Comic books are a weird phenomenon. Once upon a time…long ago…comics were reserved for a select few who were considered “super nerds”. Now, after years of being ridiculed, kicked around, and rejected by society it’s come of age and has been accepted by society. No longer the shunned, picked on little geek in the playground, the comic book is now considered cool and gets all the girls…and guys.
Maybe it’s because geek is now chic or that movies and television have shown how the comic book hero is awesome and worthy of attention, but it is definitely “a thing” now. It’s not just for the nerd anymore as people on Twitter and Facebook rave about this comic and the next and celebrities, and I mean big celebrities, are putting their name behind such iconic characters like Captain America and Batman. Yet comic books, the actual novels, sit in that limbo where it’s really popular, just not really successful.
via – Spiderman – MarvelMy first exposure to comic books came when I was twelve, and I had an uncle who had a pretty amazing collection of comic books. Even though I had no idea how valuable a single issue could be, I still knew that what he collected was special. He had them bagged and boarded and was preparing to leave the United States to work as a professor out in New Zealand. Well, my cousin was incredibly excited when he found out our uncle was giving away some of his collection, as way to lighten his baggage as well as show some appreciation to his nephews.
Not wanting to be left out, I too got excited and wanted to be in on the action. So on the last night my uncle and my aunt were in the States, he gave myself and my cousin a comic book of our choosing. Having no idea who any of these characters were save one, I knew that Wolverine was the most popular hero to grace the covers of these graphic novels (and no, I’m still not clear what the difference is between a comic book and graphic novel are). The other reason why I knew Wolverine was popular was because my uncle wouldn’t let me have any of the comic books where he was even mentioned.
That left me no choice, but one. The Spiderman was staring me in the face, and I thought that I recognized something about him. Maybe it was that Japanese live action show where he threw nets on people or maybe it was a cartoon, but I had to have a Spiderman comic. I don’t remember much about it, other than I got it, I thanked my uncle, I read it once, I put it back in it’s bagging and now it’s sitting inside a box somewhere. I can’t even remember what the story was about, but I do remember the price being in the 30-35 cent range, which made me think it was valuable. Comic books must not have been awesome to me, because I didn’t read another one for a long time.
Fast forward ten years later, and Watchmen
My girlfriend and comic books exit my life until another comic book movie comes out of the gate with promise of an Adam West like Nicolas Cage and a super villian McLovin. Kick Ass seemed interesting, and it had the embodiment of Japanese anime with a young girl ripping people to shreds. That idea of a kid killing people kind of piqued my interest and with that my interest in comic books grew. So far, I’ve read three whole comic books, well Kick Ass and Watchmen were entire series, as far as I know. But what sealed the deal for me, was Scott Pilgrim.
Those who have read this blog many a time know of my love for Scott Pilgrim VS The World
via – Atomic Robo – Red 5 ComicsNow maybe I was just following the trend, or maybe it’s just the natural progression of any comic book reader, but I find myself getting more and more interested in comic books. I can kind of hold my own, as a very novice comic book reader thanks to Major Spoilers. I listen to their podcast every week and I’ve learned so much about the comic book universe, so much so that I can fake being knowledgable even when I have no idea what I’m talking about. I know about the independent comics and the trade paperbacks and the comics apps on iPad and what retcon means. I’m currently reading Atomic Robo because of them (a great comic btw, and one I’ll be talking about in depth on the next Crit Mo podcast). People all over Twitter, and especially the ladies, all tout being avid comic book fans. It’s like a comic book renaissance and people are jumping in head first.
I’ll talk more about comic books on A Critical Moment of Awesome next week, but I want to hear your thoughts on what is a good comic book series to start on? Any suggestions on where I should go next? It’s funny because I hear how the comic book industry is struggling, but it’s almost like the idea of the comic book is more powerful than the book itself. People are more into the characters and ideas and the movies and tv shows than they are in the actual novels. Does that mean there’s a stigma attached to graphic novels? Are people ashamed to read these books? Will it ever turn around for the comic book industry or will it go the way side where the blockbuster films and shows are the only way to get the super hero fix?
It took me almost twenty years to finally figure out how cool comics can be. And sure they’re not for everyone, but don’t knock it until you try it. Like me, sometimes, all you need is that right series, that right hero, and that right world to get you into a whole new universe. One final thought, as I am a huge fan of Batman, without having read the comics. I’m not going to take Christian Bale Christopher Nolan at their word, I hope to find out who the Batman really is for myself from where he came from. Hell it’s easy enough to do now with the new 52 from DC. Maybe you’ll come join me for that ride. What are your thoughts?
