The graphic narrative format in itself was an interesting medium to place the narratives of both We3 and Unflattening. By placing these stories within this format, the authors have expanded their limitations to a different realm, other than the traditional textual format.
Comics have been stigmatized and marginalized as a literary format since their conception. When an individual thinks of a comic book, their immediate reaction is “those are for geeks.” The world of superheroes, while extensive and has plenty of room for deep, introspective works of art, has overtaken that forum, leaving little room for the graphic narrative to be appreciated as true literature. Famous works in graphic narration, The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, have come to be appreciated as literature for their format, not for their content, as individual Julian Darius articulates in his article titled “Why Comics Have Failed to Achieve Real Respect”: “The Dark Knight Returns was a literary event. Watchmen was a literary event. Not because they were grim and gritty, but because they instantly announced themselves as major works that were doing things with comics as a medium that had never been done before.” These two works opened doors for other graphic narratives to be appreciated not only for their story-lines, but for the craft itself.
http://sequart.org/magazine/4079/why-comics-have-failed-to-achieve-real-respect/