Edinburgh International Book Festival: The 9th Art Award

Review by Bram E. Gieben | 06 Sep 2013

Journalist Paul Gravett, writer Mary Talbot, and Gordon Robertson of Graphic Scotland are joined by host Billy Kirkwood to present the inaugural 9th Art Award, conceived by fellow Graphic Scotland academic and critic Padmini Ray Murray as the comics' world's answer to the Man Booker Prize. Although in its infancy, the shortlisted graphic novels on this year's awards list showcase some of the best and most innovative work being done in the field of sequential art, and Murray gives a short speech in which she hopes that the award "encourages the growth of graphic literature in Scotland and throughout the world."

Given that this year's Book Festival has its own graphic novel strand, Stripped, it does seem that the literary cache of the oft-maligned '9th art' has reached a comfortable plateau. Another undeniable fact is the power of its audience draw – the events which are part of Stripped, or which feature top-end creators such as Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison, are among the best-attended of the festival, and attract a far younger, hipper crowd than many of the other talks and readings. The 9th Art Award is an attempt to mine this rich seam, and to celebrate its ascendancy – as Mary Talbot says, in many ways, "this is year one for graphic novel culture."

Extracts from the nominated novels are discussed and showcased on the screen above the judging panel, including Joff Winterheart's Days of the Bagnall Summer (which "ought to be compulsory reading for all teenage boys" according to Paul Gravett), Chris Ware's innovatively-packaged Building Stories, Hannah Eaton's debut Naming Monsters, and Glyn Dillon's The Nao of Brown. There is also a special mention for another debut graphic novel, the self-published Porcelain by Benjamin Reed and Chris Wildgoose. The award goes, in the end, to Guardian cartoonist and illustrator Stephen Collins, for his original graphic novel The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil, celebrated by Talbot as "a symbolic way of dealing with fear and difference."

Discussions about the usefulness and relevance of graphic storytelling for education are enlightening, and allow the audience some time to interact with the panel. Inevitably, the discussion turns to the brewing scandal now being casually referred to as 'Batfleck' – with Gravett reminding everyone that even if Ben Affleck turns out to be more George Clooney than Michael Keaton when it comes to his portrayal of the caped crusader, "the comic isn't affected by a bad film." After a short acceptance speech from Collins, we return blinking into the sunlight, marvelling at the gathering legions of Gaiman acolytes, and reflecting on the fact that this year, in the eyes of the literary establishment, comics have finally arrived.

The 9th Art Award Ceremony took place at Edinburgh International Book Festival on 25 Aug http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/9th-art-award-ceremony