Moving on up

I was in the Squirrel Hill Barnes & Noble bookstore and note that the graphic novel and manga sections are no longer in the back corner adjacent to the science fiction. It's much closer to the front now right next to the B&N Classics with the likes of Dickens and Dostoevsky and just behind hardcover new releases. Is this a sign of respectability for the graphic novel format? Are they now considered novels first and comic books second? More likely it's just where things ended up.

Still, it's nice to think that graphic novels might no longer be fringe fiction.