I didn’t grow up reading graphic novels. Back in the USSR and Russia comics did not exist as a genre. To this day, some of my contemporaries from that part of the world might occasionally dismiss the whole field of graphic literature as meant only for children. But as time goes on, this genre has been asserting itself within the field of literary studies and has been taken up by an ever-increasing number of creators from the countries of the former USSR and diaspora. It’s become a vibrant source of nuanced, memorable narratives. Many contemporary artists and writers are turning to graphic forms of storytelling to explore creative possibilities that the form has to offer.

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