There are still some who dismiss graphic novels as a sophisticated version of comic books. Given the mature subject matter of graphic novels, notably Art Spiegelman's holocaust memoir 'Maus' which won the Pulitzer prize in 1992, such dismissal is mere ignorance. I used to be an avid reader of graphic novels but haven't paid much attention in the past few years, possibly because in general there has been a drought of exceptional fiction. Suddenly, however, I recently came across three works within a short span of time that reaffirmed my faith.

Last month, the New York Times carried in its Opinion section a pictorial essay by Malik Sajad 'An 18-Month-Old Victim in a Very Old Fight'. It gave a sharp glimpse into the incessant repression and unending despair in Kashmir. Sajad's 2015 graphic novel 'Munnu: A Boy From Kashmir' was an intense, beautifully drawn account about life under the shadow of the Indian gun. It took inspiration from 'Maus' (or, further back, from George Orwell's 'Animal Farm') and used the endangered hangul deer to depict the ordinary Kashmiri.