Graphic+Novels+and+Comics

=Why read them?=


 * They contain dialogue rather than prose. This will improve your knowledge of commonly used, spoken phrases.
 * The language used is generally how native speakers //really// speak to each other.
 * The illustrations provide a context for the language which helps you to understand the meaning.
 * Reading in another language for a long time can be tiring. The artwork and fast moving plots make them easier to read than a normal novel.
 * They aren't just for children! There are many amazing graphic novels written for adults that deal with real life situations, not just superheroes.

=How to read them=
 * 1) Click here to read an article from "The Guardian" which lists and describes some of the best graphic novels.
 * 2) FOR **PC** Click [|here] to download "Comic Rack". This software allows you to read comics in the ".crb" and ".pdf" format like those below. (Instructions can be found at @http://comicrack.cyolito.com)
 * 3) FOR **MAC** Click here to download "Simple Comic". It is also a comic reader.
 * 4) Now, install the program on your PC or MAC.
 * 5) Next, download a comic from below and open it with your comic reading program.6
 * 6) When you find new vocabulary and phrases, use your record sheets to record and memorise them.


 * If you are having problems with "Comic Rack" for the PC, you can use "Cdisplay" instead. Download it here.

=Recommendations=


 * [[image:maus.gif width="97" height="128"]] || ==**Maus -** Art Spiegelman==

A biography of the author's father, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. It is the story of Vladek's life in Poland before and during the Second World War. It is the only comic book ever to have won a Pulitzer Prize.

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 * Download: ** Book 1
 * [[image:persepolis_cover_big.jpg width="95" height="122"]] || ==**Persepolis -** Marjane Satrapi==

An autobiographical comic by Marjane Satrapi depicting her childhood up to her early adult years in Iran during and after the Islamic revolution. The story was adapted into an Oscar nominated animated film.


 * Download:** Book 1 ||
 * [[image:Blankets_cover.jpg width="97" height="128"]] || ==**Blankets -** Craig Thompson==

As a coming-of-age autobiography, the book tells the story of Thompson's childhood in an Evangelical Christian family, his first love, and his early adulthood. //Time// magazine chose it as one of the 100 best English language, graphic novels ever written.


 * Download:** Book 1 ||
 * [[image:laika.jpg width="95" height="124"]] || ==**Laika** - Nick Abadzis==

An account of the life and death of Laika the dog. In real life, she was the first living creature launched into outer space. This graphic novel is a work of fiction inspired by her story.


 * Download:** Link 1 Link 2 (You must download both links into the same folder and extract the files from the .zip) ||
 * [[image:the_walking_dead.jpg width="95" height="139"]] || ==T**he Walking Dead -** Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard==

The Walking Dead centers around Rick Grimes, a former police officer who was shot in the line of duty and wakes up from a coma after the world has succumbed to the zombie plague. A TV series of the same name has been based on it.

[|raphic novel] by [|Nick Abadzis] that gives a fictionalized account of the life and death of the [|eponymous dog], the first living creature launched into [|outer space].media type="custom" key="12634702"
 * Download:** Parts 1-5 ||