NORMAL - The dictionary tells us "comic" is a synonym for "funny." For comic books or the larger graphic novels - like one newly published to mark the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks - that's not always the case.

In "The 9/11 Report," longtime comic book industry artists Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon created a graphic adaptation of the "9/11 Commission Report."

The commission's 2004 book detailed the findings of an investigative committee that sought to understand ways the U.S. government could have avoided such an attack.

Jacobson, a Harvey Comics editor whose works include Richie Rich, and Colon, whose work has graced the pages of Harvey, Marvel and DC Comics, tackled the report from a visual perspective.

Although he hasn't bought the Jacobson-Colon book, David Miriani, a 22-year-old reading Marvel comic books Friday at Borders' Cafe, likes their idea.

"Why not?" he said, noting comic artists have a history of tackling more serious topics.

Jim Schifeling, owner of Acme Comics in Normal, agreed.

"A comic book can be anything," he said. "Whether it's Casper the Friendly Ghost, 'Beowulf,' Superman or 9/11, the nuts and bolts of putting a comic panel together are the same. It's just a way to present a story visually," said Schifeling.

New Yorker Art Spiegelman used the medium to share his father's Holocaust survivor tale in "Maus," and Japanese cartoonist Keijii Nakazawa brought story panels of Hiroshima's fate under the nuclear bomb in his "Barefoot Gen."

But because the subject matter of "The 9/11 Report" hits so close to home for mainstream America, it might spread beyond the alternative crowds graphic adaptations usually reach.

Within a week of displaying the Jacobson-Colon collaboration, the Acme owner sold out and had to order more. And Jessica Flowers of Barnes and Noble Booksellers in Bloomington reports the book has been one of her store's top sellers since its arrival a few weeks back.

"I hardly think the average American would sit down and read the entire '9/11 Commission Report,' " Schifeling said.

"But this might be hitting a new demographic. A comic book's presentation style is different. … In a way, it's written for the eye," he said.

Still, the book might prove more popular with younger readers more familiar with the medium.

Looking over a copy of the graphic adaptation, Borders customer Linda Webster of Normal said, "I think I'd probably stick to more of a traditional text version."

Katrin Paehler, an Illinois State University history professor, bought the original "9/11 Commission Report."

And now, she's bought the graphic adaptation.

"I love graphic books. There are many very good graphic novels out there. But I came to it late in life, by 'Maus,' " she said. Paehler, originally from Germany, is teaching a course at ISU on the Holocaust.

She says graphic books like "Maus" or "The 9/11 Report," allow a reader to approach a faraway subject in a familiar way.

Ray Wilson, an Illinois Wesleyan University physics professor, points his students in the direction of Nawakaza's "Barefoot Gen" because it's a true story of the Hiroshima events, and the artist's images allow readers an emotional connection.

He said perhaps the "9/11 Report" could do the same.

Of "The 9/11 Report," Paehler particularly likes the 25-page opening timeline sequence.

On those pages, four panels show the tracks of Flight 11, Flight 175, Flight 77 and Flight 93 - allowing readers to comparatively view what was happening to the four hijacked planes between 7:58 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. of Sept. 11, 2001.

The setup also allows readers to view what kind of communication - and communication delays and breakdowns - took place that morning among the civil and military aviation authorities and the airlines.

"It's just brilliant, to see it laid out with these images," said Paehler, who recalled wishing for such a visual timeline while reading the original version.

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Serious comics

Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon's "The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation" is not the first graphic book to tackle the world's events through comic-book style panels. Below are some other notable artists:

Art Spiegelman

- "In the Shadow of No Towers," 2004; Pantheon. In his first book since the "Maus" titles, Spiegelman offers his firsthand account of watching the Sept. 11, 2001, events unfold, and his political views on their aftermath.

- "Maus: A Survivor's Tale," Vol. 1, 1986, and Vol. 2, 1991; publisher, Pantheon. In these books, the author tells his father's World War II experience in Poland, using the storytelling technique of Nazis as cats, Jews as mice and Poles as pigs.

Keiji Nakazawa

- "Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon History of Hiroshima," Vol. 1, 2,3; publisher: Last Gasp. Volumes 4 through 10 expected in English later. Nakazawa survived the Hiroshima bomb and offers his account of the months before the bomb, its immediate aftereffects, and the years that followed.

Marjane Satrapi

- "Persepolis: A Childhood," An autobiographical look at growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Vol. 1, 2003, Vol. 2, 2004; Pantheon. (Originally published in French in 2000, 2001).

SOURCES: Raymond Wilson; Katrin Paehler; Jim Schifeling; Amazon.com