The reason I ask is I'd love to know more Johnny the Homicidal Maniac fans. It's my favorite comic book and will likely remain the only comic I've ever read.

I believe it counts. Comics just tell stories in a different way is all and some people find that easier than reading a book.

Definitely, the amount of storytelling, conveying a theme and amazing work that goes into comic books is 100% literature. Word count shouldn't determine if something is literature; if you spend time reading it through pictures/words and it conveys information (fictional or non-fictional) then it's definitely literature. That being said, I haven't heard of that but I want to check it out now. c:

I'd recommended reading it ONLY IF you're okay with extremely dark humor.

Comic Books totally count! I've read comic books that have moved me and the nice thing about comic books is the characters are designed and you can see the full emotion behind the character expressions. My husband has introduced me to a ton of great comics that I would've never considered myself. Currently I'm reading Watchman by Alan Moore.

I have always thought comic books count as literature, I used to beat myself up for not reading enough books while I was reading comic books, but then I realized so many literary elements in the comic books I read ended up inspiring my own writing.

I read Watchmen my freshman year of college for an introductory literature class, and it really changed the way I think about storytelling, characters, and literature in general. It was a good read for sure.

If Harry Potter counts…

…no hate for people who like it I just think it’s terribly written and the creator is an unrepentant transmisogynistic.

It definitely does! I have a good friend who is a published comic book artist/author and the work that goes into every panel- the expression, body language and the way scenes are drawn to convey a story/convey things visually instead of using words is an art of its own and graphic novels are definitely a form of literature as legit as a poem or a novel.

Hm, I didn't consider comic books to count as literature, but seeing how others explained it, I see why the heck not. After all, there are many fairytales books that are also loaded with images. The only exception being that in those books, usually just 1 scene is shown per page. And they're considered kids' literature. Thanks subeta! <3

I love The Great Gatsby personally, overly florid prose and all but then again, the only classic I've had a desire to actually throw across a room because of how much I disliked it was Farewell to Arms in high school. But yes, I consider comics reading. For those who dislike reading or just aren't as much into reading as a hobby, it's a great way to get them to want to read, and I personally enjoy graphic novels as breaks from written novels every once in a while. Yes, it's not in an exclusively written format, but the idea of conveying a story in an aesthetic sense is still there in a comic/graphic novel as well.

I'm also a comic fan in general, big reader of DC comics, graphic novels, manga so yeah, there's that too.

Comics can 100% be considered books. I know so many librarians that are trying to spread this message. They can be really good for people who can’t focus on reading more ‘traditional’ books, plus there’s so many fantastic stories, like Sandman, Watchmen, and others!

I'd say they do!

I'm not educated enough about the genre to argue for or against them, but I went to college with people much smarter than I was who were getting PhDs with a focus on graphic literature as a genre, so I'm inclined to say yes. I would assume that, since there are a ton of subgenres, from Paw Patrol (for children) to things like Maus and Our Cancer Year (graphic memoir), there is probably a line somewhere that experts would quibble over.

Absolutely!!!

I read comics, graphic novels, and manga more than regular novels. For some reason they just appeal to me more. It gives the reader more to imagine and helps with character development. Such in manga like Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. Time skips do happen in books and manga is no exception. Naruto is a young kind in one, and after the time skip into Shippuden he grows older and his looks changed.

That being said, around the world literature can differ. In Japan manga and anime is more accepted than around the world and is watched/read by all ages and is considered literature. Whereas in the rest of the world people think it's only for younger people.

I feel literature can be anything from comics, bibles, novels, manga, light novels (kinda like a novel and manga put together), even video games. Anything that you read or can watch and gets you imagination going can be considered literature.

And yo, I haven't even heard Johnny the Homicidal Maniacs name in a good minute. Like since middle school. It's it by Jonhen Vasquez?(No idea how to spell his first name >.< ) Cause he did Invader Zim as well.

Comic Books would count as reading material but they certainly are not at all, not ever, considered as Literature. It is similar to the trash that is produced as art. such as the atrocious Piss Christ. That is artistic, but it sure ain't art. There is a difference, fellow Subetians.

In my personal opinion I'd say so. Really anything that gets you into reading and though one could argue (comics) might not be challenging literature or thought provoking, that argument can be put to the test. I've seen many that just has the reader contemplating the story line, the motives, the characters, etc. If any comics can do that, I think they're good enough to be considered literature.

I know a lot of people argue about it, but I've always thought comic books count. They still tell a story. I think that's what literature is. Plus some are truly classics and... I just think comic books are amazing and so much work goes into them.

If it means anything: As an English lit major, yes, they count. So many things count and they are all debated all the time, but we gain so much more from "counting" them and considering their impact on our collective storytelling than we do from not doing it. Just because they don't look as fancy doesn't mean they're not literature.