The Graphic Novel

That Maus won a Pulitzer in 1992 demonstrates that even at the highest level of arts awards, the graphic novel has the recognized potential for greatness that other more accepted art forms have.  That the Pulitzer category was “Special Awards and Citations”  is a reminder that graphic novels aren’t about to get a Pulitzer category.  “Editorial Cartooning” does have a category, but I don’t think that that suggests that in the arts world that cartooning has a similar sort of respect.  Though the Pulitzer for literature is a big deal in the literary world, the prize in general is a journalism award, and that’s why the cartooning category is there.

But does the graphic novel deserve a Pulitzer category?  or a category of some other prestigious arts or literary awards?  Could or should Maus have competed with novels for the pulitzer?  If there was a category would that encourage more writers and artists to create more “literary” graphic novels?  If Maus was typical of the form, I would answer yes to these questions, but at this point Maus seems to stand out, even compared to something like Watchmen.  Or, in other words, Watchmen stands out as a great graphic novel, whereas Maus stands out as a great piece of art.  I’m not sure I’m being fair to Watchmen here, but that’s at least my gut reaction.