I recently read Angel Catbird, the new graphic novel written by Margaret Atwood. The book has gotten a lot of hype, mainly because Atwood is such a major literary presence. Unfortunately, I don’t think the story lives up to the hype – it’s not bad, just not the literary caliber many would expect – but it did make me think about other authors who also write comics.

One of the best known authors in the comics world is Neil Gaiman. His run on The Sandman is iconic and he’s also written for DC and Marvel. Whether it’s comics, novels or stories Gaiman focuses on fantasy and his storytelling keeps its literary feel. Michael Chabon is also good at retaining his style through his comics (though he hasn’t written many). He leans more toward pulp adventure and old school heroes.

Greg Rucka began with writing crime novels and then moved to the fantasy world of DC Comics with the trinity of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman (while continuing to write novels). Brad Meltzer took a similar route, though his novels are political thrillers and his comics have been Green Arrow and Justice League, though he did have a run on Buffy comics as well. And Jodi Picoult also headed to DC, albeit for a very short run on Wonder Woman, but the typical sensibilities found in her novels definitely came through in her storytelling.

Of course, you have father and son Stephen King and Joe Hill, who have both created interesting comics in the horror realm. Some have been adaptations of their stories (like The Cape), while others are original takes, like King’s American Vampire and Hill’s Locke & Key.

Chuck Palahniuk is perhaps the most interesting instance of an author writing for comics. His first novel was Fight Club, which was turned into an excellent movie. For many years there was talk of a sequel and in 2015 it finally appeared – in comicbook form. A 10-issue run gave fans Fight Club 2, a true sequel to the novel and movie. For an author known for doing things a little differently (if you’ve read his work, you know what I mean), this was a fantastic twist to continue the story.

I like when authors find their way to comics. Not only does it provide readers with quality writing, it tells the “norms” that comic books are a legitimate alternative medium through which authors can tell their stories and explore universes beyond what they’re known for. And whether or not the ultimate product is what people are expecting, it hopefully brings a few people to comics who wouldn’t give them a second thought otherwise.