The Houston Chronicle reports that UH is going to offer a class in how the graphic novel works and how one can write it.Personally, I find graduate classes in the graphic novel not quite great news. Academic recognition is one thing, but I’m kind of tired of academia and am doubtful that they will add to the graphic novel. That said, the article notes that Graphic Novels are the one segment of the publishing world that has had real growth.

With the recent popularity of graphic novels, the mature cousin of comic books, the university is experimenting with a graduate course where students will analyze a dozen pieces and eventually create two original works by semester’s end.

“They’re not just dabbling, they’re serious writers,” said Johnson, who authored a pair of novels before entering the graphic novel field. “This is just them trying to figure out another medium for telling stories.”