FROM COUNTERCULTURE TO CANON: THE AMERICAN GRAPHIC NOVEL

Abstract [English]

This paper traces the evolution of the American graphic novel, arguing that its emergence as a significant literary form is rooted in the countercultural underground comix movement of the 1960s and 70s. Beginning with the restrictive censorship of the Comics Code Authority in the 1950s, the paper details how artists like Robert Crumb pioneered a new, uncensored space for adult-oriented, satirical, and deeply personal work. It then examines how creators such as Justin Green and Jaxon expanded the comix format to explore long-form autobiographical and historical narratives. The analysis culminates with Will Eisner, who synthesized these underground sensibilities into the "graphic novel" with A Contract with God, and Art Spiegelman, whose seminal work Maus solidified the medium's capacity for serious literary and historical expression. Ultimately, the paper demonstrates that the graphic novel's journey from a censored medium to a celebrated art form was forged in the creative rebellion of the underground, which established the thematic and formal innovations that define the medium today.