There are many ways to tell a story – visually, orally or through text. But even those who have just a casual engagement with literature would know that the publishing industry has a sacred dependence on the written word.The emergence of brightly coloured graphic novels offers a parallel narrative. India's first widely marketed graphic novel was published only in 2004. While the readership remains niche, the variety and diversity of themes and forms being explored by graphic novels have rapidly increased. Pure text will soon start facing stiff competition from graphic novels, say publishers.
