV on their laptops as they careen around on airplanes. In the case of comics, the American peons can't take a day off with their three jobs ("ain't that American," as Bush told a lady) to stop into a comic book shop and read weekly issues. (Yeah, that plus the onus of being a comic book reader - the kind of racism that you, Rob, are helping to keep alive.)

Either way, as our economy destructs and we all end up indentured slaves to the rich, it's very possible that both comic books and TV will be out of business in a decade. Which might please you, except Lord Trump, His Holiness Rove and our other overlords will close the public libraries. So you won't be able to read War and Peace either.