Shelving Comics: Categorizing the Graphic Novel, with Alex Assan

How do comics fit on library bookshelves? What’s the difference between graphic novels and ‘comics’?

This talk with award-winning graphic novelist Alex Assan will cover these questions and more, discussing the adaptable and often contradictory comics medium from newspaper strips to ‘respectable’ graphic novels. Discussing comics as both high art and low art, education and entertainment, Alex will explore who reads comics and who makes them, asking questions about how we categorize comics in comparison to ‘regular’ books.

About the Speaker

Alex Assan is a comic artist and illustrator based in Berlin. He has a BA (Hons) in Illustration, Graphic Novels & Children’s Publishing from Glyndŵr University in the United Kingdom, and has been publishing comics online and through indie publishers for over a decade. His favourite genres are romance, sci-fi, fantasy and historical fiction, and his work tends to revolve around themes of gender, sexuality, and the relationships between artist, audience and creation.

Alex’s first traditionally published graphic novel, Sunhead (HarperAlley 2024), told the story of two young girls forming a friendship around their shared love of a vampire romance novel and was shortlisted for a Harvey Award in the Best Young Adult Book category. Alex is currently working on his second graphic novel, also with HarperAlley.

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Host or Publisher Calgary Public Library