I am writing this post in an attempt to try to get people who have never tried comics before to start reading comic books or at least attempt to... take what you want from this post. I was inspired to write this because of the lack of people that read comics in my general part of the world... and I haven't got anyone to talk to about about comics at the moment... plus I want to talk about comics anyway... cus I like 'em.
Those who read comics need not read past this sentence (instead you can go and read some comics).
I was sorting my bookcase out recently and while I was I got distracted by looking through my shelf and a half of comics and manga that I have stored with the rest of my 'regular' books.
I am a great comic books fan. I have been reading them off and on for the last few years but have really got into them in the last three. If you are aware of the whole comic book thing out there then you are aware of the many universes that are part of comic books. A few of the stories that I have been reading for a bit are,
- Batman (various story arcs).
- 30 Days of Night.
- Mice Templar.
- The Five Issue series retelling the Dracula novel.
- 2000 AD Programmes and Judge Dredd Magazine... in which my favorite strips are Defoe, The Ten Seconders and Strontium Dog.
- Marvel Zombies.
- Spiderman.
- Iron Man.
- League of Extraordinary Gentleman: Century.
- 20th Century Boys (Manga).
As of not long ago my nearest newsagents have been stocking various Marvel publications so my interest in comics has resurfaced to regular reading. Many of the characters I like to read about have been having their continuing stories told for nearer to one hundred years now and are still living... even though some have died and been resurrected. The comic universes that exist are very much alive with real characters, in continual motion through the stories of all the many characters that you find on the shelf in various stores all over the place... you can only get real ever moving fictional universes with comic books nowadays. Brilliant stuff.
Comic books can present stories so well and can be more effective than stories being written down. An example of this is Chapter 4 of the Watchmen graphic novel (which basically means a comic that is longer than a small comic issue. A graphic novel is usually collected issues of a whole story arc... info for the uninitiated). In this chapter the character of Dr Manhattan has transported himself to Mars. He is basically a naked blue man that is a godlike character. Watchmen was written in the eighties so the story surrounds the war with the Soviets and the threat of nuclear war. Dr Manhattan has the ability to save humanity but he slowly feels a growing indifference. The whole chapter is about Dr Manhatten contemplating about the universe, how he became who he was, humanity and the thing that started the universe. Dr Manhattan sees the passing of time differently (which is represented in the panels of the story) and can see what will happen and what has happened at the same time... which raises the question of whether we are just puppets without choice. I don't think that chapter could have been properly done if it wasn't in comic book form.
The prevailing thought I think is that so called 'normal' books are of a higher caliber than the visual storytelling of comics... when the only difference is that one uses artwork and words and the other just uses words. While a comic book story is being read you can see clues to what might happen in the future of the story in the artwork and a sense of the character through use of the artwork among other things... even the way that the artwork is drawn can set the tone for the story.
Comic books are also continous. You can get an issue once every week or month and as you do you see how the characters solve a problem or deal with a situation. Here is a good quote,
"Once the reader immerses himself or herself, the ambiance changes. He or she is thrust into an unknown situation... The plot thickens and the hero is cast in circumstances that demand a resolution. The confrontation ensues and against seemingly impossible odds, the hero finds an answer in an unlikely place or person. Once the comic book is finished being read, very little time had elapsed."
You can identify with the characters as they try to find resolution and since many comics are continual it is as if you are going along with the lives of your favourite characters... and through this imaginative activity you can use what you have learnt through the storytelling in your life. Many of these characters have been developed and written by many people over the years so they truly are everyone's characters... and they will live on in literature long after the originator has gone.
If you want to see the original comics then just look on walls of ancient temples or in burial chambers of ancient pharaohs.
Also if you enjoy art it is excellent because you get to know about the artists just as much as the writers in the comics field.
There are many, many genres and varieties of comics, you just need to take your pick. You will definitely find something to suit you... and then you can recommend what you have found and we can both talk about it together.
If nothing else it is a form of cheap entertainment for one little issue.
Over and Out.
ED.
P.S- I have started to write my very own comic books script for the first time in my life.
