Essay on Mat Johnson’s “Incognegro”
Having read the graphic novel of Mat Johnson, I would like to explore the current tendency of comics to be rather an entertainment for adults, than kids. Although comics as a literary genre have always been oriented on kids, today, we can see that more and more comic books are written on the serious subjects that would surely seem frightening and even horrifying if read by children. Now we see that comics are more and more frequently called graphic novels.
Here, I need to say that from the first pages of “Incognegro” any reader would realize that the topic of this graphic novel is in no way child oriented. Even the central image of the book is a greatly horrifying one (“Incognegro: Black, White and Injustice all over”). The novel begins with the description of a Ku Klux Klan member carrying a weapon and a terrified looking man gazing at the knife in the hands of his torturer with great attention (Johnson 3). Some other horrifying men with angry faces surround the victim and the story goes on in the same manner.
Here comes the question. Is this at all a comic book for youngsters or rather a breath-taking detective for adults? Surely, the answer would be in favor of the latter. Moreover, the very idea of the story’s plot that touches on such serious subjects as race and oppression of black people would surely make anyone think that such reading is in no way intended for kids.
To conclude, I would like to say that Mat Johnson’s “Incognegro” is surely a captivating and thrilling reading, but I would think twice before giving this novel to a child as a kind of entertainment. Nevertheless, this reading is of much value in terms of its major theme that concerns the seemingly eternal problem of racial discrimination, oppression and violence.
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